I first went to North Bengal and Sikkim in April 2003 with a group of friends mainly from the UK and it was then that I met Bijoy Rai, who subsequently became the organiser for all my trips to the area and a good friend. I planned my original itinerary from the book ‘A Birdwatchers Guide to India’ by Kazmierczak and Singh and made all the arrangements through a British travel agent and a trekking agency based in Delhi. I was not aware that there were any local expert bird guides in the area and I was informed by a colleague that Krys Kazmierczak had told him that we would be lucky to find one bird guide in that area, let alone one for each vehicle. I did decide to make use of two tour guides offered by the agency knowing from previous experience trekking in Nepal in the eighties that they would probably justify their costs by organising permits, transport, meals and accommodation etc, and that was very definitely the case. Bijoy and his colleague were excellent organisers and ena led us to concentrate on and enjoy the birding whilst they looked after all our comforts.
Bijoy however turned out to be an added bonus; he had a very genuine interest in birds and even had his own field guide and was happy to bird dawn to dusk. Most importantly he knew the areas we wanted to visit, had excellent eyes and endless enthusiasm. We provided him with a pair of binoculars, which were subsequently given to him and we had an excellent trip, seeing 222 species including such gems as White-browed Shortwing, Golden Bush Robin, Himalayan Monal and Blood Pheasant. Since my initial trip in April 2003 I have made four trips to the area, mostly with a British friend living and working in Mumbai and always using Bijoy has guide and trip organizer. During this two year period since my first trip Bijoy’s knowledge of birds has increased tremendously, he is now able to recognise a large number of species and know where to look for them and most importantly he is developing a very good ear for their songs and calls and the ability to pinpoint the bird. He already knows a number of individual calls and those of family groups, a tremendous help when looking for skulkers. We hope to provide him with tapes and recording equipment soon to help him further his knowledge.
Should you be planning a trip to this area, I would point out that by using Bijoy Rai as guide and trip organiser rather than using western tour companies, you are putting more of your money into the local economy where it is much needed and not only will Bijoy benefit, but so will the growing team of local young people he uses to assist him. This is a great bonus in an area that suffers from high unemployment. My bird list from this area now totals 418 species, but I expect I will continue to return to fill in the small gaps and to visit a beautiful area and great people.
Report by Stuart Keenan
My tips to time of writing have been as follows:
April 2003 (2 weeks) – Darjeeling area and Tiger Hill, Gairibas and Sandakphu (using jeep transport), Lava area including Neora NP and Risyap, Gangtok and Changu Lake, Rumtek Gompa, Gorumara Jungle Reserve.
October 2003 (10 days) – Gorumara and Chatramati area, Risyap to Lava trail, Neora NP, Lolaygaon, Darjeeling area and Tiger Hill and road to Dhodrey.
May 2004 (3 weeks) – Lolaygaon, Risyap to Lava, Neora NP, Utteray, Pemyangtse, Khecheoperi Lake, Yoksom, Darjeeling, Bindu, Jholung, Suntalakhola, Gorumara and Chatramati.
January 2005 (8 days) – Lava area and Neora NP, Gorumara area.
May 2005 (3 weeks) – Lava area including Neora NP, Gairibas and Sandakphu (using jeep transport) and walking trek from Yoksom to Dzongri and Samiti Lake.
A THREE WEEK HOLIDAY IN NORTH BENGAL AND SIKKIM
We have been on many trekking trips in South Asia, Africa and South America, but our visit to North Bengal and Sikkim with Bijoy Rai and his company must rank as one of the best. My wife and I learnt of them from a friend who could not recommend them too highly, and we were in no way disappointed.
We were keen to visit the Himalayas again, and especially interested to see and experience the wildlife and natural history of West Bengal and Sikkim. We took Bijoy’s advice on the details for our holiday, with a week’s trek followed by a guided visit to North Sikkim, with day walks in various areas of particular interest. We were met at Bagdogra airport, and soon knew that this was to be a special holiday – long before arriving in Darjeeling, the infectious enthusiasm of both guide and driver was apparent. We just had to stop at regular intervals to view orchids, rhododendrons, fabulous views and unfamiliar birds.
A brief, comfortable stay in Darjeeling allowed us to find our feet, explore the former British Raj hill station, and recover from our journey from the UK. Then we were off to join the team who would look after us so well on our trek – the young cooks, the porters, the pony men and their charges. We were immediately aware that it really was a team – all working happily together, with none of the hassle so common on treks. On the trek they stayed close to us, making sure that everything went smoothly. The meals were always excellent, the team good humoured and good natured, and the guiding influence of Bijoy became increasingly obvious. He had a knack of keeping us all happy, and had a great rapport with the local villagers we met on our travels. He dealt with petty officials with equal tact and diplomacy, and there never seemed to be any friction. The infectious enthusiasm extended far beyond our original interest of beautiful mountains and scenery and plants and flowers (he always knew where to find the best specimens!). Soon we were also studying birds, some quite rare, with a newfound interest and understanding. We learnt a great deal about the history, culture, and religions of the region, and our visits to historic sites and monasteries were fascinating. One of the many highlights was being in Gangtok during the Dalai Lama’s visit. We will never know how we ended up sitting in the front row at day for blessing devotees. Nothing is beyond Bijoy! Even our hotel in Gangtok had close links with the Royal Families of Sikkim and Bhutan. We cannot speak too highly of the outstanding organisation and happy close cooperation within the team, creating a relaxed hassle-free atmosphere and a truly outstanding holiday – undoubtedly a “best ever” – we will be back with Bijoy and his team.
Report by Colin Bray
PLANT HUNTING WITH BIJOY
We had visited Nepal and India many times before and had once spent several days in Darjeeling, so we did not expect too many surprises until we got to the north of Sikkim. How wrong we were! The first excitement was seeing epiphytic orchids in the trees soon after leaving Bagdogra airport on our drive to Darjeeling. We also saw a fantastic yellow rhododendron (dalhousiae) on a bend just below Darjeeling – a promise of things to come.
For me, the highlight in Darjeeling was the Botanic Gardens, with its many examples of Himalayan orchids both in the orchid houses, and festooning the trees. There were fine examples of native trees all clearly labelled, but at this low altitude, the magnolias and rhododendrons had mostly finished flowering. The Victorian glasshouse had a splendid display of primulas, calceolarias and schizanthus. Outside there was a glorious Rosa banksia luteum, and two huge old wisterias planted in 1878 and still flowering profusely. It was altogether a good introduction to a flower trip, and a very attractive place to pass a pleasant morning.
The next day, we drove to the start of our trek at Rimbik. We were soon out of the jeep having a closer look at plants we had spotted, including Paris polyphylla, a large white Rhododendron, bright red Agapetes serpens, Begonias and Arisaemas. Later there were two different epiphytic Rhododendrons, one whitish and one yellow, Rosa sericea and a splendid Bauhinia variegata, a most attractive tree with its large mauve and white blossoms. We also saw many epiphytic orchids.
The following day we started walking. My first impressions of that day were the pretty little houses with white orchids (Coelogyne cristata) growing in boxes, in trees, and covering the banks of the gardens as we walked along the trail. We were high up on the side of a river valley. When we set off the river was far below, and the opposite hillside was terraced in almost geometric patterns. As the valley narrowed and steepened, we found ourselves walking through shady cardamom forest now much closer to the rocky river. Once across the other side of the river, a steep climb to the accompaniment of a noisy cuckoo, brought us into more forest with many red rhododendrons (arboreum) and a climbing Hydrangea growing over a rock in the shade. That night we camped in the village of Ramman with a beautiful white flowering Michelia tree below us. Around the outside the little monastery, there were boxes of orchids, probably Coelogyne corymbosa, hanging from posts. We also saw C. ochracea high up in some pine trees.
The next morning saw us ascending among tall forest trees, with a scrub of Berberis and Pieris below. Higher up, the trail passed below huge tree rhododendrons 30 feet or more high, and vast trees of Magnolia Campbellii with its great white blooms, and thickets of Daphne bholua covered in flowers. We found a pink climbing Holboellia too, as well as bright yellow Piptanthus nepalensis and more Arisaemas. We camped amongst windswept pines high on the Singalila Ridge, explored by Joseph Hooker in 1847-8.
Early next morning, as we walked along the ridge towards Phalut, the sun was shining, and through the haze we had magnificent views of Kanchenjunga. Even Everest was briefly visible. The Rhododendrons were huge and magnificent against the blue sky, red, pink and purple including various forms of R. arboreum as well as R hodgsonia with its enormous leaves. We found tiny anemones and three species of Primula in flower. The low growing azaleas were not in bloom.
Our trek continued in the opposite direction, along the Nepal/India border, past Sandakphu and Ghairi Bas to Tonglu, described by Joseph Hooker in his Journal. The trail passed through magnificent mixed forest, with steep inaccessible valleys sweeping down below us. It was not hard to imagine the difficulties that Hooker would have encountered while in exploring this terrain. We continued to find new Rhododendrons including the exquisite red R. cinnabarinum with its bell shaped flowers. There was Photinia too, and more Primulae. After our last night camping near Tonglu, we found we had been sleeping on fields of tiny iris about to flower. From there we descended to the road. It seemed strange to be back in civilisation, and quite sad to be saying goodbye to the porters and pony men, but the trek had ended.
Still, there was more to come. We left Darjeeling the next day and headed towards Sikkim, visitng villages and many monasteries. Almost immediately we began to see the national flower of Sikkim, the abundant pink epiphytic orchid Dendrobium nobile. It and Dendrobium densiflorum, a yellow orchid rather resembling a pineapple when in bud, could be seen everywhere. In gardens we saw other native species carefully tended. There was also Cotinus. From Gangtok we travelled north along the steep and tortuous road to Lachen. The valley was very deep. Cloud swirled round the mountain tops, and the Rhododendrons looked in their rightful place. We found yellowish green R. triflorum and pink R.ciliatum with its hairy leaves. Between Lachen and the Chopta valley further north, the first show stopper we encountered was a mauvey pink drumstick Primula. There were sheets and sheets of it filling the meadows and climbing the hillsides. We found a different form of R.cinnabarinum with orange and yellow flowers, as well the exquisite R.glaucophyllum. After passing through some mixed pine and rhododendron forest, the valley opened out. Up ahead we could see wonderful snowy peaks. We went as far as up as our permits allowed, and looked back down the valley with its small fields and yak herder’s huts beside the meandering river.
Next we moved on to the Lachung valley, and soon noticed large clumps of acid yellow Euphorbia sikkimensis by the roadside. On the road up to Yumthang we came across whole swathes of R.ciliatum. A little further up a veritable forest of R.thomsonii lit up the hillside with its red blooms. There were orangey forms of it too, and yellow R.campylocarpum. Higher up still, we reached the remains of the pine forest with many fine trees of large leaved R.hodsonii and a large white species. As we emerged from the forest, the ground was pink on both sides of the river as far as we could see – it was the drumstick primulae again! In a sheltered corner we found Meconopsis leaves, but we were too early for flowers.
The whole trip was superb. We saw primulas and orchids as we had never seen them before, but our most lasting memory is of the rhododendrons. As well as those already mentioned, we saw falconeri, wightii, pumila, griffithianum, lindleyi, and possibly fulgens along with others we completely failed to identify, and the best place to see them was in the north of Sikkim. Bijoy’s local knowledge was invaluable in our quest, and we undoubtedly found many more plants than we would have managed without the help of his sharp eyes. It was a trip we shall never forget, and we hope to go back again some day, with Bijoy of course.
Report by Marion Bray
A HAPPY TREKKER
I am very choosy about my holiday companions, and yet one year, I found myself in Sikkim for three weeks with a total stranger. I had been really looking forward to the trip, a plant hunting trek organised by the English agents Naturetrek, but only a month before departure, I learnt that no-one else had shown any interest. Naturetrek could not offer quite the original package complete with English botanist/guide to accompany me, but they offered to run the trip just for me. What an amazing opportunity! The visit would be a triple first for me, the first to the Himalayas, the first to India, and the first to Asia even. I quickly put any reservations to the back of my mind, and decided to think of myself as some latter day Memsahib venturing off into the unknown.
As it turned out, I landed on my feet. My guide was a younger Bijoy, then working for a Darjeeling agency. From the moment of meeting he felt like an old friend, and I had a wonderful holiday. So much so, that resting at Dzongri on the way up to the Goecha La, I was already planning my next visit to the area. Apart from flowers, my chief love is mountains, seeing them, being among them, and climbing them, preferably without too many other people around. So when I started to talk about my next trip, Bijoy suggested a trek along the little travelled northern section of the Singalila Ridge. He also recommended doing it in the autumn, to get clearer weather, and marked the route on my map for future reference.
Eighteen months later, I was delighted to be welcomed again at Bagdogra by Bijoy, and we quickly caught up on news. The weather was being a bit unseasonable when we left Darjeeling, but it gradually improved, and on the second morning of the trek I was woken at dawn with the magic words “you can see Everest ma’am, come quickly”. We were camping in a grassy hollow high on the ridge at Dhoor. Just a few steps above the tent, and there it was, a magnificent panorama of distant snowy peaks glowing gold in the dawn sky. On the other side of the ridge, Kanchenjunga was much clearer because of its proximity, and we sat and gazed in awe, warmed by the early morning sun. Unfortunately, there was another trekking group travelling the same trail, but in fact we saw very little of them. They rushed out of camp very early, and walked unsmiling, as if on a route march, each one following the heels of the person in front, while I was given time to savour my breakfast in the sun with the ever absorbing backdrop of snowy mountains. As we walked the ridge, every new viewpoint was a reason to pause and appreciate our surroundings. It was great to be with such a supportive group of porters and yak men, all keen as mustard and enjoying the trip too. As we approached the higher mountains, the other group took a different route, and we were glad to have the next couple of snowy camps to ourselves. Most of the trekking days were not long, which was good, because it left time for Bijoy and me to climb some local peak. He is always keen for an adventure. At Garaket we sat for ages on a narrow rocky ridge above our camp, watching the clouds pour down from the Nepal peaks, gradually revealing Khumbakarna and other nearby summits, white against a blue sky. Behind us over Sikkim, dark clouds were gathering, and we ran back to camp down the snow. At Panding camp, we were all out early enjoying the stunning pink dawn glow. Bijoy happened to see me glance up towards an accessible peak quite near, and I only had time to say “I bet the view is much better from up there”, and he was off, never mind breakfast or packing up camp, they could wait. One of the porters came with us, and we had great fun negotiating the rocks and deep powder snow in between. The view from the summit was certainly worth the effort.
That was another great trip, and before it was over I had planned a third visit to Sikkim. Whatever activity we are engaged in, Bijoy is always full of infectious enthusiasm which rubs off on the whole team. He is always on the look out for ways to improve the experience too, and will adjust the itinerary accordingly. That was how we ended up camping near some local houses on the banks of a wide river. We spent two days getting to know our neighbours, watching kingfishers, finding butterflies, and shopping for food in the local market. Some fishermen brought fish for supper. Our neighbour brought us wood and we had a bonfire, then after sunset the fireflies (and the team) entertained me with their magical dance. On other occasions we visited locals in their houses, were made welcome in monastery classrooms, and watched a village blacksmith at work. Thanks to Bijoy I found myself joining a group of ladies on retreat at Tashiding gompa, and I experienced the lure of Tibetan Buddhism whose precepts seem to imbue all of life in Sikkim with a respect for the surroundings, and a gentleness and calm which I find deeply attractive. For all these reasons I will keep returning.
Feedback 