[Travelmania]

Zuluk is a village located in Sikkim, India, at an altitude of about 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) above sea level. It is a breathtaking destination that offers visitors stunning views of the eastern Himalayas, including the famous Kanchenjunga. As a part of the historic Silk Route, Zuluk is a place where travelers can experience the cultural richness of the region. However, its high altitude results in varying climatic conditions throughout the year, making proper planning and acclimatization essential for a comfortable and safe visit. Tourists can explore nearby attractions such as the Thambi Viewpoint, Lungthung, and Gnathang Valley,Kupup Lake and few more lakes .
We visited Rishop en route to Zuluk for bird watching, staying at Passerine Bird Lodge. Despite visiting in April, the Kanchenjunga range was not visible, but the sadness replaced with lovely bird watching.
As we frequently drive to North Bengal and Sikkim throughout the year, I will start the blog with a brief introduction instead of elaborately describing our journey until Siliguri.
Myself with my brother Debjit accompanied by Prosenjit my nearest neighbor and brother teamed up for this tour. Should mention the name of our Innova Crysta who is the most loyal partner of my tours. The itinerary was placed in the following manner:
Day 1(21st April) Started from Garia Kolkata at 4 pm
Day 2(22nd April) Reach Rishop early.
Day 3(23rd April) Rishop to Zuluk via Rongli.
Day 4(24th April) Zuluk to Kupup and back to Padamchen
Day 5(25th April) Padamchen to Kolkata.

Day 1: At 4 pm, we left home and stopped at Ma Annapurna Bhojonalaya for tea after struggling through Kolkata traffic.
Debjit started with a tea break

Later, we had dinner at Pappu da Dhaba near Polsonda, NH 12, and spent an hour sleeping at BP Ghar Dalkhola as we did on previous trips.

Day 2: Took the route to Rishop via Gorubathan and Lava. The road surface was fantastic, providing a pleasurable drive through the wide winding mountain path.Didn't forget to take the snap of our crysta at the scenic spot at Gorubathan.




Our homestay is located on the road to Rishop via 9th mile, which passes through a forest with an unpaved, broken surface. Although it was challenging to drive our Innova Crysta on that road, we decided to do so instead of parking it at the hotel in Lava as suggested by the homestay owner. Our vehicle managed to reach the homestay safely without any hassle. However, the roads in Rishop are always in bad shape, as I have experienced on my trips over the past four years.

We stayed at Passerine Bird Lodge, located in the heart of the jungle with lush greenery and birds all around. Our homestay owner, Norbu Sherpa, guided us bird watching in the upper levels of the lodge during our one-day stay in Rishop. Surrounded by nature, the homestay boasts breathtaking views. The owner's hospitality is nothing short of attentive and caring, leaving guests with a warm and cosy home away from home feeling.
Few snaps can describe it better.
Passerine Bird Lodge

Our Parking beside the homestay

A long shot of the Homestay


We took some time to rest and recover from our overnight drive before embarking on a bird-watching adventure near the homestay. The lush green surroundings of the homestay were home to a variety of bird species, which added to the charm of the place. Our host, Mr. Norbu Sherpa, acted as our guide on the bird-watching trail. Here are some pictures that capture our bird-watching experience:
Myself in search of tiny species


Debjit following my steps

We found few cute species on the upper hills beside our homestay under the guidance of our Homestay owner Mr Norbu.
Gold Napped Finch


Black Redstart

Green-Backed tit

Grey-Headed Canary-Flycatcher


Grey Bushchat

Grey Bushchat after shower

White Tailed Nuthatch


In homestays in the hills, there is little to do after sunset except enjoy snacks like momos and chicken tandoor while listening to light music in the background.
Our Homestay Landlady preparing momo for us

Day 3: During our trip, we prioritised visiting Zuluk, so we cut our stay at Rishop short to arrive in Zuluk early the next day. In the morning, my sibling Debjit and I went bird watching and took some photos.
Sunrise from our Homestay room

Russet Sparrow Male


Russet Sparrow Female

Verditar Flycatcher

[Travelmania]

Day 3 continued...

After breakfast, we headed to Zuluk via Rongli. The permit process at Rongli is now easier, requiring KYC with photos. It's worth noting that a Voter ID card is accepted instead of Aadhaar, and for self-driven cars, the RC card must be in the driver's name.
The homestay served a delicious breakfast on an open rooftop with a beautiful mountain view, but Mt Kanchenjunga cannot be seen from the homestay due to its location on the reverse side of the Rishop top. We were not sad because our main goal was to enjoy nature and the birdsong.
The road from Rishop to Lava has many broken parts that require safe travel.
The road condition beyond Lava is good with some rough patches after Pedong. We had no trouble reaching Rongli quickly.
After reaching Rongli, met Samir Chettri, owner of a Xerox shop, smoothly completed the permit process. After preparing the necessary papers, the car owner or driver must visit the police station for a permission to enter beyond Padamchen.
We spent the day in Zuluk, staying at Tibetian Villa owned by Namgyal Bhutia and his sister. We took a light stroll around the serene roads in the evening but had to cut it short due to drizzles. Our main aim was to rise early next day to hit the upper part early and try our luck for Himalayan Monal, as advised by locals. Got a safe parking as well just beside the homestay.
Parking at Upper Zuluk

Day 4: Although it was difficult to wake up early on a chilly morning, we managed to get out of bed at 5 am. Our homestay host served us hot coffee and even packed breakfast for us with a smile. My salute to the lady for her immense effort to keep the guests happy. We started off hoping to spot some bird species as we ascended to higher altitudes, but we only managed to see a sunbird along the way. It was difficult to get close to any birds due to heavy tourist crowds and the frequent movement of tourist vehicles. We headed towards Thambi Viewpoint to see Mt. Kanchenjunga and the winding route below.
Some shots after leaving zuluk

Few snaps of the view
Slender Billed Scimitar Babbler


We saw our first snow after Thambi View Point. The white cascade and black zigzag path for vehicles made for a splendid view. There is nothing to describe in words, but it is better to portray through the photos below.
The ZigZag route from top

Debjit with the silk route at Backdrop

Prosenjit at same position

Myself trying the same pose

As we moved forward, the snow became visible all around us.
Our Crysta










Snow drive on Silk Route toward KUPUP lake

https://youtu.be/3v-CEp2SHe0?si=jxLPoqrjBhXyQIUo

Beyond Gnathang valley there is a shop for Coffee and snacks with a provision of snow boots on rent. We took a break and hired snow boots.
Some Maggie above 12000ft



Our target was to drive till Kupup and return back to Padamchen on the same day. During my previous visit in April 2019, the snow-covered scenery remained unchanged. I must emphasize the significance of the coffee shop at Old Baba Mandir, and the drive from Zuluk to Kupup and back was nothing short of a heavenly experience.








Kupup Lake



As mentioned earlier we kept the remaining day at Padamchen after reaching at 3pm. Thought to stroll around and try some bird watching.

Contd.......

[Travelmania]

Day 4 Continued.....

I wanted to go for a stroll and try some bird watching. Padamchen is well-known for its birds, and the area is known to be a quiet and ideal nesting spot for them. I had heard that some lovely bird species can be found here. Even though I am an amateur photographer and am visiting Padamchen for the first time, I found it to be a treasure trove for bird watchers. I noticed a few groups of professional photographers also wandering around to catch a glimpse and take pictures of the various species in the area.
Few snaps from the evening.
Chestnut-Crowned Laughingthrush



Grey-winged Blackbird(Male)

Grey-winged Blackbird (Female)

Common Rosefinch


Rufous Sibia



.As the sun was setting, its inclined rays cast a silky effect on the species, creating an elating feeling of love.
Ashy Drongo



Front Protrait of Ashy Drongo


We drove toward Zuluk to get more species in between and found two tiny species.
Chestnut-Tailed Minla

Striated Laughingthrush

We found some beautiful high-altitude birds here. Next time, I would prefer to stay at Silent Valley Homestay, nestled in nature without any nearby concrete, instead of in the main crowd of Padamchen.

Day 5 : We kept the day to return home. We left at 10:30 am and drove leisurely until we reached Lucknowee restaurant after crossing Ghoshpukur. The restaurant served some delicious Mughlai dishes. I must mention that Prosenjit recommended this beautiful and neat restaurant on the highway. Later, I drove straight home to Kolkata with some rest in fuel stations in between.

This is my second story of our birding venture to North Bengal.
The previous one was in Latpanchar whose link is shared below.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...va-crysta.html (Bird Watching & road-trip to North Bengal in an Innova Crysta)

[Sheel]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[rarcar]

Lovely photos Sir!
Can you please post details on your equipment?

[Kkumar]

Beautiful photographs and excellent write up. How did Crysta perform in high altitude, did you face any issues.

[ABHI_1512]

Beautiful pictures Dada, you have taken to bird photography just as a fish takes to water. After the Latpanchar trip, this is an equally engrossing thread to read and savour. Keep travelling and looking forward to see many more fairy pictures from you.

Regards.

[Travelmania]

Originally Posted by rarcar

Lovely photos Sir!
Can you please post details on your equipment?

Thank you. I am using Nikon D7500 with Nikkor 200mm-500mm VR/5.6 lens

Originally Posted by Kkumar

Beautiful photographs and excellent write up. How did Crysta perform in high altitude, did you face any issues.

Thanks for your appreciation. Crysta performed flawlessly at high altitude. I have taken Crysta to high altitude many times in earlier trips, but didn't face any problem.

Originally Posted by ABHI_1512

Beautiful pictures Dada, you have taken to bird photography just as a fish takes to water. After the Latpanchar trip, this is an equally engrossing thread to read and savour. Keep travelling and looking forward to see many more fairy pictures from you.

Regards.

Thanks for inspiring me. I'm passionate about photographing birds in their natural habitat, and though I'm still a beginner, I'm trying to improve my skills.

[Samba]

Going for a long drive to the Himalaya and getting the opportunity to drive on snow, & capture rare birds always turns out to be a dream trip.
The pics came out beautiful, be it the scenery, be it the birds or be it your steed on the snow.

Even I had an opportunity to drive a little distance on snow during our Zuluk trip. My memory got refreshed. Thanks for sharing this wonderful travelogue.

Clicks from our Zuluk drive-

[Travelmania]

Originally Posted by Samba

Going for a long drive to the Himalaya and getting the opportunity to drive on snow, & capture rare birds always turns out to be a dream trip.
The pics came out beautiful, be it the scenery, be it the birds or be it your steed on the snow.

Thanks for your appreciation, Samba. Your photos also came out very nice and crisp. Zuluk has now become my regular visit every 2-3 years. Last time we visited to witness snow with our EcoSport.

[haisaikat]

Those are some great birding photos curved inside an already beautiful North Bengal travelogue in Crysta. Loved your new found hobby and I know from some recent experiences that this is quite an addicting passion. A good spotter and guide makes a lot of difference until one develop their own spotting skills. The snow drive in Zuluk must have been an added thrill and accomplishment. Eagerly waiting for the next venture of Crysta and the Lenses.