Canopy 6 Days Andaman Birding Package | Resonant

The pre-dawn drive to Chiriya Tapu on Day 2 of this andaman birding package — approximately 30 kilometres south of Port Blair — arrives at the forest edge before first light when the mangrove bird activity is at its peak. The Andaman teal favours freshwater pockets near the mangrove system at Chiriya Tapu and the forest edge holds several endemic and resident species active in this hour before the day heats. The mangrove belt from the water edge inward is the productive zone — the canopy at Chiriya Tapu closes over in the denser sections and the light filtering through it in the early morning has a quality specific to this latitude and this forest type.

The drive to Wandoor covers approximately 29 kilometres from Port Blair on the south coast of South Andaman — the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park shoreline and the coastal forest here carry shore birds, sea birds and mangrove edge species different from the Chiriya Tapu assemblage. Overnight in Port Blair.

The drive north to Mayabunder covers approximately 240 kilometres through the Andaman Trunk Road convoy zone near Jirkatang — the escorted passage through the Jarawa Tribal Reserve where stopping and photography are strictly prohibited — and arrives in Mayabunder in the early afternoon. The North Andaman forest around Mayabunder holds the Andaman drongo, the Andaman coucal and the Andaman hawk-owl in the forest corridors between the town and the coast.

The afternoon forest walk in the Mayabunder area on this andaman birding package is the first serious North Andaman forest encounter of the circuit — the bird assemblage here differs from the south in ways that reflect the slight difference in forest character and canopy structure between Middle and North Andaman. Karmatang Beach in the evening carries shorebird species along the tide line — waders, terns and other coastal species active in the low light before dark. Overnight at Mayabunder.

The pre-dawn start at Mayabunder on Day 4 opens the second early morning birding window of this andaman birding package — the forest at this hour before the heat builds carries species that go quiet by mid-morning. The drive from Mayabunder to Diglipur covers approximately 80 kilometres in around 2 to 2.5 hours, arriving in Diglipur before noon with the afternoon available for Saddle Peak National Park.

The forest department check post at the park entry is the afternoon stop — the group enters the park on the lower trail sections where the Andaman woodpecker and the Andaman serpent eagle have been recorded, the forest closing over the trail within the first few hundred metres of the park boundary. The full pre-dawn summit approach is reserved for Day 5. The Saddle Peak forest in the late afternoon gives a read of the elevation gradient and the canopy character before the serious birding morning. Overnight at Diglipur.

The pre-dawn start at Saddle Peak is the centrepiece of this andaman birding package — the group enters the forest trail before first light when the endemic species are most vocal and the forest is active before the temperature rises and the canopy goes quiet. The Andaman woodpecker is most frequently recorded in the lower and mid-elevation forest sections in the early morning hours. The Andaman serpent eagle carries at elevation. The Andaman shama — one of the most sought-after endemics by visiting birders — favours the dense understorey on the mid-elevation trail. No specific sightings can be guaranteed — the forest is wild and the birds move on their own schedule.

The birding window runs until mid-morning when the forest activity drops and the drive south begins. The return drive from Diglipur to Rangat covers approximately 150 kilometres in around 4 to 5 hours, arriving Rangat by late afternoon. Overnight at Rangat.

The drive from Rangat to Port Blair on the final morning of this andaman birding package covers approximately 170 kilometres in around 5 to 6 hours including the southbound convoy passage through the Jarawa Tribal Reserve. Groups with afternoon or evening departure flights can depart Rangat after an early breakfast and arrive in Port Blair with time before the flight. Groups with morning departures should flag the timing with the Bon team at booking so the Day 5 programme is structured with the return drive to Port Blair directly rather than the Rangat overnight.

The Bon Voyagers vehicle drops at Port Blair Airport. The six days have covered five distinct birding habitats — South Andaman forest at Mount Harriet, mangrove edge at Chiriya Tapu, coastal forest at Wandoor, North Andaman forest at Mayabunder and the Saddle Peak elevation gradient.