Eaglenest - Arunachal Pradesh

The spectacular heights of the renowned Eaglenest nestle among the green mountains of Arunachal Pradesh, a hidden corner of India, where the stunning Bhutanitis ludlowii chooses to fly in the midst of the wet season. It will rain sometimes, but that is when we need to be there to see this remarkable species. In 2025 we managed to see it very well.

A tour with Hiroaki Takenouchi

Itinerary

Day 1     Arrival and transfer to Eaglenest (27 August)

We will rendezvous at the New Delhi International Airport and take a very early morning flight to Guwahati, the capital of the State of Assam. We'll be met by the local driver and guide at Guwahati Airport then immediately leave for the Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary in the north west of the frontier state of Arunachal Pradesh. Today is a long transfer day and there will be no real chance for butterfly watching. We will drive through a changing and fascinating scenery, including crossing the great Brahmaputra River. The road condition permitting, we should arrive at the Lama Camp before nightfall and may even get a glimpse of a Bhutanitis or two already.

Days 2-6     Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary (28 August-1 September)

Here at Eaglenest, our main targets are the two species of Bhutanitis - B. lidderdalii and the almost mythical B. ludlowi. B. lidderdalii flies near Lama Camp itself and it is worthwhile spending at least a day just walking around the camp. For ludlowi, we will have to drive for a few kilometres towards the Eaglenest Pass (2,790masl). Due to the highly unpredictable weather conditions there, we may have to play it by ear in deciding exactly what to do on any given day. If we manage to observe both Bhutanitis species well in the first few days, we could also visit some other sites beyond Eaglenest.


Another highlight at Eaglenest is a group of beautiful hairstreaks, the so-called Zephyruses. They are associated with the temperate oak forests and tend to be active early in the morning. Now, as India adopts one single time-zone, the daybreak in Arunachal - located at the eastern end of the country - is extremely early. So the Zephyruses can be seen flying already at around 6am. A walk around the camp before breakfast will reward you with their dazzling green shimmer.

After the nightfall, we will run the moth lamps at the camp. This place has the most astonishing array of moths imaginable and just the sheer number of moths and other insects can be simply overwhelming.

Day 7     To Ziro (2 September)

This morning, we will say goodbye to the amazing Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary and drive towards our second base, the Talle Wildlife Sanctuary. But we won't get to the sanctuary today and we will instead stay overnight in the nearby town of Ziro. 

Days 8-10     Talle Wildlife Sanctuary (3-5 September)

After breakfast in Ziro, we will drive to Talle and as soon as we arrive, we would be on our mission to find our third main target, Teinopalpus imperialis (the Kaiser-i-Hind). If we get lucky with the weather, we might even see one puddling. 

We will continue the search for Teinopalpus and there should also be more Bhutanitis lidderdalii here. Other butterflies and again moths here can be quite astounding. Look out for the recently-discovered moth that mimics Bhutanitis that might make its appearance if we are very lucky (it is so rare that only a handful of people have seen it!).

Day 11     Departure (6 September)

We leave the Talle Wildlife Sanctuary in the morning and make our way towards Itanagar Airport, a few hours' drive away. The direct flight in the afternoon will take us back to New Delhi. We say goodbye at New Delhi Airport.