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Arunachal Pradesh

Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary (Lama Camp & Bompu)

Birders' tented camps on a forest track up to 2,800 m, home of the Bugun liocichla

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Best time to visit Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary (Lama Camp & Bompu)

peak shoulder off-season avoid

  • Go: March to April and November to December
  • Shoulder: January to February, May and October, quieter, and the weather is less of a sure thing
  • Skip: June to September

Planning a specific month? MarchAprilNovemberDecember

Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary (Lama Camp & Bompu) season by season

Winter December to February Prime time

Dec-Feb are cold at Lama Camp, frost most mornings and snow now and then on Eaglenest Pass, but skies are clear and altitude migrants come down to Bompu at 1,940 m

Summer March to May Prime time

Mar-May is breeding season: the Bugun liocichla sings below Lama Camp, tragopans call at dawn, and by May the pre-monsoon showers and leeches begin at Bompu

Monsoon June to September Do not go

Jun-Sep the sanctuary is closed to visitors: the jeep track slips, the camps pack up and leeches own the forest. Come back from October

Autumn October to November Prime time

Oct-Nov the camps reopen as the rain stops; November gives the clearest light down the Kameng gorge and the first wintering birds, with the camps still half empty

What Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary (Lama Camp & Bompu) is actually like

Serious birders in the Bugun community's tented camps, hot dal by lamplight, 5 am wake-ups and no phone signal above Ramalingam

Things to do in Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary

The local places worth your time in and around Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary, with how far each sits from the centre. Tap a name to open it in Google Maps.

  • Eaglenest Pass

    Viewpoint · 7 km out

    Highest point of the Eaglenest road at about 2,800 m, between Lama Camp and Bompu; the top stretch for high forest birds.

  • Bompu Camp

    Wildlife · 23 km out

    Tented camp at 1,940 m run by the Bugun Welfare Society; Blyth's tragopan and the Bompu litter frog are found around it.

  • Sessni

    Wildlife · 32 km out

    Road stretch at about 1,250 m below Bompu for lower forest birds; birders usually work it from Bompu Camp.

  • Khellong

    Wildlife · 42 km out

    Foothill end of the Eaglenest road near Doimara for lowland forest birds; reached from Bompu Camp along with Sessni.

  • Singchung Bugun Village Community Reserve

    Wildlife · 8 km out

    17 sq km Bugun community forest beside the sanctuary, set up in 2017; it won the India Biodiversity Award 2018 for the liocichla.

Getting to Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary (Lama Camp & Bompu)

Tezpur to Singchung by shared Sumo, 5 h, then a jeep 1 h up to Lama Camp, booked via the Bugun Welfare Society. ILP needed

Practical ways in: flighttrainroad

Trip facts

How long to stay
3 days
Budget
Mid-range
How busy
Quiet at its peak
Solo travel
Doable solo with some planning
Altitude
2361 m
State
Arunachal Pradesh
Coordinates
27.1570, 92.4607

Common questions

When is the best time to visit Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary (Lama Camp & Bompu)?

March to April and November to December is peak season in Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary (Lama Camp & Bompu). January to February, May and October is shoulder season: thinner crowds, a bit more risk in the weather. Avoid June to September. Mar-May is breeding season: the Bugun liocichla sings below Lama Camp, tragopans call at dawn, and by May the pre-monsoon showers and leeches begin at Bompu.

How many days do you need in Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary (Lama Camp & Bompu)?

3 days is the usual stay. Serious birders in the Bugun community's tented camps, hot dal by lamplight, 5 am wake-ups and no phone signal above Ramalingam.

How do you get to Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary (Lama Camp & Bompu)?

Tezpur to Singchung by shared Sumo, 5 h, then a jeep 1 h up to Lama Camp, booked via the Bugun Welfare Society. ILP needed. Practical ways in: flight, train and road.

Is Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary (Lama Camp & Bompu) expensive, and does it get crowded?

Mid-range by Indian travel standards, and it runs quiet at the busiest time of year. Doable solo with some planning.

What are the best things to do in Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary?

Eaglenest Pass, Bompu Camp, Sessni, Khellong and Singchung Bugun Village Community Reserve. Highest point of the Eaglenest road at about 2,800 m, between Lama Camp and Bompu; the top stretch for high forest birds.

Nearby, and where to go next

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