Latpanchar is one of the most popular birdwatching destinations of entire India. If you search in Google, you will find a brown-colored bird represents the beautiful place Latpanchar. That is Rufous-necked Hornbill, the pride of Latpanchar. I will guide you on
- How to Reach Latpanchar
- How to Book Latpanchar Homestay
- Food in Latpanchar Homestay
- How to Manage Your Transport
- How to Do Birdwatching
- Birdwatching Locations of Latpanchar
- What Are The Common Bird Species of Latpanchar
- Apart from Birdwatching what you can do in Latpanchar
How to Reach Latpanchar:
Distance from Siliguri – 1 hr 40 min (40.5 km) via NH10
Distance from New Jalpaiguri – 1 hr 53 min (45.1 km) via NH10
Share jeep is available from Siliguri, otherwise, you can book a reserved car for INR 2500/big car and INR 2200/small car
How to Book Latpanchar Homestay
There are many homestays to stay in Latpanchar. Here are some homestay list I compiled.
Latpanchar Homestay
₹2,025 (Tariff will be changed depending upon the season, group size, and availability) Latpanchar Homestay, Near Latpanchar Community Hall, Lat- Mahaldiram Rd, latpanchar, West Bengal 734008•094348 55447
Namaste Latpanchar Homestay
Latpanchar G.C.P, Sitong Forest, Kurseong, G.C.P, Latpanchar, West Bengal 734008•091341 08337
Latpanchar Hornbillnest Homestay
Shelpu hills, Latpanchar, West Bengal 734008•089260 15477
Latpanchar Adarsh Homestay
Gandhi Gram, Latpanchar, West Bengal 734008•074689 91563
Our Stay
We stayed in Latpanchar Hornbillnest Homestay. I booked a package from my travel assistant NorthEastTravels who gives me a pretty cheaper rate than the rate published on the internet, though Hornbillnest Homestay doesn’t have any published tariff. We got ₹1,500/per day for stay and food altogether.
Food in Latpanchar Homestay
Food is delicious and made by the homestay owner Sushma Bhabi and her companions. You will get noodles, poori-sabji, etc. for breakfast and simple rice, dal, bhaji, and egg curry for lunch. Sushma Bhabi made a unique bitter gourd recipe with sesame seeds which I liked most. After evening tea we got pakora as snacks and chicken roti as dinner.
How to Manage Your Transport
If you have a reserved car for the full trip then you don’t have to book any other car for day trips. If you are coming to Latpanchar in the shared jeep, then you have to book a car yourself from a local car agency or the homestay. You may have to spend INR 2000 around on per day basis.
How to Do Birdwatching
If you heard somewhere that there is nothing to do in Latpanchar except birdwatching, then you probably asked an avid birdwatcher only. Trust me this is partially false. I have accompanied two of my friends who are not birdwatchers. They enjoyed the place a lot. I will focus on birdwatching but as well as I will also explain what are the other things that you can do in Latpanchar.
Latpanchar is an ideal place for birdwatching. The main attraction of this place is the Rufous-necked Hornbill. The ideal time to visit during their breeding season. If the birdwatcher is lucky enough, then he or she may get the perfect picture of the breeding couple. The time is the end of February or March. In this time the hornbill male comes to the female to attract her towards him. They engage themselves in nice breeding behavior. The male tries to offer food to the female. They do allopreening. This is high time to photograph the duo in romance. After that, they do mating and build their nest in an empty tree whole. Hornbills’ nesting process is very interesting to learn. I have witnessed one in Kaziranga National Park, though it was not this species. It was of Great Indian Hornbill but their nesting process is more or less similar. You can check out this video for more information.
We visited Latpanchar in early December. The bird duo was sighted in a forest fruit tree. The tree is from the Ficus genus. Initially, I was told that the birds were sighted in a village named Gandhigram We started from the homestay early in the morning and reached there by 6.00 a.m. The village was picturesque with tiny wooden houses decorated with flowering plants. Simple faces of villagers curiously looking at us from the window. After getting down from the car we started walking down towards the forest. Don’t know if you can understand what do I mean by walking down. Please consider watching my Youtube video on Latpanchar birdwatching. There you will find how we reached ground zero.
I was accompanied by my child and some nonbirder friends. Rufous necked hornbill is a big bird. Spotting this bird may not need any binoculars or any special attention. We could hear a distant call of this bird and suddenly we found a pair eating fruits from a tree related to the ficus group. It was a lovely experience watching them so easily. We also spotted a great Indian Hornbill which was busy to have its food. We arranged our camera, tripod without feeling them disturbed.
We spotted some other birds also in the same tree. The tree was a bird magnet. The morning sunshine was kissing its branches slowly and birds came to have their breakfast.
Birdwatching Locations of Latpanchar
There are four main spots to watch birds in Latpanchar
A ) You would be brought to the place where Rufous-necked hornbills were caught in sight in recent days. We went to Gandhigram but you may go to some other location. If you are unaware of the exact location then you have to take help from a guide. We got our guide Parag Gurung from the homestay.
B ) Nursery was another location where you can spot birds. The position of the trees and road was in such a way, that you can get easy eye-level shots of the birds.
C ) Inside Mahananda wildlife sanctuary you can get birds. You can check near Latkothi or inside the forest by walking.
D) Latpanchar is a place where you can find some birds on the roads too. Well, now the place is a bit more crowded compared to the older days, but consider strolling around with your binoculars at least one morning. You could find Tit, Warblers, Minivets, Sparrows.
What Are The Common Bird Species of Latpanchar
| Species | Count |
| Spotted Dove (Streptopelia chinensis) | 8 |
| Himalayan Griffon (Gyps himalayensis) | 8 |
| Crested Serpent-Eagle (Spilornis cheela) | 1 |
| Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalensis) | 1 |
| Rufous-necked Hornbill (Aceros nipalensis) | 4 |
| Great Barbet (Psilopogon virens) | 2 |
| Lesser Yellownape (Picus chlorolophus) | 1 |
| Long-tailed Broadbill (Psarisomus dalhousiae) | 2 |
| Scarlet Minivet (Pericrocotus speciosus) | 8 |
| Black Drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus) | 2 |
| Ashy Drongo (Dicrurus leucophaeus) | 1 |
| Bronzed Drongo (Dicrurus aeneus) | 1 |
| Common Green-Magpie (Cissa chinensis) | 1 |
| Sultan Tit (Melanochlora sultanea) | 2 |
| Himalayan Black-lored Tit (Machlolophus xanthogenys) | 1 |
| Maroon oriole (Oriolus traillii) | 3 |
| Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) | 5 |
| Red-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer) | 2 |
| Red-whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus) | 4 |
| Himalayan Bulbul (Pycnonotus leucogenys) | 2 |
| Lemon-rumped Warbler (Phylloscopus chloronotus) | 1 |
| Greenish Warbler (Phylloscopus trochiloides) | 1 |
| Gray-hooded Warbler (Phylloscopus xanthoschistos) | 1 |
| Whiskered Yuhina (Yuhina flavicollis) | 3 |
| Indian White-eye (Zosterops palpebrosus) | 4 |
| White-browed Scimitar-Babbler (Pomatorhinus schisticeps) | 1 |
| Red-billed Leiothrix (Leiothrix lutea) | 1 |
| Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch (Sitta cinnamoventris) | 1 |
| Velvet-fronted Nuthatch (Sitta frontalis) | 1 |
| Common Hill Myna (Gracula religiosa) | 8 |
| Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis) | 5 |
| Verditer Flycatcher (Eumyias thalassinus) | 1 |
| Blue Whistling-Thrush (Myophonus caeruleus) | 2 |
| Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher (Ficedula strophiata) | 1 |
| Taiga Flycatcher (Ficedula albicilla) | 1 |
| Chestnut-bellied Rock-Thrush (Monticola rufiventris) | 2 |
| Fire-breasted Flowerpecker (Dicaeum ignipectus) | 1 |
Apart from these species, one can get many more like Trogan, Frrogmouth etc. Let me know in comment section down below about your birding experience in Latpanchar.
Apart from Birdwatching what you can do in Latpanchar
1) Ahaldara viewpoint
Ahaldara viewpoint is only 3 km. away from Latpanchar. One can spend a beautiful night there. It is perfect for a honeymoon couple. The place is secluded and you might sit near the hills to enjoy the beauty. The Teesta river and the folds of the Himalayas will instantly give you a feeling of North-East states like Meghalaya or Nagaland. The valley looks extremely beautiful. You hardly can leave the place. You can stay there in the Gurung guest house. The owner is the same as Latpanchar.
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2) Namthing Pokhri(Lake)
It is a place where you can visit as a sightseeing place. It is a lake that is in its’ full form during the monsoon. You can spot or get a photograph of Salamander here. Otherwise, in winter it is a nice place to stroll around. You may not get enough water in the lake.
3) Latpanchar Village
I usually spend some hours walking and watching little things and the lives of common people in any hilly village. I talked with the people. I love to watch their house, love to get into their lifestyle. Latpanchar was a beautiful village. I went to a local nursery to get some plants. It is one of my favorite hobbies to collect some plants from different places I visit. I could remember how the nursery owner always smiles. Peoples from hill usually have a bigger heart, they smile more than they talk. I went to a local shop looking for some collectibles. The shop is run by a middle-aged person. We chatted for a long time listening to their life stories. He was asking me about my homestay. All of them are pretty aware of the homestay ran by Gurung Ji. One thing you can’t ignore about their house, that is less security. They don’t have any tall boundary wall or hardly have any special locking system even in this era, which is pretty unusual. The place looks like an ideal peaceful village in the Himalayas.
Tour Manager
NorthEastTravels
Dipankar Roy
Website: www.northeasttravels.in
Contact: 8972247306
detailed and Wonderfully described about Latpanchar … planning to visit Latpanchar early next year … fell free to share any additional tips
I am interested only about forests and wildlife – so kindly share whatever info you have
you can text / whatsapp me in 6291538043
Best wishes
Chandan Sen
Thank you very much. If you didn’t watched my videos in Youtube yet, kindly have a look at my channel – wildindiatravels. You’ll get all the detailed information there.