Explore the "Kingdom of Plants and Animals" for Pheasants, Laughingthrushes, and unique tropical species
Located in southwestern China, Yunnan Province boasts remarkable bird diversity, with over 1,000 recorded species—the highest of any province in China. With its varied landscapes—ranging from mountains and lakes to plateaus, wetlands, and plains—Yunnan offers a wide range of habitats and climate conditions that support this rich avifauna. Its strategic location and favorable climate also make it a critical wintering ground for many migratory birds.
This itinerary takes you through Yunnan’s most renowned birding sites, including the Gaoligong Mountains (Baihualing), Lijiang, Yingjiang, Ruili, and Nabang—all known for their exceptional biodiversity. These areas are home to an impressive variety of pheasants, laughingthrushes, babblers, parrotbills, and hornbills. Target species may include White-cheeked Partridge, Rufous-throated Partridge, Red Junglefowl, Kalij Pheasant, Silver Pheasant, Mrs. Hume's Pheasant, Lady Amherst's Pheasant, Grey Peacock-Pheasant, Biet’s Laughingthrush, Eye-ringed Parrotbill, Yunnan Nuthatch, Grey-headed Swamphen, Great Hornbill, Oriental Pied Hornbill, Golden-throated Barbet, Blue-throated Barbet, and Long-tailed Broadbill, among many others.
Tour Info Sheet
Highlight Birds | Great Hornbill, Oriental Pied Hornbill, Wreathed Hornbill, Grey Peacock Pheasant, Red Junglefowl, Kalij Pheasant, White-cheeked Partridge, Lady Amherst's Pheasant, Silver Pheasant, Mrs. Hume's Pheasant, Hill Partridge, Mountain Bamboo Partridge, Rufous-throated Partridge, Slender-billed Scimitar Babbler, Red-billed Scimitar Babbler, Coral-billed Scimitar Babbler, Red-tailed Laughingthrush, Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush, Blue-winged Laughingthrush, Scarlet-faced Liocichla, Alexandrine Parakeet, Red-breasted Parakeet, Blossom-headed Parakeet, Golden-throated Barbet, Blue-throated Barbet, Broad-billed Warbler, Crested Treeswift, Bay Woodpecker, Greater Yellownape, Stripe-breasted Woodpecker, White-browed Piculet, Long-tailed Broadbill, Silver-breasted Broadbill, Red-tailed Minla, Scarlet Finch, Grey-headed Parrotbill, Spot-breasted Parrotbill, Rufous-headed Parrotbill, Pale-billed Parrotbill, Whiskered Yuhina, Rufous-vented Yuhina, Beautiful Sibia, Long-tailed Sibia, Large Niltava, Rufous-bellied Niltava, Golden Bush Robin, Rusty-fronted Barwing, Yellow-cheeked Tit, Fire-tailed Sunbird, Black-throated Sunbird, Mrs. Gould's Sunbird, Green-tailed Sunbird, Dark-sided Thrush,Grey-winged Blackbird, Long-tailed Thrush, Wedge-billed Wren Babbler, Streaked Wren Babbler, Grey-bellied Tesia, Slaty-bellied Tesia, Chestnut-headed Tesia, Yunnan Nuthatch, Giant Nuthatch, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, White-browed Fulvetta, Rusty-capped Fulvetta, Yunnan Fulvetta, etc. |
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Numbers of Species to Expect | 250-300 |
Ease of Birding | mostly easy with a few tricky species |
Other Attractions | colorful minority culture of Yi, Bai, Hui, Dai, etc. |
Photography Opportunities | birding focused but with very good photography chances |
Habitats Covered | tropical and subtropical forests, woodlands |
Expected Climate | very comfortable, cool in the morning, warm in the south part |
Physical Requirements | mostly easy, and demanding but optional in certain parts |
Accommodation | very comfortable |
Transportation | 19-seat van |
What makes this trip irreplaceable?
Gallery
Dates & Prices
Dates | Booking State | Price | Single Supplement | Group Size | Guide |
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Jan 17-Jan 31, 2026 | Space Available | 4,160USD/pax | 390USD/pax | 8 | Local Guide |
1. Private transportation throughout the trip, including airport pickup and drop-off at Kunming airports.
2. Meals at local popular restaurants that are labeled as BLD in the itinerary. Picnic lunches when needed.
3. All the entrance tickets for places listed in the itinerary including birding hides and shuttle buses.
4. Hotel stays from the first night to the last night, two people occupy one twin-bed room on a sharing basis at nice 3 or 4-star hotels in cities and local best guesthouses in remote areas.
5. Bottled water and snacks throughout the trip.
6. Simple western breakfast whenever possible.
7. Service of an English-speaking bird guide throughout the whole trip.
8. China domestic travel insurance.
9. Service of all logistic supports.
10. Flight ticket from Tengchong to Kunming(economy class).
1. Soft drinks and alcoholic beverages during meals.
2. Extra charges due to changes in the itinerary from the client side or factors beyond the control of AlpineBirding such as natural disasters and governmental policy change.
3. Discretionary tips to local guides and drivers.
4. All personal expenses such as laundry service.
5. Airfare to the place where our trip starts and from the place where our trip ends.
6. Service fees and commission fees that charged by banks and other third-party companies while making the trip payment to AlpineBirding’s banking and financial accounts.
7. Any program not listed in the itinerary.
Itinerary
Tour Map

Located on the western edge of Yunnan Province, the Gaoligong Mountains form the southernmost part of the Hengduan Mountain Range. The elevation here rises dramatically from 650 meters at the base to 5,128 meters at the summit. With seven distinct vegetation zones, the Gaoligong Mountains have been recognized by Conservation International as one of the world’s 36 biodiversity hotspots. To date, around 525 bird species have been recorded in this region—accounting for 43.3% of Yunnan’s total—with approximately 40 species listed as nationally protected and endangered.
We will spend two full days exploring a variety of habitats in search of birds. Some species typically forage on the ground, such as Silver Pheasant, Hill Partridge, Mountain Bamboo Partridge, Rufous-throated Partridge, Slender-billed Scimitar Babbler, Red-tailed Laughingthrush, Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush, Blue-winged Laughingthrush, Scarlet-faced Liocichla, Grey-winged Blackbird, Long-tailed Thrush, Wedge-billed Wren Babbler, Grey-bellied Tesia, Slaty-bellied Tesia, and Chestnut-headed Tesia.
While exploring the dense virgin forests, we’ll also be looking for canopy and midstory species such as Himalayan Cutia, Mountain Imperial Pigeon, Great Barbet, Golden-throated Barbet, Blue-throated Barbet, Broad-billed Warbler, Bay Woodpecker, Greater Yellownape, Red-tailed Minla, Scarlet Finch, Grey-headed Parrotbill, Spot-breasted Parrotbill, Whiskered Yuhina, Rufous-vented Yuhina, Striated Bulbul, Flavescent Bulbul, Beautiful Sibia, Long-tailed Sibia, Large Niltava, Rufous-bellied Niltava, Snowy-browed Flycatcher, Rusty-fronted Barwing, Short-billed Minivet, Scarlet Minivet, and Yellow-cheeked Tit.
In addition, the area is home to a number of dazzling sunbirds, including Fire-tailed Sunbird, Black-throated Sunbird, Mrs. Gould's Sunbird, and Green-tailed Sunbird.

Guide(s)
We will arrange one of our best local guides for this trip who has rich experience of guiding tours in this region. The following are some of our best local guides in and around this area.
Shay Xie
Shay is among the first group of professional bird guides with the academic background of ornithology. He spent his childhood in a small county of Chongqing municipality where is the eastern edge of Daba mountains. Being brought up in a beautiful natural environment and surrounded by beautiful nature creatures, Shay has developed a strong interest in nature and birds since he was a small kid. Following the call from his inner heart, he chose to study ecology as his major when he was admitted to Sichuan University. The campus of Sichuan University itself is one of the most famous birding sites in Sichuan and he spent most of his afterschool time birding there. Since that time he started working as a part-time bird guide. After four years of academic study in the university and birding on the campus, he recorded many rare bird species including Blackthroat and Firethroat in Chengdu. Before he joined AlpineBirding, he worked as a professional freelancer bird guide and often participated in some special surveys on birds and mammals in southwestern China. These experiences form fields that have greatly enriched his knowledge of birds and nature. By now, he has successfully guided many avid birders from different countries including Norway, Britain, US, Russia, Sweden, Thailand, Israel, etc. Now working as a full-time bird guide in AlpineBirding, Shay will do his best to create your best birding experiences in China with his experiences, knowledge and passion.
Bella Zhang
Bella, the director of AlpineBirding, graduated from Sichuan Agricultural University with a Bachelor's Degree. She joined AlpineBirding in early 2016 and became the director of AlpineBirding in 2018. She was born and grew up in a Bai ethnic family in Yunnan Province which boasts of the largest number of bird species in China. Her interests toward birds started with her observation of a Long-tailed Minivet in her mom's garden at a very young age. As she grows up, the interests and love toward birds become stronger and stronger. Because of that, she found AlpineBirding before graduation and joined the company for further learning of birds. Bella has guided a number of birding trips in cooperation with AlpineBirding guide in the past years, her passion, readiness to help and detail-oriented attitude have won her lots of praise from our clients.