Useful Items for Birding in Sikkim - With Tips
Travel Documents (Most Important)
The most important thing would be to keep all your travel documents (RAPs and ILPs), your identity cards, and citizenship proofs. If you are a foreigner (VISA documentation) is a must. Alongside, you would be required to keep a few sets of passport-sized color photographs.
Personal Medicines (Most Important)
It is very important to note that, Sikkim is a very small state, and its infrastructure wise not well enough to get all the medicinal attention. If you are on a prescription from your physician, you must get your medicines beforehand from your hometown. Expect the least from getting your personal medicine here. Also note that, if you are an asthma patient; consult your physician before booking west sikkim or east sikkim or North Sikkim birding tours with us. We keep oxygen cans and first-aid kits in our cars in case of an emergency. We can assist in first-aid attention from the state-run Physical Health Centers (PHCs).
Lamps and Torches
There are an endless number of gadgets and some of them are rarely used. However, the essential gadgets that you need to have during a birding tour with us in Sikkim would be as we shared. For instance a good quality powerful torch. When you are for nocturnal bird watching with us in SIkkim, a good quality torch is very useful; not just for bird watching but for bird photography as well. We would recommend Fenix and Nitecore torches for wildlife watching at night in Sikkim. During our tour, we use Fenix TK16 V2 for nocturnal birding tours. It has controlled lumen output, so it doesn’t put stress on the eye of the subject when used judiciously. Another important tool would be to keep a pointer torch. When we guide the birding tours in SIkkim, we describe the bird's position by just roughing out where the bird is through the pointer. It requires no talking or hand gesturing. Sometimes you stay in tented accommodations, for those tours keeping a headlamp is a wise decision; otherwise also in hills power cuts are sometimes obvious. So it is recommended to keep a Solognac or Fenix headlamp.
Electrolytes
When you have a hike for a few kilometers long, you need to rehydrate yourself from time to time, similarly, when you are at a higher elevation for birding, electrolyte imbalance can make you numb. Keeping some electrolyte sashes would be very helpful and handy. Try to avoid sipping, lemonades, and glucose-based drinks; they make things worse.
Water Bottle and Flasks
In Sikkim, tetra packs and single-use mineral water bottles are banned. They allow flasks, Copper, and Aluminum bottles. This is a cleanliness effort that the state government has recently implemented and is appreciated as good practice by all tour operators. The “Keep Sikkim Clean and Green” - slogan is for awareness campaigns to keep the state plastic free.
Leech socks and gators
The forest floors in Sikkim are very much leech infested. And if you don't want to soak your socks and pants in blood, put on leech-proof socks or gators. Birding requires hiking in the forest or waiting in leech-infested bamboo thickets. This is not to discourage you from visiting Sikkim to bird watching, but to make you aware to avoid the bad-fated situation.
Rain Ponchos, Rain covers
Except for the dry months of November to March, there would be no rain or expected not during your birding hours in Sikkim. However, rains can happen anytime in this cloud-covered hill state. So keeping a lightweight poncho would be a wise decision. During spring-summer and post-monsoon months, most of the rainy hours are afternoon birding sessions. However, it stalls for a while and continues from time to time. And on those rainy days, when the rain stops just for a while, for 1 or 2 hours; you see all of the birds coming out of the bush thickets and feeding and foraging in the open. The birds would keep your hands busy, till you are tired of giving up! Such tremendous activities would definitely mesmerize you to experience the birds of Sikkim!
Sunscreens - Moisturizers - Lip salve - Insect repellent
Mid-elevation forests are moist in most of the season. However, in higher elevations beyond 8,000 ft, there is very little moisture left, especially since the winters are exceptionally dry. Drink a lot of water and apply moisturizers. The sun is scorching in the cold desert climates of north Sikkim; as well in temperate broadleaf vegetation. Apply sunblock to take care of your skin. If you are prone to insect bites, keeping an insect repellent is a wise decision.
Snow Jackets - Fleece Jackets - Warmers - Socks - Gloves
Between November to March, most of the places in higher elevations of North Sikkim and East Sikkim would be biting cold. Jackets, which can withstand -20°c are a must for higher elevations beyond 10,000 ft. Also, keep yourself insulated with polypropylene warmers by wearing vests and leggings. Fleece jackets are perfect for spring-summers till post-monsoon months i.e. between April to October. However, after birding when one is back to the resort or homestay, fleece jackets are perfect to wear. When in extreme weather in North Sikkim, sweater socks and gloves would comfort you. You can keep some pocket warmers also if required. During birding in mid-elevations and low-elevations of Sikkim, just a set of ultrathin skinny socks are good.
Caps - Brim Hats - Sun Shades - Sunglasses
To beat the extreme cold temperatures of higher elevations of Sikkim, skull caps are a must, and required for all seasons. Though when a birder is birding in mid-elevations or lower elevations in the temperate broadleaf forests or mixed montane forests or hot riverine landscapes, Brim Hats and Sun-shades help. Sunglasses are only required to cut-off high refractive glares in cold desert conditions when someone is birding in the Tibetan Plateau region, or in general from elevations beyond 12,000 ft.
Hiking Shoes - Water Socks - Spare Flipflops
A good hiking shoe is a non-negotiable item. Put on an all-weather breathable and water-resistant hiking shoe to keep your feet warm and dry, even for a whole day hiking. Water socks are required when you bird in sandy bars and riverine habitats. Keep spare flip-flops as well, in case your primary hiking shoe is wet or in bad shape.
Duffle Bag 50 Liters & Day Backpack 15 Liters
When you come for a multi-day tour, you put everything in a sizable tough Duffle Bag of at least 50 liters of capacity. Don’t overpack! Keep things within the limits. For your daily visits to different wildlife sanctuaries and birding hotspot visits from your Sikkim tour, carry a day backpack. The day backpack should have important documents, personal medicine items, camera batteries, phone chargers, power packs, field guides, notebooks, extra pairs of socks, etc.