The Black-necked Crane is considered a “sacred bird” by the Tibetans and is also called the “Fairy of the Plateau”. These are the only cranes in the world that grow and breed on the Tibetan plateau and can fly over Mount Everest.

Songtsam, the award-winning luxury boutique hotel collection and Destination Management Company, located in the Tibet and Yunnan Provinces of China, announced new 6-day bird watching tours that will be available at three of Songtsam’s several properties, including Songtsam Lodge Lijiang, Songtsam Lodge Tacheng, and Songtsam Linka Retreat Shangri-La, in Northwest Yunnan, an area famous for the photography of its rare, native bird species.

L-R: Napa Sea bird watchers and Purple Water Chickens

Leading the bird watching tours’ six-day long itinerary is Mr. Jiansheng Peng, Tibet’s most influential nature photographer. Peng is also Songtsam’s senior eco-tourism expert, who is dedicated to promoting the harmonious coexistence between man and nature through natural images and high-quality eco-tourism. Under his guidance, Songtsam guests will have an opportunity to observe, learn about, and photograph the many rare birds of Northwest Yunnan, including black-necked cranes, bar-headed geese, black storks and purple water chickens.

Shangri-La in the winter

Northwest Yunnan is the main habitat for migratory birds in the winter, with its still sunny and mild climate. In Lijiang and Shangri-La, migratory birds arrive every winter. In Heqing Caohai and Lashihai near Lijiang, and the Napa Sea in Shangri-La, visitors will have the unique six-day opportunity to observe and learn about the more than 60 species and hundreds of thousands of migratory birds that stay there during the winter months.

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