Wildlife and birds · Gorumara National Park
Birding at Chukchuki watchtower
Chukchuki is Gorumara's bird-watching point, a tower over wet grass and forest edge where hornbills, barbets, kingfishers, bee-eaters and winter migrants feed. Take the first slot of the day and good binoculars.
Gorumara's bird list runs to nearly 200 species, and Chukchuki is the tower set aside for them. It looks over a marshy patch and the edge of the forest, a mix that draws both forest and wetland birds. In the early morning you may see great and oriental pied hornbills crossing the canopy, lineated and blue-throated barbets calling, and kingfishers working the water.
Winter, from November to February, adds migrants such as flycatchers, warblers and ducks on any open water. Rhinos and gaur sometimes appear too, so it is not just for birders. The slot is short, so arrive with your binoculars ready and a field guide or app open, and ask the guide to point out calls.
Combine Chukchuki with a walk around your lodge garden at dawn the next day; many birds of the park visit the forest-edge villages. Do not use playback calls to attract birds inside the park.
Cost: ₹2,500–3,500 a jeep for up to 6 (indicative)
Questions people ask
Good to know
What birds can I see at Gorumara?
Common sightings include oriental pied and great hornbills, several barbets, drongos, kingfishers, bee-eaters, peafowl, red junglefowl and raptors such as crested serpent eagles. Winter brings migrant flycatchers, warblers and waterbirds. Early morning from November to April gives the best variety.
Is Chukchuki good for photography?
For birds you need a long lens, 400 mm or more, because birds stay at a distance from the tower. Light is best in the first slot. The tower can be crowded on weekends, so a weekday morning is better for patient photography.
Can I walk in Gorumara to watch birds?
Not inside the park; entry is by jeep to the towers with a guide. Birding on foot is possible along village roads and tea garden edges outside the park, and in lodge compounds, but stay alert for elephants and gaur, especially at dawn and dusk.
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