Birdwatching is no longer just a pastime associated with quiet retirement years. According to the report, it has become a more stylish, experience-led kind of travel, with design-forward hotels and villas now serving as bases for trips built around spotting rare and colorful birds in natural settings. Across the world, destinations are drawing both dedicated birders and casual travelers who want a nature-focused escape with a strong sense of place.
From Sri Lanka to Kenya, a wider map for bird lovers
Sri Lanka stands out for its rich birdlife, especially in Wilpattu, Sinharaja, and Yala, where travelers may also come for leopards and sloth bears. The country is home to 34 endemic bird species, including the red-faced malkoha and blue magpie, alongside bee-eaters and malabar pied hornbills. In Malaysia, Langkawi sits on the East Asian Australasian Flyway, making it a major stop for migratory birds; more than 260 bird types are found there, with 30% migratory. Kenya’s Maasai Mara and Mount Kenya offer sightings of more than 1,000 species, among them the lilac-breasted roller, D’Arnaud’s barbet, white-browned robin, and bee-eaters.
India’s Bandhavgarh National Park is described as an avian sanctuary with more than 250 bird species, from brahminy starlings and coppersmith barbets to Indian gray hornbills, Indian robins, plum-headed parakeets, and red-vented bulbuls. The park is also home to four vulture species, including the critically endangered white-rumped vulture. In Madagascar, Anjajavy is presented as one of the world’s last untouched frontiers, where endemic birdlife thrives; the crested coua and Eurasian hoopoe are among the birds highlighted there.
The article also points to birdwatching opportunities in Spean Bridge, Scotland; Monteverde and Limón Province in Costa Rica; Thua Thien Hue Province in Vietnam; Bras d’Eau, Mauritius; Northern Palawan, Philippines; and Chocó-Andino, Ecuador. Together, the destinations reflect how birdwatching travel now spans forest, jungle, island, and mountain landscapes, with accommodation choices ranging from rainforest lodges and tented camps to villas and wildlife retreats.
Source: cntraveler.com