Jungle Safari in Nepal:

Nepal has sixteen National Parks, Wildlife Reserves and Conservation Areas, occupying 16% of its total geographical area. Ranging from beautiful sub-tropical rainforests to delicate alpine ecosystems, a trip to Nepal is incomplete if you have not explored one of these unique environments. Some popular national parks are mentioned here under;

ROYAL CHITWAN NATIONAL PARK
The Royal Chitwan National Park is one of the oldest and largest in the world. “UNESCO” declares it as a World Heritage Site. Royal Chitwan National Park, which situated in the subtropical inner Terai lowlands of South Central Nepal, is widely acknowledged as one of the best National Parks in Asia in Nepal. The park has an area of 932 square kilometers. It makes you feel as you are in the garden of paradise.
There are more than 43 species of mammals, 45 species of amphibians and reptiles and 450 species of exotic birds in the park. The world’s specially endangered Great one-horned rhinoceros, the Royal Bengal Tigers, Leopards, Wild Elephants, four horned Antelope, Four kinds of Deers, Gaur, etc are enhancing splendor of the park. Chitwan is a place where all the ethnic groups are found.
Activities at Chitwan are a major attraction for all tourists. The elephant back safari through the park to see the animals is a special attraction. A canoe ride on the Rapti River with crocodiles passing by is unmistakably the greatest jungle experience. Visits to the elephant breeding farm, the Tharu village and early morning bird watching would leave you with memories to last forever.

Access: Daily tourist buses from Kathmandu and Pokhara are economical and standard way of getting there. There are flights from Kathmandu to Bharatpur, the nearest airport; a short 15km drive gets you to the park.

ROYAL BARDIA NATIONAL PARK
The Royal Bardia National Park lies in the mid –far western region of Nepal and is the largest most unspoilt wilderness area in the Terai. It covers an area of 968 sq. km. Ecologically, Bardia spans a great range of habitats from thick riverine forest and sal stands to phanta (isolated pockets of savannah) and dry upland slopes. The park provides excellent habitat for endangered animals like the Rhinoceros, wild Elephant, tiger, Swamp deer, Black Buck, Ghariyal Crocodile, marsh mugger Crocodile and Gangetic Dolphin. More than 30 different mammals, over 360 species of resident and migratory birds can be found here. The majority of the local people belong to the Tharu ethnic group. There are comfortable resorts and lodges.

Access: Drive through the Tribhuvan and Mahendra Highway to Nepalgunj from Kathmandu or Pokhara. Travel from Nepalgunj to Thakurdwara (Headquarters of the park). Some domestic airlines have a daily flight to Nepalgunj you can hire a jeep to drive to Thakurdwara.

KOSHI TAPPU WILDLIFE RESERVE
The Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve lies on the flood plains of the Sapta – Koshi in Saptari and Sunsari Districts of Eastern Nepal. The area of the park is 175 square kilometers. The reserve is a wetland of international significance. It is home to more than 280 bird species including 20 duck species, 2 species of ibises, many storks, egrets and herons.
The endangered swamp partridge and the Bengal florican are also found here.The Koshi Barrage is an extremely important resting-place for migratory birds.
The reserve is also home to many types of mammals such as hog deer, spotted deer, wild boar and blue bull. The endangered Gharial crocodile and Gangetic dolphin have been recorded in the Koshi River and the last surviving population of wild buffalo or arna are found here.
The vegetation mainly includes tall khar-pater (grasslands) with a few patches of khair-sissoo (scrub)also forest and deciduous mixed riverine forest.
During the monsoon, the reserve is flooded with depths ranging from 10 to 300 cm and with the changing seasons the Sapta-Koshi river also changes its course.

Access: The reserve lies 12km off the Mahendra Highway. Bus services from Kathmandu can take you there. You can also fly to Biratnagar from Kathmandu and take private transport from there to the reserve.

Bird watching in Nepal
Nepal boast over 800 species of birds, almost 10% of the world`s recorded population. This is not surprising, in a country which ranges from near sea level in the Terai region through the low hills and the foothills to the mighty Himalayas and the highest place on earth.

Bird Watching in the Kathmandu Valley
Within the Kathmandu valley alone over 500 species of birds have been recorded. The surrounding hills offer a varied ecology ranging from primary and secondary forests to rhododendron, oak and pine forests. In addition, the wetlands and open fields inside the valley make up a diverse habitat for many species of birds.
Phulchoki hill, the highest peak on the Valley rim situated 20 km southeast of Kathmandu, is the most popular bird watching spot and over 265 species including babblers, warblers, tits, thrushes, woodpeckers, eagles etc. have been recorded to date.
Godavari, at the foot of Phulchoki hill where the Royal Botanical Garden is situated has recorded over 100 species of birds including the lesser Racket-tailed drongo, Tibetan siskin and the spotted forktail.
The Shivapuri Watershed and Wildlife Reserve, situated 11km to the north of Kathmandu, is another exciting location along with Nagarjun Royal Forest on Jamacho hill situated 5km from Kathmandu on the way to Kakani from Balaju. Among the birds are blue magpies, Kalij pheasants, Bonelli`s eagles, Great Himalayan barbets to name but a few.
The highlights for bird sightings of the wetlands in the valley include the banks of the Manohara river on the way to Bhaktapur, and the Bagmati river, which flows into the valley from Shivapuri hill exiting through Chobhar Gorge.
Taudaha Lake Harbours over 40 species of birds mostly dependent on wetlands, situated on the way to Dakshinkali it attracts flocks of migrant birds.
Popular Bird Watching Sites Outside the Kathmandu Valley

Chitwan National Park
It is renowned for its variety of birds, with over 255 species recorded. There are many species of parakeets. Other birds include the Blue Throat (thrush), Long-tailed Nightjar, Indian Peafowl, Great Barbet, Red-billed Blue Magpie and Tickell`s Red-breasted Blue Flycatcher.

Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve
The Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve is renowned for being one of the best locations for birding. It offers over 280 species of birds recorded so far, including 20 species of duck, ibises, storks, swamp partridges, herons, egrets, Bengal floricans and many other exotic and migratory waterfowl not found elsewhere in Nepal.

Royal Bardia National Park
The Royal Bardia National park is located in south west Nepal offering a remote site for bird sightings. Over 400 species of birds have been recorded.
Rara National Park offers Resident Gallinaceous birds and migrant waterfowl are of interest to park visitors. Makalu Barun National Park and Conservation Area offers over 400 species of birds which includes two species of bird never before seem in Nepal- the spotted wren babbler and the olive ground warbler. Royal Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve offers over 200 species of birds.
We arrange tailored programmes which focus on one or more of the above destinations. Itineraries range from a few days to a few weeks