Nepal is well-known for the beautiful Himalayan ranges and renowned for mountaineering and mountain trekking. Besides these, many tourists also visit for Jungle Safari in Nepal.
It is rich in biodiversity, wildlife as well as vegetations. It has ten national parks, six conservatives areas, four wildlife reserves, and one hunting reserves. There are many flora and fauna diversity in Nepal along with the treasures of medical herbs. The southern part of Nepal – the land tropical area preserve many endangered wildlife species.
Jungle safari along this lush forest is a fantastic experience for visitors. Besides animal spotting, one can also enjoy the traditional life of local people’s culture, variety of language and costumes. The most popular places for Jungle Safari in Nepal are listed below.
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Chitwan National Park
It’s the oldest national park of Nepal (established in 1973 ) that have been listed in the World Heritage Site in the subtropical Inner Terai lowlands of Nepal. The National Park covers 932 sq. Km (360 sq mi) and area that stretches in the districts of Chitwan, Nawalparasi, Parsa, and Mankwanpur.
Chitwan National Park is a prominent tourist destination of Nepal that offers Elephant Safari and Jeep Safari in the jungle near the national park. Its the home for 600 species of birds to 68 mammals species and 55 species of amphibian and reptiles.
Chitwan is popular for one-horn Rhino and Bengal Tiger which live in the dense forest. You can also spot sloth bears, jungle cats, wild buffalo, elephants, deer, wild dogs, golden jackals, etc. Likewise, there are birds like peacock, male paradise flycatcher, white-throated kingfisher, cuckoos, woodpeckers and so on. Further, you can spot snakes, python, crocodile, gharial, etc.
Further, the place is known for the Tharu people living near to the Chitwan National Park.
The best time to visit Chitwan National Park is between September to March.
Bardiya National Park
Jungle Safari in Bardiya National Park – the largest and the most undisturbed park in Nepal is a great experience. It was established in 1988 over the area of 968 sq. Km (374 sq mi) in Terai lowland Nepal. It joins the eastern bank of the Karnali River which is bisected by the Babai River in the Bardiya district.
Bardiya National Park is home to the one-horned Rhinoceros. The forest is cover by various flora as Sal, Savannah, grasslands with different wildlife. The park has 53 species of mammals, 23 species of reptiles and amphibian a 400 species of birds and. There are over 800 flora species and 642 species of fauna in this park. You can also enjoy fishing in the Karnali and Babai River.
The best time to visit in Bardiya National Park is autumn. Winter and early summer safari are also prodigious.
Shuklaphant National Park
Shuklaphant National Park in far-west of Nepal is another best place for jungle safari located in the Kanchanpur district covering 305 sq. Km. The park was famous as the hunting area for many years and thus declared a Royal Hunting Reserve in 1969. In 1973 it was established as Royal Shuklaphant Wildlife Reserve and only in 2012, the status of the protected area was changed to a national park.
The tropical wetlands from 174 meters to 1,386 meters extend from north of the east-west highway to Sivalik Hills.
This park has 700 species of flora where the grassland constitutes half of the reserve vegetation, 423 species of birds, 46 species of mammals, 12 reptiles and amphibian and 28 fish species. You can enjoy the safari by jeep, elephant or walk around the jungle.
Further, there is vegetation like Sal, Sisso, Khair and grassland as Themeda, Siru, Kans, Munj and so on. Similarly, there are the species of wildlife as Bengal tiger, elephant, Swamp deer, owl, woodpecker, Indian leopard, Sarus crane, reptiles many types of snakes- i.e. Indian cobra, python and mugger crocodile.
The best time for Shuklaphant Jungle Safari is the winter season – November to February.
Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve
Known as “ home of birds” Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve is the smallest national park in the Terai. It covers the area of over 175 sq. Km (68 sq mi) in three districts: Saptari, Sunsari, and Udhyapur.
The Wildlife Reserve was established in 1976. It contains mudflats, the floodplain of the Sapta Koshi River and reed beds. The altitudes range from 75 to 81 m.
Koshi Tappu was initially established to conserve the wild buffalo Arna and birds. There are more than 280 birds species in the reserve including watercock, large adjutant stork, Indian Nightjar, striated grassbird, and many others. The Koshi Tappu barrage is a resting place for migratory birds.
Further, 31 species of mammals including wild Buffalo, Asian elephant, spotted deer, sloth bear, wild boar, golden jackal can be seen. Also, there are species as Gharial, Gangetic dolphin, and crocodile in The Koshi River.
The vegetation is riverine forest, marshy and grasslands- 514 plants like sugar cane, kapok, lotus reed, eelgrass. There are also 200 species of fish as well as different species of snake. The reserve is also available for fishing.
The best time to visit the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve is between October to March.
