Nepal is famous for trekking, but it is also one of the best places in Asia to see wildlife. The country has twelve national parks as well as wildlife reserves and conservation areas. Some are easy to reach by road or short flight and well equipped; others remain almost untouched. Here are the ones travellers ask about most.
Chitwan
Nepal's first national park, in the central Terai: grassland, sal forest and river floodplain, home to one-horned rhinos, Bengal tigers, gharial crocodiles and more than 500 bird species. The easiest park to visit.
Bardia
About 400 km west of Kathmandu on the Karnali River. Wilder and quieter than Chitwan, with wild elephants, tigers, rhinos, Gangetic dolphins and over 400 species of birds.
Sagarmatha
The Everest region, a World Heritage Site since 1979, home of the Sherpa people. Himalayan tahr, musk deer and, rarely, snow leopards; the Danphe is common.
Langtang
The closest high-mountain park to Kathmandu, from about 1,500 m to over 7,000 m. Rhododendron and oak forest, red pandas and the sacred lakes of Gosaikunda. Best explored on foot.
Rara
The smallest park, in the far west, around Rara Lake, the largest lake in Nepal, ringed by pine and spruce forest.
Shey Phoksundo and Khaptad
Shey Phoksundo, the largest park, protects trans-Himalayan landscapes with blue sheep and snow leopards around the turquoise Phoksundo Lake. Khaptad is a high grassy plateau and a pilgrimage site in the west.
If you'd like to add a national park to your trip, write to us and we'll suggest how to fit it in.