Besides Mt. Everest and the other Himalayas, there are several national parks in Nepal. If you are wondering about the wildlife of Nepal and explore the wildlife and hunting reserve of Nepal, you are in the right place. I
Nepal is well known in the world for its diverse landscape. Within the distance of about 100 kilometers, you can see the beautiful jungle of southern Terai and experience the freezing cold of the northern Himalayan region. If you are unable to explore the beautiful Himalayas of Nepal due to some reason, don’t worry about that you can explore various national parks of Nepal. Exploring the national parks of Nepal also provides you with the same vibes as trekking in the mountains of Nepal.
10 National Parks in Nepal
Here is the complete information about the different national parks, where you can see different habitats of flora and fauna.
1. Chitwan National Park
Chitwan National Park is one of the most popular national parks in Nepal which is just a few kilometers away from Kathmandu. Located in the south-central Terai Lowland of Nepal and established in 1973, Chitwan national park is the first national park of Nepal. This national park covers an area of 952.62 square kilometers. It is spread within the four districts of Nepal namely Nawalpur, Parsa, Chitwan, and Makwanpur. The altitude of this national park varies from 100 meters above sea level in the river valley to 815 meters above sea level in the Churia Hills. It is home to 700 species of wildlife like Bengal tigers and one-horned rhinos in this national park. Besides these animals, you can also see many other animals like wild elephants, deer, along with 544 species of birds. Elephant Safari and Jeep Safari inside this national park have been a major attraction for tourists.
How to get to Chiwan National Park?
If you want to save your time you can take a flight from Kathmandu to Bharatpur, which is approximately a 20-minute flight. You can easily find a taxi from Bharatpur airport. Daily there are many flights between Kathmandu and Bharatpur, so you don’t need to worry to reach Chitwan.
From Kathmandu, you can also take a tourist bus to reach Chitwan. We recommend you to travel in a tourist bus because it is way more comfortable than a local bus and is facilitated with air conditioning. It will take about 5 hours to 5.5 hours to reach Chitwan from Kathmandu.
You can also hire a car to travel to Chitwan from Kathmandu, which is one of the comfortable ways to reach Chitwan by land.
2. Bardia National Park
Bardia National Park is also well known as Royal Bardia National Park. This national park was established in 1988. Bardia national park covers an area of 968 square kilometers and is considered to be one of the most undisturbed national parks of the Terai region of Nepal. Since this national park is the most undisturbed and least traveled national park of Nepal, which means you will get an opportunity to witness various wild animals of Nepal. Almost 70% of the land of this national park is covered with forest. You can get about 839 species of flora, 642 fauna species, and more than 53 species of mammal. Rhinoceros, Wild elephant, Bengal tiger, swamp deer, Gangetic dolphin, and rusty-spotted cat are the major attractions of this national park.
How to get to Bardia National Park?
You can take a flight from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj Airport, which is operated daily. It’s just an hour’s flight. From Nepalgunj airport, you can catch a taxi and head towards Thakurdwara, which takes about 3 hours.
You can also take a bus from Kathmandu to Mahendranagar or Dhangadi. If you are planning to travel by bus, be ready to punish yourself because it is a 13-hour long journey. This journey blesses you with the beautiful view of hills and forests.
3. Sagarmatha National Park
Sagarmatha National Park lies in the eastern part of Nepal and is dominated by the world’s highest peak Mt. Everest. Established in 1976, the Sagarmatha national park is one of the high-altitude national parks of Nepal that lies at the altitude of 2845 meters above sea level to 8848 meters above sea level. This national park covers an area of 1148 square kilometers. The Sagarmatha national park is home to 1000 species of flora and 208 bird species. The major attraction of this national park is the snow leopard which is found above 3500 meters above sea level and the Indian leopard which is found in lower altitudes. This national park also blesses you with the majestic view of many mountains like Mt. Everest, Thamserku, Cho Oyu, Lhotse, Amadablam, and many more.
How to get to Sagarmatha National Park?
The best and easiest way to reach the Sagarmatha national park is to fly from Kathmandu to Lukla, which is just about a 25-minute flight. After reaching Lukla you must trek for 2 days to explore the beauty of the Sagarmatha national park.
If you are planning to travel by road. You can take a bus from Kathmandu to Jiri village, which is about 100 kilometers far from the Sagarmatha national park. From Jiri village, it will take you 10 days to reach this national park.
4. Langtang National Park
Langtang National Park is the first Himalayan national park in Nepal. This national park is situated at an altitude of 6450 meters above sea level and covers an area of 1710 square kilometers. The Langtang national park is spread in the three districts of Nepal namely Nuwakot, Rasuwa, and Sindhupalchok. The major attraction of this national park is the majestic view of Langtang Range, beautiful rhododendron forest, and various species of flora and fauna. This national park also includes high altitude Gosainkunda Lake.
How to get to Langtang National Park?
You can take a bus from Machhapokari, Kathmandu. The bus takes you to the Syabrubesi in Langtang national park. Approximately it takes you about 4 hours to reach Syabrubesi from Kathmandu. You can also hire a jeep if you want to travel more comfortably.
5. Rara National Park
Rara national park is the most famous and the smallest but very beautiful national park of Nepal. Established in 1976, this national park covers an area of 106 square kilometers and spread in the Jumla and Mugu district of Nepal. The main attraction of the Rara national park is Rara Lake, which lies at the altitude of 2990 meters above the sea level. The altitude of the Rara national park ranges between 2800 meters to 4039 meters above sea level. Rara national park is home to 51 species of mammals, 241 species of birds, 2 species of reptiles, and 3 species of fish. You can get a chance to encounter various endangered species like the red panda, snow leopard, Himalayan tahr, and many more animals.
How to get to Rara National Park?
You can take a flight from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj and again Nepalgunj to Talcha. From Talcha Airport you can reach Rara lake within a few hours of walking. If you are lucky enough, you will get a chance to fly above the Rara lake.
6. Annapurna Conservation Area
Annapurna Conservation Area is one of the largest conservation areas of Nepal, which covers an area of 7629 square kilometers. Established in 1992, the Annapurna conservation area covers 5 districts namely, Lamjung, Myagdi, Kaski, Mustang, and Manang. The altitude of this conservation area ranges between 790 meters to 8091 meters above sea level. Annapurna conservation area is home to 101 species of mammals, 22 different forests, and 1226 species of plants. You can get a chance to see the snow leopard, musk deer, Tibetan argali, and many more animals in this conservation area. Likewise, various amazing Annapurna region trekking lies within this conservation area such as Mardi Himal Trek, Annapurna Base Camp Trek, Annapurna Circuit, and so on.
How to get to Annapurna Conservation Area?
Annapurna conservation area is near to the city of Pokhara. You can either travel by bus or by air to Pokhara. After reaching the bus park or airport of Pokhara, you can take a taxi or jeep to Birethanti. From Birethanti it just takes 10 to 20 minutes of walk to enter the Annapurna conservation area.
7. Makalu Barun National Park
Makalu Barun National Park is in the Himalayas of Nepal. This national park covers an area of 1500 square kilometers. Makalu Barun national park covers two districts Solukhumbu and Sankhuwasabha district. This national park is home to 315 species of butterflies, 440 species of birds, 43 species of reptiles, 78 species of fish, and 88 species of mammal. You can find many protected species of birds and animals in this national park like the deep-blue kingfisher, pale blue flycatcher, sultan tit, red panda, snow leopard, and many more.
How to get to Makalu Barun National Park?
To explore Makalu Barun national park you can take a flight from Kathmandu to Biratnagar and travel to Makalu Barun national park or you can take a flight from Kathmandu to Rajbiraj and travel to Makalu Barun national park.
8. Shey Phoksundo National Park
Shey Phoksundo National Park is the trans-Himalayan national park in Nepal. Established in 1984 it has an area of 3555-kilometer square this national park covers the Dolpa and Mugu district. The major highlight of this national park is Phoksundo lake which lies within this national park. The altitude of Shey Phoksundo National Park ranges between 2130 meters to 6885 meters above sea level. This national park is home for some of the endangered species like snow leopard, grey wolf, leopard blue sheep, and many more. Similarly, you can find 200 species of birds and 29 species of butterfly in this national park.
How to get to Shey Phoksundo National Park?
You can fly from Kathmandu airport to Surkhet airport and travel to Shey Phoksundo national park or take a flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara and travel to this national park.
9. Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve
Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve is one and only hunting reserves of Nepal. Established in 1987, Dhorpatan hunting reserve covers an area of 1325 square kilometers and stretched across Rukum, Baglung, and Myagdi district. The altitude of this hunting reserve ranges between 2850 meters to 5500 meters above sea level. Dhorpatan Hunting reserve is home to 18 species of mammal, 137 species of birds, and 36 species of flowering plants.
How to get to Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve?
To explore this hunting reserve you can fly from Kathmandu to Pokhara and again take a bus or private jeep from Pokhara to Baglung. You can also travel by bus or jeep from Kathmandu to Baglung directly.
10. Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve
Established in 1976Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve is in the Terai region of Nepal. This wildlife reserve covers an area of 175 square kilometers and stretched across Sunsari, Saptari, and Udayapur districts. The altitude of the Koshi Tappu wildlife reserve ranges between 75 meters to 81 meters above sea level. This wildlife reserve is home to 200 species of fish, 31 species of mammals which includes Nepal’s last 150 wild water buffalo and 485 species of birds.
How to get to Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve?
To explore Koshi Tappu Wildlife reserve you can either fly from Kathmandu to Biratnagar or Rajbiraj and get there.
Conclusion
So, these are the most popular national parks as well as hunting reserves in Nepal. Do not miss them to add in your bucket list. Have a nice trip to Nepal.
Some of our related articles:
- Things to do in Chitwan- Home to one-horned Rhinoceros
- Beauty of Annapurna Region
- Full Guide For Everest Base Camp Trekking
10 National Parks in Nepal
- Chitwan National Park
- Rara National Park
- Sagarmatha National Park
- Langtang National Park
- Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve
- Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve
- Annapurna Conservation Area
- Shey Phoksundo National Park
- Makalu Barun National Park
- Bardia National Park
