Jungle Safari in Nepal
National parks, mainly located in the Terai region of Nepal, attract visitors from all over the world. You can visit these parks in various ways: on foot, by canoe, by jeep, and riding an elephant. During a safari, you can see rhinos, wild boars, samburs, spotted deer, bears, four-horned antelopes, and while canoeing – crocodiles.
I. Chitwan National Park
Chitwan National Park (“heart of the jungle”) is one of the main attractions of Nepal. In the park, in natural conditions, up to 25% of the world’s one-horned rhinos live, and a significant number of Bengal tigers, wild buffaloes, deer of many species, leopards, and other inhabitants of the jungle.
In total, specialists in the park count more than 46 species of mammals, 526 species of fowls, more than 100 species of fish, and 2 species of crocodiles: the gharial with a long narrow snout, which feeds only on fish, and the marsh crocodile (mugger), which eats everything it can catch. Also here, in the Narayani River, there is a freshwater dolphin – one of the four species of freshwater dolphins known in the world.
Currently, the park is visited annually by more than 100 thousand foreign tourists. A typical Chitwan tour for 2 nights and 3 days includes a jungle safari by jeeps or elephants, a canoe trip with waterfowl watching, a walk through local villages to get acquainted with the lifestyle of the Tharu indigenous people, and walks through the jungle with a stop at special viewing platforms for animal observation. Also worth a visits are the Elephant Orphanage and the Gharial Crocodile Farm, where this endangered crocodile species is bred.
II. Parsa Game Reserve
The Parsa Game Reserve is located in central Nepal, next to the Chitwan National Park. Wild elephants, leopards, tigers and bears, blue bulls, and wild dogs live here. Monkeys and barking deer, reed cats and striped hyenas, and many snakes and rats, which are the food of large animals, live on the reserve.
III. Gokarna Safari Park
A unique royal reserve called Gokarna Safari Park is located 10 km from the capital of Nepal. Excursions from Kathmandu are organized here every day, during which you can ride an elephant and admire wild animals in their natural habitat. In the park, you can see the Gokarneshwar Mahadev Pagoda.
IV. Banke National Park
The youngest national park of Nepal, Banke Park ranks 57th among one hundred destinations in Nepal. Built in 2067 B.S. to preserve tigers, the park has recorded 25 tigers in the 2022 census. The population of tigers in Banke National Park is increasing every year.
Mammals and bird species are found in Banke Park, spread over an area of about 550 square kilometers. According to the park, the rare Manus friarbird known as Chauka locally is also one of the essential features of the park. Packages such as jeep, elephant safari, jungle tour, tiger and bird watching, camping, hiking, homestay, rafting, etc. are in operation to attract tourists worldwide.