Nepal Safari: The 3 Best Places to See Wildlife in Nepal
Are you wondering what a Nepal safari is like and what are the best places to see wildlife in Nepal?
Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. I live in Nepal and have been to a couple of jungle safari in Nepal including walking and jeep safaris. So, here are the top 3 places for spotting wild animals in Nepal.
Although Nepal is mostly known for its mountains and trekking routes, there is much more to the country. One is to go on a Nepal safari and discover its wildlife!
The Bardia National Park, Chitwan National Park and the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve are the three best places to spot wildlife in Nepal.
Each place offers a different experience, depending on what you are looking for. Bardia is the best place for spotting tigers, Koshi Tappu is best for bird watching and Chitwan is best for rhinos (and maybe tigers if you are lucky!).
1. BARDIA NATIONAL PARK
📍 Where to Stay: Bardia Eco Friendly Homestay
Bardia National Park is 570 km from Kathmandu and it provides a remote, authentic jungle safari experience. It is one of the best places to see wildlife in Nepal.
Bardia is known as the best place for spotting tigers in Nepal and usually you can spot tigers even if you just go on a 1-day safari.
Thakurdwara is a village by the entry to the Bardia National Park. It is where all the hotels are and where the jungle safaris start from.
Thakurdwara is a small village and there are not really any restaurants or bars to hang out in. But if you walk around the village, you can observe daily life in the Tarai region of Nepal.
Animals to See in Bardia National Park
Bardia National Park is one of the best places for a Nepal safari and to spot wildlife in Nepal.
There are many different types of wildlife in Bardia, but it is best known for the royal bengal tiger. Apart from the tigers, you can spot wild elephants, rhinos, lizards, various birds and deer.
It is much less visited than Chitwan, so the park is not crowded by jeeps to scare the wild animals away. Usually, even if you go just for a 1-day safari, you will be able to spot tigers, rhinos and elephants.
Types of Jungle Safari in Bardia National Park
The two main types of safari available in Bardia are the walking or jeep safari.
You can decide if you go for a full day of walking or jeep safari, alternatively, you can also sign up for a half-day walking and half-day jeep safari.
If you combine the walking and jeep safari, you usually start with the walking safari in the morning and then after lunch, you switch to the jeep.
🐅 Read my travel guide to the Bardia National Park here!
Cost of Jungle Safari in Bardia National Park
Walking Safari:
- USD 50 for full day walking safari (including park entry fee and packed lunch).
Jeep Safari:
- The full day jeep safari costs around USD 250/jeep and can be shared between passengers if you buddy up with other travellers.
How to Get to Bardia National Park
Bardia is 570 km from Kathmandu and you can get there by taking a bus or a plane.
The bus takes 17-18 hours from Kathmandu to Thakurdwara. Thakurdwara is a small town near the Bardia National Park and this is where the hotels are and the jungle safaris start from.
As for flying, you can take a flight to Nepalgunj (closest airport to Bardia) and then take a local bus to Thakurdwara (Bardia). The flight takes 1 hour and then the local bus from Nepalgunj to Thakurdwara takes 3 hours.
For more information, check out my post on how to get to Bardia National Park.
2. CHITWAN NATIONAL PARK
📍 Where to Stay: Chitwan Village Resort
Chitwan National Park is one of the most popular places for a Nepal safari.
The Chitwan National Park can be reached more easily than Bardia or Koshi Tappu. It is still 8 hours of bus ride from Kathmandu but it is considered closer than Bardia, which is 17-18 hours away.
The most chance of spotting wildlife in Chitwan is if you go on 1-3 full days of jungle safari. If you go for a full 2-3 days jungle safari, you will be able to go deeper into the jungle. The deeper you go, the more chance you have to spot wildlife.
This is because there are many tourists that only go for a half-day jeep safari in Chitwan and there are so many jeeps that go into the jungle that the sound of the jeep disturbs the wildlife and the animals go deeper into the jungle.
What is nice about Chitwan is that the town of Sauraha (the tourist hub of Chitwan), has a riverside and lots of restaurants to choose from. It is a nice place to spend a few days to chill before or after going on a jungle safari.
Don’t miss your chance of spotting tigers and book a jungle safari to Chitwan National Park here! (Voted 4.6/5 ⭐ on 70 reviews)
Animals to See in Chitwan National Park
Chitwan National Park is the most popular place for spotting wildlife in Nepal.
There are more than 700 species of animals in the Chitwan National Park including tigers, elephants, rhinos, monkeys, deer, crocodiles, lizards and pythons.
If you have more time, it is good to sign up for 1-3 full days of safari, which will give the best chance of spotting wild animals. Usually, if you only go for a half-day safari, you will not get to see much as you will not get to go too deep into the jungle where the animals are.
Types of Jungle Safari in Chitwan National Park
- Half-Day Walking Safari: 7 am – 11:30 am or 1 pm – 5 pm.
- Full-Day Walking Safari: 7 am-5 pm
- Jeep Safari (half or full-day): Half-day jeep safari: 6:30 am – 11:30 am or 1 pm – 5 pm. Full-day jeep safari: 7 am-5 pm
- Combination of Walking + Jeep Safari: There is also an option to combine the walking and jeep safari. Then, you usually start out with the walking safari and switch to the jeep after lunch. They have this as a package at travel agencies in Sauraha.
- Combination of Canoing + Walking/Jeep Safari: There is another package as well which include canoing and then walking/jeep safari in Chitwan. Usually, it starts with the canoing in the morning and then continue with the walking or jeep safari.
🦏 Read my full travel guide to the Chitwan National Park here!
Cost of Jungle Safari in Chitwan National Park
Walking Safari:
- Rs. 4,000/full day + park entry fee
Half-Day Jeep Safari:
- Rs. 2,500/person + park entry fee
Full-Day Jeep Safari:
- A full-day jeep safari costs around USD 120/day (Rs. 16,000). This cost is shared between everyone in the jeep, so if you join other people you can split the cost.
How to Get to Chitwan National Park
There are daily tourist buses that operate between Kathmandu-Chitwan and Pokhara-Chitwan.
The main tourist town next to the Chitwan National Park is Sauraha and this where the tourists buses will drop you.
It takes about 8 hours to get from Kathmandu to Sauraha and 7-8 hours to get from Pokhara to Sauraha.
Check out here my full travel guides on how to get to Chitwan:
3. KOSHI TAPPU WILDLIFE RESERVE
📍 Where to Stay: Aqua Birds Eco Resort
The Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve is the only wildlife reserve in Nepal and it was declared as a wildlife reserve in 1976.
It is most known for its habitat of arna (wild water buffalo) and many different species of birds (including migratory birds in winter).
The Wildlife Reserve is located in Eastern Nepal, in the Tarai Region.
Animals to See in Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve
The Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve is the best place for bird enthusiasts and for seeing the wild water buffalos (arna). You can also find other animals here including elephants, Gangetic dolphins, crocodiles, deer, wild boars and jackals.
Visiting the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve is a good alternative to Chitwan or Bardia if you would like to discover the wildlife of Nepal in a less touristic environment.
Types of Safari in Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve
- Bird Watching
- Safari in tuktuk or on motorbike
The tuktuk is usually a good option for those travelling to Koshi Tappu in a group.
While the motorbike safari is good for solo travellers. If you hire a guide for the day, the guide will drive the motorbike and stop at places to see the wildlife.
Koshi Tappu is visited by a very few tourists and even if you go on a motorbike, the noise of the motorbike will not scare the animals away.
When I visited, I was the only visitor for a couple of hours in the morning and then I only saw 2-3 groups of people in the afternoon.
🦅 Read my full travel guide to the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve here!
Cost of Safari in Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve
- Entry fee to Koshi Tappu: Rs. 1,500 for foreigners, Rs. 100 for Nepalese
- Hiring a guide: Rs. 4,000/day (can be split in a group)
- Hiring a tuktuk with a driver (no guide): Rs. 2,000/day
How to Get to Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve
The Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve is 340 km from Kathmandu and you can get there either by taking a bus or a plane.
The bus takes around 11-15 hours and costs Rs. 2,000.
If you prefer to fly, the closest airport is in Biratnagar. There are daily flights from Kathmandu to Biratnagar and it takes 40 minutes. Once you get to Biratnagar, you can take a local bus to Koshi Tappu which will take about 1.5 hours.
For more information, check out my post on how to get to the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve.
FAQs: Nepal Safari: Best Places to See Wildlife in Nepal
How much is a safari in Nepal?
The prices of jungle safari in Nepal varies depending on where you go on a safari and whether you go on a walking or jeep safari.
The walking safari usually tends to be slightly cheaper, while the jeep safari is a good option if you are travelling in a group so you can split the costs.
The price of a full day walking safari in Nepal ranges between Rs. 4,000-6,000, while a full day jeep safari is between Rs. 16,000-30,000.
What is the best tiger safari in Nepal?
The best place for a tiger safari in Nepal is in the Bardia National Park. The Bardia National Park is more remote than Chitwan and is famous for its tiger habitat.
Usually, visitors are able to spot tigers even on just a one day safari. If you want to be sure to spot a tiger, it is best to plan for 2-3 days of jungle safari.
What wildlife lives in Nepal?
Nepal has a very rich wildlife and you can find many different species here. Some of the species include the royal bengal tiger, snow leopard, wild elephant, rhino, crocodile, gangetic dolphin, python and red panda.
Some of the more common wildlife include deer and monkeys that you always get to see on any wildlife safari in Nepal.
Does Nepal have tigers?
Yes, Nepal is known for its habitat of royal bengal tigers. It is the easiest to spot tigers in the Bardia National Park, however, if you go on a multiple day jungle safari in Chitwan, you also have a good chance to spot it there.
What are the best places to see wildlife in Nepal?
Three of the best places to see wildlife in Nepal are the Bardia National Park, Chitwan National Park and the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve.
Bardia National Park is best for spotting tigers, Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve is best for bird watching and the Chitwan National Park is best for rhinos.
Conclusion
On the one hand, Nepal is mostly known for its mountains and most of the people come here for trekking. On the other hand, there are also many places to see wildlife in Nepal.
Bardia National Park provides a less touristic, authentic jungle safari experience. It is one of the best places to spot tigers in Nepal and you can choose from walking or jeep safaris.
The Chitwan National Park has the most accessible location, thus, it is the most popular park for jugnle safaris. There are many tourists who visit Chitwan and thus the park can get noisy with the sound of the jeeps. If you visit Chitwan, it is best to go for 1-3 full day safaris to have the best chance of spotting wildlife.
Last but not least, the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve is the best place for bird watching and spotting the arna (wild water buffalo). The best time to visit Koshi Tappu is in the winter (December-February) when you can spot the winter migratory birds.
