Bardia National Park
Nepal · Lumbini · 150 m
Description
Bardia National Park (बर्दिया) is the largest protected area in Nepal's western Terai and gets a small fraction of Chitwan's visitors, which is much of its appeal. Tigers are the draw, and because the park is quiet and its grasslands open, tracking them on foot with a guide is a normal way to spend a morning here rather than an exotic add-on. The Karnali braids through the west of the park into channels and oxbow lakes that hold Gangetic dolphins, best seen in the low water of the cold months. Wild elephants, one-horned rhino, swamp deer and more than four hundred bird species use the sal forest and the floodplain grasslands. Most lodges and Tharu-run homestays are at Thakurdwara by the park headquarters, about three hours by road from Nepalgunj.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 3 to 5 days (optimal 4 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: February – April or November
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Bardia National Park
- Bengal Tiger
- Tiger Tracking on Foot (February - May)
- Jeep Safari
- Guided Jungle Walk
- Karnali River
- Wild Asian Elephants
- Thakurdwara Village
- Greater One-Horned Rhino
- Tharu Villages and Stick Dance
- Tharu Community Homestays
- Babai River Valley
- Karnali Floodplain with Oxbow Lakes
- Canoe and Boat Trip on the Karnali
- Bird Watching in the Sal Forest and Grasslands
- Baghaura Phanta Grassland
- Gharial and Mugger Breeding Centre
- Machan Watchtower Wildlife Viewing
- Sal Forests of the Terai
- Jungle Camping by the Karnali
- Golden Mahseer Fishing
- Rafting on the Karnali
- Tharu Cultural Museum
- Cycling to the Buffer Zone Villages
- Gangetic Dolphins in the Karnali (November - February)
- Blackbuck Conservation Area (Krishnasar)(Day trip)
Getting there
- Airports:
- KEP