Nepal wildlife vacations


Here’s you’ll have the spine-tingling chance to track tigers on foot – one of the few places in the world where this is possible – or by dugout canoe along its myriad waterways. And Nepal is something of a success story in wildlife conservation, too. In South Africa, 1,000 rhinos were lost to poachers in 2017 alone; in Nepal’s Royal Chitwan National Park this figure was just one. And that was the first killed in over three years.
Our Nepal Vacations
Nepal family vacation
A fabulous family vacation including the best of Nepal
Chitwan safari & rafting in Nepal
Enjoy diverse culture, exhilarating rafting and wildlife
Nepal trek with Chitwan National Park safari
Trek in Kathmandu valley & Chitwan
The Heart of Nepal trek, tailormade
Trekking, wildlife, culture and temples
Nepal wildlife safari and rafting vacation
Cultural and nature tour of Nepal
Koshi Tappu wildlife reserve tour, Nepal
Experience the best bird watching in Nepal with jungle treks
Rare mammals of Nepal wildlife safari
Red Pandas await on this East Nepalese tour
The Annapurna’s and Chitwan vacation in Nepal
A feast of mountain views, walking, and wildlife spotting.
Nepal 8 day highlights tour
A beautiful natural Tour of the Best of Nepal
Chitwan luxury tiger safari in Nepal
Explore Chitwan National Park in luxury and track tigers
Nepal Tiger Safari vacation
Track tigers on foot and in jeeps in Nepal's best parks
Nepal leopard expedition
Explore Langtang with experts searching for clouded leopards
Nepal dolphin watching vacation
Experience the amazing wildlife in Bardia National Park!
Red Panda tracking tour in Nepal
Watch iconic Red Pandas in the the wilds of Eastern Nepal
Nepal and Bhutan 15 day tour
Experience only the best of Nepal and Bhutan in a one tour
Nepal highlights tour, silver triangle
Kathmandu, Chitwan and Pokhara classic Nepal tour
Snow Leopard trek in Nepal
Trek the most elegant animal of Nepal in remote Dolpo area.
India and Nepal vacation, Delhi to Kathmandu
A 16 day journey through two magical countries
Where to see wildlife in Nepal?
Royal Chitwan National Park
Nepal’s first and most popular national park is home to a third of its tigers, and while well protected here, they tend to be more cautious of human visitors than their Indian cousins. As a result, sightings are rarer in Nepal than in India, but the hair-on-end experience of tracking tigers through sal forest on foot more than makes up for the number of individuals seen. If you’re lucky, you might even spot a tiger wandering the misty banks of the Rapti River as you float quietly past in a dugout canoe.
Royal Bardia National Park
Where safaris in Chitwan can be easily combined with treks in the Annapurna Sanctuary or to Everest Base Camp, Royal Bardia National Park, tucked away in Nepal’s remote west, is best for vacations where wildlife takes top priority.The most undisturbed, and the largest, of the national parks in Nepal’s subtropical Terai, Bardia is home to a small, but significant and growing population of wild Asian elephants, which roam the Karnali floodplain and Babai Valley. Thanks to effective conservation strategies, this population, while small, is relatively stable and although most of Nepal’s elephants are migratory visitors from Bengal and India, around 80 now call Bardia home, compared to just eight in the 1990s.
Bardia is dominated by primordial sal forest, with patches of open savannah and alluvial plains intertwined with the winding channels of the Karnali River. Few visitors reach this serene reserve, which remains a haven for a variety of endangered animals – joining the elephants are Bengal tigers, one-horned rhino, Gangeti river dolphins, swamp deer and gharial crocodiles.
Bardia is best explored on foot – although jeep safaris and rafting are also possible – and journeys into the park must be accompanied by a guide. This is no bad thing, as you’ll stand more chance of seeing the park’s wildlife with an expert on hand. Look to the skies for a glimpse of two of Nepal’s rarest birds – the Bengal florican and the Sarus crane.
Ilam & the Himalayan foothills
Far east, on the border with Sikkim, the Himalayan foothills host the shy, endangered red panda. Deemed almost impossible to see in the wild until recently, a vacation into these remote and moss-covered rhododendron and oak forests is one of the most unique wildlife experiences in the world. Spotting a red panda is by no means guaranteed, and small scale tourism initiatives here are still in their infancy, but as local guides become more experienced sightings are increasing. And local communities are gaining an appreciation of the value in protecting their unique neighbours.Our top Nepal Vacation
Nepal family vacation
A fabulous family vacation including the best of Nepal
This trip can be tailor made throughout the year to suit your requirements
What does a Nepal wildlife
vacation entail?
However, don’t be fooled into thinking that the wildlife is only really an add-on. Chitwan, Bardia and the Himalayan foothills all warrant attention in their own right, and if wildlife is your priority, you could spend anything from a few days to over a week in your park of choice.
Once in Chitwan or Bardia (a 50min flight from Kathmandu) you'll enjoy a variety of daily activities from your lodge including tracking tigers on foot with local guides (armed only with bamboo sticks and an intimate knowledge of the animals’ behaviour), river cruises by dugout canoe, jeep safaris through the forest and grasslands and visits to breeding and research centers for freshwater turtles and vultures. Expect early starts; tigers in particular are more active at night and in the morning mists. If you’re staying for a week or more, you’ll likely spend a few days in different areas of the parks to maximise opportunities to see wildlife.
Don’t be surprised to see elephant back safaris in Chitwan National Park. These have historically posed a bit of an ethical dilemma for us as they are the key drivers of a steady stream of income that has been heavily reinvested back into the successful protection of Chitwan’s rhinos and tigers. You can read more about the issues surrounding elephant trekking, and why we don’t support it, in our elephant conservation travel guide.
Where will I stay?
In Chitwan and Bardia, accommodation ranges from simple guesthouses to luxury lodges, which support the local communities surrounding the national parks. Many of our specialist wildlife vacation companies in Nepal use lodges that are part of the TOFTigers (Tour Operators for Tigers) network which spans the Indian subcontinent and encourages responsible tourism in tiger habitats. In the Ilam region, basic but comfortable village guesthouses make up for a lack of facilities in the warmth of their local welcome.As many of the lodges are community-owned you can expect as much cultural entertainment as wild delights, from evening Tharu stick-dancing performances to casual conversations with your friendly hosts.
Best time to see wildlife in Nepal
For milder temperatures in the Terai consider traveling between October to February, with October and November in particular also bringing crystal clear skies, and excellent trekking conditions, in the Himalayas.
Red pandas are fussy animals, hiding away in tree hollows and dark shadows once the thermometer creeps over 25°C. To see them, you’re best traveling either side of the summer monsoon, in mid-March to mid-May or October to November, when the Himalayan foothills are slightly cooler.
In general, the July-September monsoon is best avoided whatever wildlife you want to see, as rivers flood and parts of Royal Chitwan National Park become inaccessible.