Bardia National Park

About this journey

Bardia is the largest national park in the Terai — about 968 square kilometres of sal forest and grassland on the Karnali river, gazetted in 1988. It is far enough west that visitor numbers stay low, and it has the highest density of Bengal tigers in Nepal. Sightings are still luck, but the odds here are better than anywhere else in the country. Wild elephant, one-horned rhino, gharial and Gangetic dolphin are all present.

Highlights

• Tiger tracking on foot with a park naturalist
• Karnali river rafting and Gangetic dolphin
• Machan hide overlooking a waterhole
• Wild elephant and one-horned rhino in the grasslands
• Tharu homestay culture around Thakurdwara

Permits

• Bardia National Park entry permit
• Licensed park naturalist (mandatory)

We process these for you. Bring your passport and passport photographs.

Getting there

• Fly Kathmandu or Pokhara to Nepalgunj, then 2–3 hours by road
• Or the long bus west along the Mahendra Highway
• Thakurdwara is the base — lodges are small and fill up in season