Wildlife Holidays in Nepal

Nepal is a land of extremes, from the soaring, snow-capped peaks of the world’s highest mountains to lush, subtropical floodplains bursting with endless forms of life. For a relatively small country, its altitudinal range is vast, resulting in spectacular diversity, not just of landscape, but also of specialised wildlife. The lowland plains, known as the Terai, are dominated by tangled riverine forest, verdant wetlands and open expanses of towering elephant grass. Mid-altitudes bring temperate oak and rhododendron woodlands, while the mighty Himalayas themselves are a sprawling, plunging wilderness of glaciers, high mountain passes and alpine meadows. Across these myriad habitats can be found a marvellous assemblage of captivating flora and fauna, from Tiger and Greater One-horned Rhino to Gharial, Great Hornbill and Himalayan Monal.

The diversity of Nepal’s wild places means an equal variety of options for exploration. The high mountains are best explored on foot, and especially via multi-day treks, which allow travellers to venture deep into some of our planet’s most breathtaking landscapes. Naturetrek, as our name suggests, began in the 1980s by specialising in precisely this kind of adventure, and though we now offer an unrivalled range of wildlife holidays of all kinds, we still passionately believe there is something uniquely special about natural history trekking.

The lowlands, on the other hand, are well-suited to a traditional safari, featuring open-vehicle drives through game-rich grasslands, and boat trips down tree-cloaked river channels. It is in these landscapes that visitors have their best chance of encountering Asia’s most iconic wild animal of all: the Tiger. Tiger conservation efforts here have been astonishingly successful in recent years, with the national population more than tripling between 2009 and 2026 to well over 400 individuals. Sightings may not be quite so reliable yet as in India, but they are often of a higher calibre in Nepal, with its wilder landscapes and vastly lower tourist numbers.

Nepal’s most famous national park, home to a remarkably high density of Tigers, is Chitwan. Here, the classic Terai landscapes support a great array of megafauna, from shambling Sloth Bears and herds of Asian Elephant to Gaur and Greater One-horned Rhino, many hundreds of which roam the reserve. Birds, too, abound, with over 500 species recorded, including such marvels as Great and Oriental Pied Hornbills, Blue-bearded Bee-eater, White-rumped Shama and Puff-throated Babbler, while riverbanks hold basking Gharial, a highly specialised (and critically endangered) fish-eating crocodilian. The second great reserve of Nepal’s lowlands is Bardia, located in the country’s remote west, where other sought-after birds include Great Slaty Woodpecker, Crested Kingfisher and Greater Racket-tailed Drongo. Bardia shares many mammals with Chitwan, including the Tiger, but it offers something very few other destinations can match: the opportunity to explore big cat territory on foot. Particularly during the hotter months between March and May, walks to special river viewpoints can produce reliable sightings of Tigers as they lounge in the cooling waters.

In the far south-east of the country, Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve covers a massive, shifting expanse of waterways, marshes, mudflats and sandbanks within the floodplain of the Ganges River. This is the last home in Nepal of the Wild Water Buffalo, with other exciting mammals including Jungle and Fishing Cats, Golden Jackal, Chital and Nilgai, Asia’s largest antelope species; Gangetic River Dolphin occasionally breaks the water surface, while giant flocks of Indian Flying Fox take to the skies at dusk. The birdlife is arguably even more impressive, featuring Swamp Francolin, Cinnamon and Black Bitterns, Pallas’s Gull, Ruddy Shelduck, Lesser Adjutant, Black, Asian Woolly-necked and Asian Openbill Storks, and (in winter) Bar-headed Goose.

Between the lowlands and the high Himalaya is a mid-altitude range of hills and ridges. Mount Phulchowki, at over 2700m, is the highest peak framing the Kathmandu Valley; its lower slopes are blanketed in subtropical broadleaf woodlands, which give way at higher altitudes to temperate oak and rhododendron forest. Mammals include Orange-bellied Squirrel and Yellow-throated Marten, while birding highlights include Fire-tailed Sunbird, Maroon-backed Accentor, Red-billed Blue Magpie, Spotted Forktail and rare Kalij Pheasant. To the west of Kathmandu lies the Pokhara Valley, renowned for vultures (including Red-headed, Himalayan and White-rumped), and specialised mid-altitude birds like Great Barbet, White-crested Laughingthrush, Common Green Magpie, and Spiny Babbler. This is also a wonderful area for butterflies, with Paris Peacock, Tailed Jay, Redbase Jezebel and Blue Tiger just a few amongst a dazzling array.

Longer, multi-day treks allow visitors to access more of these mid-altitude forests, as well as to explore the world’s greatest mountain range of all: the Himalayas. The Annapurna region is renowned for its trekking, and contains similar oak and rhododendron forests holding Himalayan Tahr, Nepal Grey Langur, and even Red Panda, alongside birds such as Golden-breasted Fulvetta, Black-headed Shrike-babbler, White-browed Rosefinch and the elusive Satyr Tragopan.

Higher altitudes are reached on hikes through the Langtang National Park, including the Laurebina Pass at 4,610m. With greater heights come hardier habitats, such as subalpine forests of gnarled birch and dwarf junipers, home to the rare Himalayan Musk Deer, while open rocky slopes host Common Goral and Royle’s Pika. These upper birch forests are superb for birds like Himalayan Monal, Blood Pheasant, and Rufous-bellied Bush Robin, while high passes and alpine lakes are the haunt of Grandala, Snow Pigeon, Alpine Chough and Ibisbill; in spring, the meadows around the sacred lake of Gosaikunda are carpeted with dwarf anemones, irises and wild primulas.

Finally, above it all is Everest – the world’s highest peak at almost 8,849 metres above sea level. Of course, reaching the summit itself is beyond the scope of a Naturetrek tour, but multi-day treks within sight of the great mountain bring majestic vistas and more alpine wildlife, including Black-faced Laughingthrush, Rufous-breasted Accentor, Tibetan Snowcock, Snow Partridge, Guldenstadt’s Redstart and Brandt’s Mountain Finch, with Golden Eagle, Lammergeier and Himalayan Griffon vultures circling the sparse thermals above.

What's Special About Nepal's Wildlife?

From the lush Terai to the high tops of the world’s greatest mountains, Nepal is overflowing with wildlife. The country is home to around 900 species of bird and almost 200 mammals, including a thriving Tiger population; sightings of this iconic big cat are increasing in lowland parks like Chitwan and Bardia, which are also home to spectacular megafauna such as Greater One-horned Rhino, Asian Elephant, Sloth Bear and Leopard, alongside birds like Great Hornbill, Blue-bearded Bee-eater and Great Slaty Woodpecker. Mid-altitude forests and the high alpine habitats of the Himalayas support no less spectacular species, from mammals like Himalayan Musk Deer and Royle’s Pika to specialised birds such as Himalayan Monal, Ibisbill, Grandala, Tibetan Snowcock and Lammergeier.

Particularly special is the opportunity to experience Nepal’s mountain wildlife on foot, through multi-day treks that take travellers deep into some of our planet’s most marvellous scenery. Such trips were Naturetrek’s original speciality, and they can provide an intimacy and a wildness to natural history exploration that is increasingly rare in our shrinking world.