BARDIA NATIONAL PARK

Explore the wonders of Bardia National   Park of Nepal, home to rhinos, gharial crocodiles, and unique wildlife experiences.

It lies 585 km. away from Kathmandu, and is situated south-west of Nepal. Recently, rhinos have been translocated from Chitwan, to this area of riverine forests, grasslands and low wooded hills. Lying along the Karnali and Babai rivers, the park is an important preserve for the rare gharial crocodile and the Gangetic dolphin.
Bardiya District, one of the seventy-seven Districts of Nepal, is part of Province No. 5 of Nepal. The district, with Gulariya as its headquarters, covers an area of 2,025 km². If you are interested to look for the different species of plant and animals during your visit in Nepal tour then you should probably visit Bardiya which is famous for Bardia National Park, Karnali Bridge, Samsara Safari Camp, Kothiyaghat Camp, etc. Most of the tourist take tour to bardiya to enjoy the nature and for Jungle Safari in Bardia National Park. You can take tour with the help of well experienced guide for the best experience.
General introduction

The largest and most undisturbed protected area in the Terai, the Bardia National park is home to many endangered species including tiger, wild elephant, rhinoceros, swamp deer, blackbuck, gharial crocodile, marsh mugger crocodile, and Gangetic dolphin.

The endangered birds are Bengal florican , Lesser florican, Silver-eared mesia, and Sarus crane. With more than 70per cent of the park covered by sal forest and a mixture of grassland and savannah forests, the park hosts 30 different mammals, over 250 species of birds, and varieties of reptiles and aquatic animals.

Tourist attractions

Apart from its dense forests, the national park is full of open grass lands and glades making perfect stages for game-viewing. With more than 30 tigers within its boundary, the park offers the sight of a rich ecosystem. During elephant safari or jungle drive one can also come across small herd of wild elephants. Bardia has also won its spurs for having successfully accommodated rhinoceros- that were translocated from Chitwan National park.

Some of these endangered species have also made their new home in the national park’s Babai Valley- a scenic valley with the River Babai. Once inhabiting human settlements, the Valley now has returned to the wilderness since around 1500 local people were resettled in the Bardia District.

For pleasant sight- sukarmala , the highest point on the crest of the Churia range to the north of the park offers a perfect setting. From here you can watch the panoramic views- in the north is the Surkhet Valley and the south is the ever stretching plains of the Terai.

Bordering with Nepal’s longest River Karnali in the west, the park provides visitors an opportunity of fishing masher- a large game fish. This is also the river that puts on show Gangetic Dolphin time and again.

Access/Accommodation
The park’s Headquarters- Thakurdwara- is around an hour drive from the Nepalgunj-Surkhet Road, further west from Nepalgunj which is also accessible by air from Kathmandu. There are regular flights to Nepalgunj-with the western hub airport- from the Capital city. Private vehicles can enter the park from East Chisapani, eight kilometers north of kohalpur on the Nepalgunj- Shurkhet Road. The road is a fair weather one that reaches you pokhar.

If you are traveling by public bus, you will have to confirm the bus schedules- that are very limited- between Nepalgunj and Thakurddwara.

In the immediate vicinity of the park’s headquarters at Thakurdwara, there are a number of lodges of different categories. If you wish to stay inside the national park. There is only one tented camp.

The best time to visit the park is in Autumn and winter followed by early Summer when the weather is warm and dry.

Like in other national parks, here too the flora and fauna are fully protected.

Topography and drainage
The topography of the park is quite diverse with flood plains, river valleys and gorges, and the Churia hill. The park’s northern boundary is the crest of the Churia range, which is well above 1219m. The highest elevation is 1441 m at Sukramala and the lowest elevation is 152m (Manau Ghat) is the south. The southern slope of the Churia range is quite steep, falling steadily to ca 350m and merging into the flat land, below 152 m. Almost 42% of the area lies between 250-500 meters whereas about 5.4% areas lies between 750-1000 meters.
The Karnali and Babai Rivers are perennial river systems that flow through the park. The eastern branch of Karnail River forms the western boundary of the park where as Babai River drain the park in the northeastern sector. Orai River and Gumnaha Nala and Ambasa Khola drain the park area between Karnali and Babai rivers. Maan Khola, Karolia Nala and many other seasonal nasal drain the southern face of the Churia between Babai and eastern border of the park.
Geology
The dominant slope of the park is above 300 with more then 20-cm deep soil that covers almost 34% of the park area. Whereas the dominant slope of the buffer zone is below 10 with deep soil that covers ca 66% of buffer zone area. The geological formation of the Churia range is the determining factor for the soil types of the park. The Churia is of late tertiary in origin. Exposed rocks consist of fine-grained sand stone with pockets of clay, shale, conglomerate and freshwater limestone. Soils are young, shallow and subject to high rates of erosion and landslides. The Bhabar zone boulder, cobbles, gravels and course sand inter bedded with silt and clay from the Churia. Most of the park belongs to Bhabar zone. The alluvial soils in the flat low land below the Bhabar are quite deep.
Highlights,
Rafting trip in the Karnali River
Jeep drive
Fishing trip
Night camping inside & outside of the jungle (buffer zone)
Bird watching
Tharu cultural dance
Visit to a dolphin site
Mini-trekking in Telpani
Visit to the Blackbuck antelope site
Village tour by ox cart
Babai valley walk