National parks and wildlife in Nepal

12 places of this kind across 12 districts of Nepal, from the Himal to the Terai. Filter by province or belt, or open any dot on the map.

Hidden gems only

12 places

Park & wildlife

Makalu Barun National Park

Sankhuwasabha, Koshi Province

Wild forests and glaciers from 435 m to the summit of Makalu, and a demanding trek to Makalu Base Camp.

Park & wildlife

Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve

Sunsari, Koshi Province

Grassland and river islands on the Sapta Koshi, home of Nepal's last wild water buffalo and a paradise for birds.

Hidden gem

Park & wildlife

Parsa National Park

Parsa, Madhesh Province

Chitwan's quieter eastern neighbour: sal forest and Chure hills with elephants, tigers and gaur, and hardly any tourists.

Park & wildlife

Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park

Kathmandu, Bagmati Province

Forested hills on the valley's northern rim with day hikes to Shivapuri peak, Nagi Gompa and Jamacho.

Park & wildlife

Chitwan National Park

Chitwan, Bagmati Province

Nepal's first national park and a World Heritage Site: one-horned rhinos, Bengal tigers, gharials and elephants in sal forest and grassland.

Hidden gem

Park & wildlife

Dhorpatan

Baglung, Gandaki Province

Nepal's only hunting reserve: high meadows and forest under Dhaulagiri and Putha Hiunchuli, with blue sheep and a Tibetan settlement.

Hidden gem

Park & wildlife

Banke National Park

Banke, Lumbini Province

A young, little-visited park of sal forest and Chure hills whose tiger population has grown rapidly since 2010.

Park & wildlife

Bardiya National Park

Bardiya, Lumbini Province

The largest national park in the Terai and the best place in Nepal to see a wild tiger, on the banks of the Karnali.

Park & wildlife

Shuklaphanta National Park

Kanchanpur, Sudurpashchim Province

Vast open grasslands in the far south-west, home to the world's largest herd of swamp deer, tigers and wild elephants.

Hidden gem

Park & wildlife

Tikapur Park

Kailali, Sudurpashchim Province

One of Nepal's largest public parks, beside the Karnali in a planned Terai town, with gardens, lawns and a lake.

Park & wildlife

Khaptad National Park

Doti, Sudurpashchim Province

A high, rolling plateau of meadows and forest in the heart of the far west, known for wildflowers and the ashram of Khaptad Baba.

Hidden gem

Park & wildlife

Api Nampa and the Byas valley

Darchula, Sudurpashchim Province

The far north-west corner of Nepal: Api Himal, and the Byas valley of the Byansi people on the old route to Tibet.