Wildlife Tours to Nepal NEPAL
Photo:
| Tour Ref. | Days | Dates | Party Size |
Cost |
Leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NEP1/10 | 17 | Monday 15th February to Thursday 4th March 2010 | 10 plus leader | £ (*£) | TBA |
*Single room supplement.
Tour Destinations :
- Kathmandu
- Pokhara
- Royal Chitwan National Park
- Royal Bardia National Park
- Phulchowki
Tour Summary
Nepal
As all experienced travellers know, the longer you stay in one place, the more you learn about its wildlife. This applies particularly to wildlife tours where good sightings and, especially, good photographs often depend on the amount of time available.
It is for this reason that on this seventeen day wildlife tour we have selected only a few of Nepal’s best wildlife and landscape areas. You will visit the well known Royal Chitwan National Park and the remote and less well known Royal Bardia National Park in the west of the kingdom. A total of ten nights will be spent in the two parks.
The tour begins with two nights in Kathmandu from where we will visit the Phulchowki area and there will also be a two night stay in Pokhara, giving easy access to areas of superb landscape and wildlife interest.
The wildlife in the areas visited is prolific; Chitwan, for instance, boasts a checklist of over 450 bird species and 46 mammals, including Tiger, Leopard and One-horned Rhinoceros.
Itinerary
Day 1 : Flight from London to Kathmandu.
Your scheduled flight for Kathmandu will depart from London for Kathmandu in the evening.
Day 2 : Kathmandu
On arrival in Kathmandu you will transfer to your hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 3 : Phulchowki
Today you will take a full day trip from Kathmandu to Phulchowki, from where you will first glimpse the Himalaya. The birdwatching in Phulchowki is excellent in the temperate forest nearer the summit of Phulchowki Mountain and the subtropical forest on the lower slopes. Your day here is sure to yield an interesting bird list with possibilities including flycatchers, sunbirds, woodpeckers, warblers, mimivets, yuhinas, and flowerpeckers.
Days 4 & 5 : Pokhara
The day begins with a flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara where you will transfer on arrival to your lodge for the next two nights. Your stay in Pakhara will involve sensibly paced walks into the foothills of the Annapurna Himalaya in search mainly of birds in a landscape of breathtaking beauty. These walks will be carefully tailored by the leader to suit the physical abilities of the tour members. It will also be possible to explore the fringes of the Phewa Lake and the damp forest areas adjoining the lodge.
Pokhara lies in a valley of the same name at 915m (3020ft) and is one of the lowest valleys in this part of Nepal- a factor which has bestowed on it a greater number of birds species than the higher valleys to the north. A variety of habitats lie within easy reach of the lodge- the lake shores, dense woodland and the fields and scrubby hillsides adjoining the lake. Each area will contribute significantly to your list of birds.
The woodland birds could include regularly seen residents such as Maroon Oriole, Ashy Bulbul, Kalij Pheasant and several laughing thrush species. The lake fringes should produce several species of duck, egret and heron whilst an examination of fields and scrub could reveal several species of pipit, lark, bunting and babbler- all against the backdrop of the Himalayas.
Days 6 to 12 : Royal Chitwan National Park
After breakfast you will be transferred by road to Royal Chitwan National Park, your home for the next six nights. Whilst in the park, you will enjoy daily game viewing on Elephant, nature walks, dugout canoe excursions, jungle game drives in open jeeps and the use of machans (tree top blinds) for game/bird viewing.
The birdwatching in Chitwan will certainly be rewarding. By working the river edges, streams, marshes, forests and grasslands, you are certain to see some of the more interesting species of the area. Along the main rivers there should be a variety of storks, geese, plovers, and waders. The marshes should produce a variety of herons, egrets, geese, storks, crakes and kingfishers. Painted Snipe, Purple Gallinule and Bronze-winged Jacana should also occur. Forest species should include Brown Fish Owl, Emerald Dove, Oriental Pied and Great Pied Hornbills and several woodpeckers, babblers, laughing thrushes and warblers. The open grasslands should reveal Pied and Pallid harriers, Bengal Florican, several babblers and weavers, vultures, Peregrine and many other interesting species.
In addition to Tiger, Leopard and Indian Rhinoceros, the Park’s mammal list boasts two species of jackal and monkey, three other cats, four mongooses, seven species of deer and several squirrels.
In order to maximise the opportunities to encounter a wide range of species, you will spend two nights at Machin Wildlife Lodge, three at Machin Paradise View Lodge and a further two at Tharu Lodge.
Day 13 : Lumbini
After breakfast you will depart for Lumbini where there will be an overnight stay. Lumbini is the birthplace of Guatama Siddhartha Buddha and is one of the most important religious sites in the world. There will be an opportunity for you to visit some of the most important parts of the city during the afternoon.
Days 14 to 16 : Royal Bardia National Park
You drive from Limbini to Royal Bardia National Park for a three night stay in this superb Park.
A highlight will be an exploration of the Karnali River in search of crocodiles, Gangetic Dolphins and countless aquatic birds, and there will also be game drives through the forests and grasslands of the Park, all escorted by experienced naturalists.
The Bardia Wildlife Reserve consists of sal and riverine forests and grasslands bordered, on its western side by the great Karnali River. Two mammal specialities of the Bardia reserve are Blackbuck and Swamp Deer. Other mammlas include Leopard, Tiger, Asian Elephant, six other species of deer and Sloth Bear.
Wetland birds should include Darter, Little Cormorant, Cinnamon Bittern, herons, storks, ducks, kingfishers, geese and waders.
The sal forests hold several species of raptor, woodpecker, flowerpecker, drongo, flycatcher,and hornbill, whilst the grasslands attract Bengal and Lesser Florican and several species of bee-eater, lark, francolin, babbler and raptor.
Day 17 : Fly to Kathmandu for return flight to UK.
You will depart from Bardia by air for Kathmandu where you will connect with your return flight for London.
Day 18 : Arrive in London