14 Days Wildlife and Birdwatching Photography Tour

The first day of the 14 Days Wildlife and Birdwatching Photography trip begins with the arrival at TIA in Nepal. Our office representative will meet you at the airport and escort you to the hotel in a private vehicle. Overnight stay at the hotel in Thamel.

The second day of the birdwatching tour begins with breakfast in the hotel. After breakfast, you will depart for the domestic airport to catch your flight to Nepalgunj. Upon arrival in Nepalgunj, one of our representatives will meet you and escort you to the Eco resort located in Bardia National Park. You will receive welcome drinks upon check-in. Take some time to rest and relax in the garden and around the resort. In the afternoon, enjoy a nature walk.

On Day 3, we will enjoy a jeep safari inside Bardiya National Park. After breakfast, we will embark on an exciting 5-hour jeep safari inside the Bardiya National Park. Today’s primary focus is tracking tigers and their activities. Tigers roam throughout the park, and numerous signs of their presence can be found. However, spending time in areas where tigers are frequently spotted can increase our chances of an encounter.

During the safari, we’ll explore three well-known tiger territories within the national park. These areas are known for frequent tiger sightings and have been carefully chosen by our expert naturalist guides. As part of the adventure, you’ll enjoy a packed lunch in a peaceful jungle spot. By late afternoon, we’ll return to the eco resort where you can relax and reflect on the day’s thrilling encounters in the wild.

On the fourth day, too, we will continue our jeep safari in the Bardiya National Park, with a few more hours of tiger tracking if you were unable to locate the tiger the previous day. Otherwise, you will explore jungles to spot other animals, such as the one-horned rhinoceros, leopards, black buck, swamp deer, wild elephants, gharial crocodiles, cranes, and Gangetic dolphins. After another six hours of Jeep safari, we will return to the resort for an overnight stay.

Day 5 is about bird-watching and biodiversity. After enjoying breakfast at the resort, we’ll head out by jeep to explore a nearby Blackbuck conservation area and Badaiya lake, which is home to a variety of wildlife species. This area is particularly rich in flora and fauna and offers excellent opportunities for nature photography and observing animals and birds in their natural habitat.

Some of the birds among many species that you will get to see are Lesser Whistling-Duck, Bar-headed Goose, Graylag Goose, Knob-billed Duck, Ruddy Shelduck, Common Shelduck, and Cotton Pygmy-Goose. These wetlands are also a haven for migratory birds during certain seasons, making it an ideal day for bird lovers. We’ll wrap up the day with some light exploration before returning to the hotel for a relaxing overnight stay.

On the sixth day of our tour, we will have breakfast and then board our jeep to leave Nepalgunj for Lumbini. The drive is around six hours. Once in Lumbini, we will explore the wetlands in Lumbini for a short time for bird-watching activities.

Some of the birds commonly found in the wetlands are the Common Coot, Gadwall Duck, Eurasian Marsh Harrier, Mallard Duck, Black-headed Ibis, Indian Grey Hornbill, and Lesser Adjutant, among others. After a few hours of bird watching, we will check into a three-star hotel in the evening for dinner and an overnight stay.

The seventh day of our tour also revolves around touring Lumbini, but today, we will explore the Lumbini grassland. The drive from our hotel to the grasslands takes about 1.5 hours. Once we reach there, we will explore the beautiful region on foot. We can see a variety of animals and different species of birds.

We will also visit beautiful Jagdishpur Taal, home to different aquatic animals. There too we will notice the activities of birds such as the Booted Eagle, Eurasian Wigeon, Grey Francolin, Purple Heron, the Sarus Crane in their breeding pairs, and Purple Swamp Head around water resources. In the evening, we will return to our hotel for an overnight stay.

On the eighth day, we will drive to Chitwan National Park covering a distance of 180 km. The day begins with breakfast in the Lumbini Hotel, after which we board the jeep and drive for six hours to Chitwan.

Before reaching Chitwan, we will first visit the Vulture restaurant. Vulture restaurant is a conservation site created to support and protect the endangered vulture species. Here, visitors can observe vultures feeding in a controlled and safe environment. This offers a rare insight into their natural behavior and the conservation efforts helping their survival.

After spending some time here, we continue our journey and enter the lush forests of Chitwan National Park, one of Nepal’s top wildlife destinations. We’ll check into a comfortable 3-star hotel and rest for the night.

The ninth day of the safari photography adventure is all about a jeep safari around Chitwan National Park. After an early breakfast, we’ll set off on a thrilling full-day safari through the dense jungles, riverbanks, and grasslands of the park.

The main highlights of the day is tiger tracking. With the help of expert guides, we’ll visit areas known for frequent Royal Bengal Tiger sightings. Notable frequent tiger activity sites inside Chitwan National Park include Rapti Machan, Tinkune, Dumre Check Post, and Bhallori. With some luck and patience, you may spot a Royal Bengal Tiger in its natural habitat.

Jeep safaris are restricted during the monsoon season (June to September) as per park regulations. In some years, restrictions may extend into late September depending on weather and trail conditions.

On the tenth day of your safari photography adventure, we continue our adventure in and around Chitwan National Park. Today, we will focus on birding and nature exploration. Today’s highlight includes a guided walk outside the national park to observe a diverse range of birds and wildlife in their natural habitats.

You’ll have the chance to spot both common and rare bird species such as the Lesser Whistling Duck, Barred Cuckoo-Dove, Asian Emerald Dove, Orange-breasted Green Pigeon, and various types of Sunbirds. You may also encounter other endangered species like the one-horned rhinoceros or wild elephants. In the afternoon, enjoy a short village walk through a nearby Tharu settlement.

The new day begins, and we will drive towards Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve today. The drive from Chitwan to Koshitappu takes about 8 hours. Along the way, we will reach a few destinations where we will stop to take pictures and soak in the beauty of nature.

We will stop for a bit on Koshi Bridge as well to take some amazing pictures of Gangetic dolphins if we get lucky. After a few hours of driving, we will reach the Koshitappu Nature Reserve. For the night, we will stay in the eco lodge.

On Day 12, we will spend the full day exploring Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve. Koshi Tappu is one of the best places in Asia for birdwatching. This peaceful wetland is home to around 441 number of bird species, including 14 species that are only found in Nepal. This gives you the chance to encounter 20 species of ducks, 2 types of ibis, the white-tailed stonechat, striated marsh warbler, 30 types of shorebirds, and over 110 species of water birds.

Expect to see many beautiful birds like ducks, ibises, herons, storks, and even rare species like the Bengal Florican and Swamp Francolin. Aside from birds, the reserve supports a healthy population of wildlife, including the Blue Bull (Nilgai), Wild Boar, Hog Deer, and the Rock Python. After a full day in nature, we will return to our eco-lodge near the reserve for a relaxing evening and overnight stay.

The thirteenth day begins with a final morning birdwatching session around the serene Barju Taal area, located near Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve and a famous birding site. Early mornings are an ideal time to observe active species such as waterfowl, storks, ibises, and various waders, as they hunt and feed around the wetland.

After breakfast and a few hours of bird photography, we’ll make our way to the airport for a scenic flight back to Kathmandu. Upon arrival, our team will transfer you to your hotel in Thamel, where you can relax and enjoy your final evening in Nepal.

Today is the final day of the iconic Wildlife and Birdwatching Tour. You will have a delicious breakfast at the hotel and then head to the airport, concluding our amazing bird-watching and wildlife photography trip. We hope you enjoyed your tour and that you will return to enjoy other amazing tours or treks.