Nepal’s Bird Watching and Wildlife Photography Tour

Welcome to Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal. One of the representative of Himalayan 360 will be there at the airport to pick you and escort to the hotel. On the way, you will be getting a small briefing about the tour. Overnight.

Our guide will pick you up at your hotel in the morning after your breakfast and then drive for around an hour to reach Godavari also called the Royal Botanical Garden, located in Patan. You will start to hike gradually uphill through the dense sub-tropical forest from the botanical garden. After 4 hours of ascending, we will reach the top of Phulchowki Hill. The stunning view of the eastern portion of the Annapurna range to Gaurishankar in the east, Mt. Everest as well as the majestic vista of Kathmandu Valley, are the highlights of this journey. The Crimson Sunbird, Rufous-bellied Woodpecker, and Blue-throated Barbet add bursts of color to the treetops, while the distinctive calls of the Spiny Babbler resonate through the woods.

You will spend a nice time there enjoying delicious lunch overlooking the majestic view. And after lunch, you will hike downwards for about 2 hours on the same trail to the Godavari. If time permits, we will explore the Botanical Garden and drive back to Kathmandu.

Early morning our guide will pick up you from the hotel. You can mention your time but we recommend you to go earlier as you go early you may see the view from Shivapuri Very clearly. After 45 minutes drive, you will reach to Budhanilkantha temple, where you will spend some time here. Afterwards, the Car goes to Muhan Pokhari and drops us there. Now we get the permits and start our walk/hike. You need to carry the water and some dry fruit or any fruit because there is no place to eat on the way to Shivapuri.

From Shivapuri you can see the stunning views of Himalayas. Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park is home to a rich diversity of flora and fauna. The varied elevations and habitats within the park create an ideal environment for numerous bird species. There will be a lot of bird and animal sighting, if you are patient enough to wait. Back to the hotel. Overnight.

We will take an early morning flight to Biratnagar which will take about 35-40 minutes. After reaching Biratnagar, we drive towards Barju Taal. The lake is about 12 km from Biratnagar.

Barju Taal, sometimes called Chimdi Taal, is comprised of just over 250 acres of wetlands but hosts more than 500 bird species, and at peak festival times hosts up to 150,000 picnickers. It is indeed a paradise for the bird watchers.

After spending few hours at Barju lake, we drive towards Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve, another ultimate destination for the Bird watching and wildlife photography. We will enjoy the sunset at the Koshi river and stay there for the night.

Today, you will be visiting Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve, located in the southeastern part of Nepal, near the Koshi River which is a haven for birdwatching and wildlife photography enthusiasts. Bird enthusiasts can spot both migratory and resident species, including waterfowl, storks, egrets, ibises, and the endangered Bengal Florican.

Besides that, Koshi Tappu is also famous for its faunas. The reserve is renowned for its population of wild water buffalo, spotted deer, and hog deer, while the wetlands and rivers host an impressive array of waterfowl, storks, and ibises. Gharials, mugger crocodiles, and various snake species inhabit the waterways, contributing to the reserve’s reptilian diversity. You will get a wonderful chance to capture these animals and know about their habitat.

Today, after having breakfast, we will head towards the Koshi river for rafting purposes. The Koshi River basin is rich in biodiversity. While rafting, you may have the opportunity to spot various bird species and, on occasion, glimpses of wildlife along the riverbanks. Keep an eye out for the diverse flora and fauna of the region.

Rafting in Koshi river is also another great way to experience the beauty of the eastern region of Nepal. You can also witness beautiful sunset in the Koshi river.

We will have an early morning breakfast and proceed to drive towards Chitwan. It will be a long ride as it may take 9-10 hours to reach Chitwan. After reaching Chitwan, you will be welcomed by the authentic Tharu culture and gestures. Rest and overnight at the hotel.

After a hearty breakfast, you will head towards Chitwan National Park. Chitwan National Park is another brilliant spot for bird watching and wildlife photography in Nepal. Renowned for its diverse ecosystems, including grasslands, riverine forests, and wetlands, the park provides a habitat for a wide range of bird and animal species.

You will get to see a wide variety of birds like Indian Peafowl (Peacock), Great Hornbill, Bengal Florican, Asian Openbill Stork, Sarus Crane and many more. Along with these birds you will also spot number of wildlife roaming around Chitwan National Park. One-horned rhinoceros, Gaur, Royal Bengal tiger, Wild elephant, Four-horned antelope, Pangolin, Golden monitor lizard, Python, etc are the animals that you will spot during the jungle walk, if you are lucky enough!

It is a perfect moment for wildlife photographers to capture these rare animals and birds in their lens. Overnight in Chitwan.

Today, we will explore the Jatayu Vulture Restaurant which lies in the buffer zone of Chitwan National Park. Mind you, this restaurant is for vultures and not humans. It is the World’s first community managed vulture restaurant mainly established for the conservation of endangered species of Vultures.

These Vulture Restaurants collect old and unproductive cattle from the farmers and rear them in Cow Rescue Centre where they take care of the animals until their demise. The dead cattles are then fed to vultures. This is a great way to know about the conservation method of vultures and to capture their rare sightings.

Later this day, we will be hopping on to the canoe ride in Rapti river where we will get a close interaction with the animals found there. Mugger Crocodile, Gharial, Kingfishers, Waterfowl etc are the animals and birds that can be witnessed through the canoe ride. Overnight.

Today, we leave Chitwan and get back to our normal track. It will take around 7 hours to reach Kathmandu. After reaching Kathmandu, you can take rest or explore the markets of Thamel and do some souvenir shopping. Overnight.

This is the last day of your bird watching and wildlife photography tour. One of our representative will be there to drop you at the airport 3-hours prior to your flight. We hope you had a great time here. Remember us for your next trip to Nepal.