Jungle Safaris in Nepal, Outdoor Tourist Activities
There are so many ways to view Nepal and its intense diversity in climate and geography. One such adventure is a jungle safari. Unlike any other place in the world, you will see some of the most unique topography, this ranges from the sub-tropical jungles in the lowlands to extreme cold high above in the Himalayan range, ice capped waiting for a worthy challenger to reach its summit. One of the greatest is the impressive Mount Everest.
Nepal’s national parks offer endless opportunities for jungle safaris. The Chitwan National Park, located within Terai in central Nepal, is a safe haven for some of the most endangered species, such as the last breed of the beautiful Asiatic wild buffalo. The park is situated south-west of Kathmandu, about a 25 minute flight or a hundred and sixty-five kilometers overland. Once inside you will experience one of the richest and most unique ecosystems encircling a variety of habitats such as ox-bow lakes, tall grasslands, rolling hills, flood plains and thick jungle, predominantly made up Shores robusta or as it’s commonly known ‘Sal’. Thus it could be said to be one of the richest jungle safari destinations spread over 932 square kilometers.
If you have a lot of patience during your jungle safari in Nepal you may be privileged to see some of the largest arrays of protected wildlife such as the one-horned rhino, leopard, gaur or wild bison and the sloth bear. There is also a variety of other game like the musk deer, black buck, swamp deer, blue bull, gharial and the Royal Bengal tiger. If you are an avid bird lover you will be enchanted to know that you can view over 400 species of birds including the endangered cheer pheasants. The most famous of all the birds is the beautifully multicolored Impevan pheasant, also known as Nepal’s national bird. Most of the areas which lie at such high altitudes are under the protection of the Langtang, Shey-Phoksundo, Sagarmatha and Rara national parks. Some of the other exciting jungle activities offered in these parks include canoe rides, jungle walks, village tours, jeep drives and what has to be the ultimate experience sightseeing on elephant-back.