BIRD WATCHING TOURS

At Chitwan and Bardia, you may encounter rare and endangered animals such as the one-horned rhinoceros and Royal Bengal tiger. Other species that can be found in the parks are wild elephants, sloth bears, several species of deer, leopards and langur and rhesus monkeys. Gharial and marsh mugger crocodiles and the freshwater Gangetic dolphins also inhabit the rivers. Koshi Tappu, in particular, is a bird watchers paradise, where hundreds of different species of water birds have been recorded.

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KOSHI TAPPU WILDLIFE RESERVE

The Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve covers an area of 175 sq km and is in the eastern Terai region of Nepal. It lies on the flood plains of the Sapt Koshi and is for the most part, enclosed within the 8 metre high embankments of the Koshi Barrage, which has been designed to minimise the destructive annual floods. It is a beautiful and fascinating aquatic environment and is home to an astonishing variety of water birds that flock to its ponds full of flowering plants.

From Kathmandu, the Reserve is about a 10 hour, 450 km drive along the Mahendra Highway. It is also possible to fly to Biratnagar, from where it is a 50km journey by road.

The reserve provides an important habitat for a variety of wildlife but, in particular, water birds, including several migratory species such as the sarus crane from Siberia. In all, a total of 280 different species of birds have been recorded and these include many varieties of ducks, ibis, storks, egrets and herons, as well as the endangered swamp partridges and Bengal floricans.

Koshi Tappu is also home to the last surviving population of wild water buffalo and its other inhabitants include blue cows, various species of deer, Gangetic dolphins and gharial crocodiles.

AQUA BIRDS UNLIMITED CAMP

Package 3 Days/2 Nights

Day 1
1 hour flight from Kathmandu to Biratnagar Airport, then from the airport 1½ hour drive to Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve Guest reception / welcome briefing Lunch will be served at around 1 p.m. Bird Watching/Elephant ride safari Slide show on the natural history of the reserve Dinner - Nepali Cuisine

Day 2
Wake-up call Tea / coffee Whole day - Boat & vehicle ride - excursion of Koshi river with packed lunch. We may see the wild buffaloes along the sand banks and the rare gangetic dolphins in the water. Evening - cultural dance program of the local Jhagad tribes Dinner - barbeque

Day 3
Morning - free or an optional village walk/bird-watching around the camp Breakfast Departure from the Lodge

Package 4 Days/3 Nights

Day 1
1 hour flight from Kathmandu to Biratnagar Airport, then from the airport 1½ hour drive to Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve Guest reception / welcome briefing Lunch will be served at around 1 p.m. Bird Watching/Elephant ride - safari Slide show on the natural history of the reserve Dinner - Nepali Cuisine

Day 2
Wake-up call Tea / coffee Jungle excursion - by ox-driven cart or on foot Lunch Jungle drive for game viewing Evening - cultural dance program of the local Jhagad tribes Dinner

Day 3
Wake-up call Breakfast Whole day - Boat & vehicle ride - excursion of Koshi river with packed lunch. We may see the wild buffaloes along the sand banks and the rare gangetic dolphins in the water. Evening - Wildlife discussion. Dinner - bar-be-que

Day 4
Morning - free or an optional village walk/bird-watching around the camp Breakfast Departure from the Lodge