Photo: Nihaal Moktan · CC BY-SA 4.0National Parks / Journal
The Journal
Stories & Guides
Guides, comparisons and dispatches from Nepal's thirteen national parks — from the Terai grasslands where tigers and rhinos roam to the snow-leopard country of the high Himalaya.
Chitwan or Bardiya? The honest comparison
Nepal's two main wildlife parks share a species list and a Terai landscape but offer very different visitor experiences. The honest comparison for international visitors weighing where to spend their safari days.
Your first trip to Nepal's national parks
Nepal has 13 national parks spanning the largest elevation range of any country on Earth. For visitors arriving from abroad, the honest first-trip orientation — what to expect, which parks suit a first visit, and how to think about a Nepal trip end-to-end.
Sagarmatha or Annapurna? A national-park perspective
The Everest region and the Annapurna region are Nepal's two famous trekking destinations — but only one of them is a national park. Here's how they compare for an international visitor planning a high-Himalayan trip, and why the legal distinction actually matters.
Trekking vs. wildlife — the two Nepals
Nepal's national parks divide into two genuinely different categories — the Himalayan trekking parks of the high north and the Terai wildlife parks of the southern lowlands. For most first-time visitors, choosing one over the other is the most consequential planning decision of the trip.
Nepal's Two UNESCO World Heritage Parks
Nepal has thirteen national parks, but only two are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List: Chitwan, the Terai floodplain of rhinos and tigers, and Sagarmatha, the high Himalayan home of Everest. Here is what sets them apart — and how to see both.
Nepal's Tiger Parks, Compared
Five of Nepal's Terai parks protect breeding populations of the Bengal tiger — from world-famous Chitwan to the wild, quiet Bardiya and the far-western grasslands of Shuklaphanta. Here is how they compare, and which to choose.
Where to See a One-Horned Rhino in Nepal
The greater one-horned rhinoceros is Nepal's great conservation success story. Three Terai parks protect it — and in one of them, a sighting is almost a sure thing. Here is where to go, and how to do it well.
Snow Leopard Country: Nepal's High-Himalayan Parks
The snow leopard is the Himalaya's most elusive cat. A handful of Nepal's high-mountain parks protect it — including one with among the highest densities anywhere on Earth. Here is where it lives, and why you will rarely see it.
The Best National Parks for First-Time Visitors to Nepal
Thirteen parks, from roadside day hikes to three-week expeditions. If it's your first trip to Nepal, here are the parks that reward newcomers most — and how to match one to the kind of traveller you are.
When to Visit Nepal's National Parks: A Season-by-Season Guide
Nepal's parks run from sea-level jungle to 8,000-metre peaks, so there is no single best time to visit — it depends entirely on where you're going. Here is how the four seasons play out across the Terai, the hills and the high Himalaya.
The Lakes of Nepal's National Parks
From the country's largest lake to a sacred high-altitude pilgrimage site and a turquoise jewel deep in Dolpo, some of Nepal's most beautiful water lies inside its national parks. Here are the ones worth the journey.
Understanding National Park Permits & Fees in Nepal
Every national park in Nepal charges an entry fee, and some trekking areas need special permits on top. Fees vary by park and change over time — here is how the system works, the one fee we can state for certain, and where to confirm the rest before you travel.