At Last Frontiers, we provide you the right wildlife experiences in our destinations. What sets Last Frontiers different from others is the hands on
knowledge of the park and the accommodations available, be it the charming hunting lodge, or the deluxe eco friendly resort or the luxurious safari camps.
Every lodges or parks are different from its program, ranging from a walk in the morning with an experienced naturalists, or a morning elephant ride to spot
the famous one-horned Rhinoceros, or a late afternoon game park rides on open jeeps, forest walks, or a late evening cultural dance with the locals.
Nepal is home to a wide variety of beautiful animals – many of which it shares with India. Visitors who spend some time near the edge of a forest or who go
trekking through low-lying areas and valleys may be able to sight quite a few of these lovely creatures. If you do not enjoy trekking, you can usually
organize a safari ride through one of the many national parks in Nepal which will usually afford you the opportunity to see a variety of wildlife.
Some of the wildlife in Nepal are somewhat restricted to certain areas and are on the endangered list due to indiscriminate poaching in times past. Nepal's
wildlife should always be treated with the utmost respect, remembering that these creatures are not only valuable to the environment but wild and sometimes
dangerous.
Some of the largest animal varieties occur in the Terai. Here you will find tigers, leopards, gaurs (wild ox), elephants, buffalo and a variety of deer. The
deer commonly found here are chital, sambar and swamp deer. If you journey to south-central Nepal, you must spend time in the Lesser Rapti Valley. This is
one of the last homes of the great Indian rhinoceros which is one of the countries endangered species.
Despite forest clearing which has taken place in the central zone, you will still find a few wild animals living here. These include leopards and a variety
of small carnivores. This is also the home of a small kind of barking deer known as 'muntjacs'. If you head up even higher, you will find musk deer, tahr
(beardless wild goat), goral (a relative of the rocky mountain goat) and wild sheep.
If you are lucky, you may spot a wolf or a snow leopard. The Sherpa claim that the higher snowy regions are inhabited by the Yeti but don't expect to see
him during your visit. The most common birds in the region are pheasant and the most popular fish is the mahseer, which can be used for food.
Here at Last Frontiers, we carefully select the accommodation, the itinerary, and the game park visits, to give you a memorable experience of the wildlife.
South & Central Nepal – First National Park
Chitwan National Park, the oldest national park in Nepal, is situated in the subtropical inner Terai lowlands of South-Central Nepal. The park was
designated as a World Heritage Site in 1984. The park contains the Churiya hills and flood plains of Rapti, Reu and Narayani Rivers. Approximately 70% of
the park vegetation is sal forest. There are more than 43 species of mammals in the park. The park is especially renowned for the endangered one-horned
rhinoceros, the tiger and the gharial crocodile along with many other common species such as gaur, wild elephant, four-horned antelope, striped hyena,
pangolin, Gangetic dolphin, monitor lizard and python. Other animals found in the park include the sambar, chital, hog deer, barking deer, sloth bear, palm
civet, langur and rhesus monkey.
There are over 450 species of birds in the park. Common birds seen in the park include the peafowl, red jungle fowl, and different species of egrets,
herons, kingfishers, flycatchers and woodpeckers. The best time for bird watching is March and December.
Mid Far Western Nepal
Royal Bardiya National Park is situated in the mid far western Terai, east of the Karnali River. The park is the largest and most undisturbed wilderness
area in the Terai. About 70% of the park is covered with dominantly sal forest with the balance a mixture of grassland, savannah and riverine forest.
The park provides excellent habitat for endangered animals like the rhinoceros, wild elephant, tiger, swamp deer, black buck, gharial crocodile, marsh
mugger crocodile and Gangetic dolphin. Endangered birds include the Bengal florican, lesser florican, silver-eared mesia and Sarus crane. More than 30
different mammals, over 200 species of birds, and many snakes, lizards and fish have been recorded in the park's forest, grassland and river habitats. A
good number of resident and migratory birds are found in the park.
Far South West Nepal
The Royal Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve is situated in the southern part of Far-Western Nepal in Kanchanpur District. The park is full with predominant sal
associated with asna, simal, karma, khair and sissoo are found along the riverside. Main grass species of the phantas are Imperate cylindrica and Saccharum
heteropogon, used extensively by the local people for thatching.
The reserve provides prime habitat for swamp deer. An estimated population of 2,000 to 2,500 of this species is found in the reserve. Other wild animals in
the reserve are the wild elephant, tiger, hispid hare, blue bull, leopard, chital, hog deer, and the wild boar. A total of 200 species of birds have been
recorded in the reserve. Many grassland birds along with the rare Bengal florican can be seen in the phantas. Marsh mugger, Indian python, monitor lizard
and snakes like cobra, krait, and rat snakes are recorded in the reserve.
Far East Nepal
Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve lies on the flood plains of the Sapta-Koshi in Saptari and Sunsari Districts of Eastern Nepal. The reserve is defined by the
eastern and western embankments of the river. Rapid and complete inundation of the reserve to depths ranging from 10 to 300 cm occurs during the monsoon.
The Sapta-Koshi river also changes its course from one season to another.
The vegetation is mainly tall kharpater grassland with a few patches of khair-sissoo scrub forest and deciduous mixed riverine forest. The reserve offers
important habitat for a variety of wildlife. The last surviving population (about 100) of wild buffalo or ama are found here. Other mammals are the hog
deer, wild boar, spotted deer, and the blue bull. A total of 280 different species of birds have been recorded in the reserve. These include 20 species of
ducks, two species of ibises, many storks, egrets, herons and the endangered swamp partridge and Bengal florican. The Koshi Barrage is extremely important
as a resting place for migratory birds. Many species recorded here are not seen elsewhere in Nepal. The endangered gharial crocodile and Gangetic dolphin
have been recorded in the Koshi River.
