Nepal Birding

Birding, Red panda watching and A Glimpse into Nepal's Wild Nature

Together with our wonderful guide Raju and his son Krishna, we spent three unforgettable weeks in Nepal. First, we visited the Ilam-Dobate region in eastern Nepal, renowned for red panda sightings, the best tea plantations, and spots with views of Kangchenjunga. Then we moved to the Annapurna Conservation Area, where we completed the beautiful Mardi Himal trek with our two guides and two porters. We rounded out the trip with a tour of Pokhara and the sights in Kathmandu. Thank you for a great trip, and we highly recommend it.

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Expert birding and wildlife packages

We arranged a wildlife/birdwatching package through Samsara, enjoyed it a lot and could very much recommend it! Our main contact was Raju who was very quick and clear in his communication making all the arrangements. We booked a package both for Bardia and Langtang. For Bardia we arranged 2 days safari in with Raju together with Santa, and 2 half days in the bufferzone. Their decades worth of experience really shows and we saw all kinds of wildlife and around 100 species of birds. The Langtang trek was neatly arranged with a porter, all accommodations, fees, transport, food and of course guiding by Raju. Beautiful sights and once again a lot of birds ans other wildlife.

Response from the operator: Dear Jorick, THANK YOU for your review! It is highly appreciated!!! Regards

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Kathmandu Valley and Chitwan National Park

A transformational experience—eight incredible days with Bishnu Thapa and his son Krishna, first in the hills around Kathmandu and then proceeding to Chitwan National Park and surrounding buffer zones for another five days. I could barely keep up with the staggering number of birds (at least 140) we saw, along with a menagerie from monitor lizards to gharials, dozens of rhinos and elephants, deer, and monkeys. Of the astonishing array of plants, several wild orchids stopped me in my tracks. I cannot recommend Nepal Birding highly enough and am already hoping for a trip to Bardiya National Park and to higher altitudes that were not practical to visit in my limited time. Any trepidation I may have felt before going solo to remote parts of a country I had never before visited evaporated as soon as I met the Thapas. Over the first two days we visited Godavari Forest and Shivapuri National Park, which despite their proximity to Kathmandu Valley were remarkably varied temperate forests that revealed different kinds of birds, with tits, flowerpeckers, sunbirds, fulvettas, and other small birds predominant in the former, and barbets, laughing thrushes, minivets, nuthatches, in the latter. Chitwan could not have been more different, in the lowlands so much warmer and more humid, with a spectacular array of drongos, parakeets, five kinds of kingfishers (Stork-billed, White-throated, Ruddy, Pied, and Common), bee-eaters, owlets, owls, eagles, various waders, and stunning Indian Paradise Flycatchers. Mr. Thapa kindly arranged comfortable lodgings on the edge of the national park, where we were visited immediately by the first of many rhinoceroses we would encounter. Here and at the small guest house on the western edge of the national park daily we had three excellent meals of the freshest ingredients (for dessert watermelons with pomegranates and yogurt, papayas, but no mangoes yet), and basically never stopped observing—even during the afternoon rest a Greater Coucal moved stealthily around the shady trees that offered respite from the hot afternoon sun. Equally compelling to what we saw inside the boundaries of the national park were the many species—Indian Rollers, weavers, more kingfishers, francolins—that we saw in the buffer zones where forests meet agricultural land. In these areas we also met local conservationists and young students training in the field, yet another sign of the dedication people in Nepal are devoting to treasuring their environment and biodiversity. At the last minute we arranged an extra day for me with Krishna at Nagarjun Forest Reserve on the west side of the Kathmandu Valley, where we saw Pale Blue and Blue-throated Flycatchers, and a Small Niltava to the whir of countless cicadas announcing the onset of the monsoon. Although I used some repellent and took full advantage of the mosquito nets provided at our hotel and guesthouse near Chitwan, I almost didn’t need them thanks to the geckos, and my tummy was fine for the entire trip. Bishnu and Krishna are passionate about their work, and genuinely interested in sharing their knowledge and experiences. I can hardly wait to go back.

Response from the operator: Dear Matthew, THANK YOU so much for the review! This means a lot for us to reflect the quality of our services. Beautiful Moments Always Be with You! Prem Thapa

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Excellent birding in Langtang!

Excellent birding in Langtang region☆☆☆ for one week. Nice lodges, wonderful food, sunshine and excellent birds along the trail!

Response from the operator: Dear Andrea, We highly value your review and they inspire us to serve you more polished! THANK YOU for your inspiring review!

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Great way to experience Bardia, and maybe see a tiger!

I spent 3 1/2 days in Bardia park with Bishnu, staying at the Samsara Trekking Lodge, and then arranged a day trip to Phulchowki hill when I was in Kathmandu. It was all great. Bishnu and Krishna were very good birding guides, flexible and helpful. The lodge is quite charming. And both are great places to go. I have attached some photos of birds at Phulchowki to a separate review for that day. Here I will attach a couple of mammals from Bardia. Very highly recommended!

Response from the operator: THANK YOU for the review!

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