Royal Mountain Travel Magazine Royal Mountain Travel Magazine Issue 1 | Page 29

In 1985, two large elephant bulls were
seen for the first time in the park. In 1993
a further five elephants were seen entering
the park, and a year later another 16
arrived. By 1997 there were 41 resident
elephants living in the park, which had
increased to 60 by 2002.

Getting there

Bardia National Park is situated
600 km from Kathmandu and
the journey by air takes 1 hour
and 10 minutes to Neplagunj,
followed by a short journey by
road. Alternatively, by road it takes
14-16 hours, public buses leaving
Kathmandu in the afternoon to
reach Ambassa in the morning, 13
kilometres from the national park
gate at Thakurdwara. For travellers
coming from India, it is about 10
hours by road from Delhi to the
border at Mahendranagar, and just
a few hours further to Bardiya.

Accommodation
larger Tiger Mountain group, that has a lodge
in Chitwan, as well as a tented camp there
and inside Bardiya National Park, this enables
guests to stay inside the pristine and unspoilt
wilderness. My night at Karnali Tented Camp
in the middle of Bardiya National Park was
enchanting. With strict instructions to wake
me if anything came near the camp, I didn’t
have to wait long to be venture into the night
from my luxury tent to see porcupines and
a civet cat, it’s eyes reflecting the light of the
torches. Although in total there may not be
as many tigers in Bardiya as in Chitwan, the
place is undisturbed and the chances of seeing
them are much better here. Sightings of wild
elephants, rhinos, deer and the critically
endangeredGangeticdolphinareotherreasons
to make Bardiya a ‘must see’ destination.
The national park is home to over 50 species of
mammals. Some 405 species of birds have been
identified here, along with 839 species of flora.
The wide range of vegetation types in the forest
andgrasslandprovidesanexcellenthabitatfora
total of 642 species of animals.The Karnali river
system with its numerous small tributaries and
oxbow lakes is home for 125 recorded species
of fish. Mugger and gharial crocodiles can be
found living in the rivers, along with 23 reptile
and amphibian species.

Bardiya is located in the Mid-Western
Development Region of Nepal and was
established in 1988 as the Royal Bardia
National Park. It covers an area of 968 km2
(374 sq.ml.), making it the largest and most
undisturbed wilderness area in the Terai plains
of southern Nepal. 9