days!
I experienced the Himal, Pahad
and Terai, passed through towns, vil-
lages, plains and mountains and ex-
perienced challenging and relaxing
days … all within my 10-day journey
through this beautiful country.
Starting my journey on my Kawa-
saki Versys 650 from New Delhi, the
capital of India I entered Nepal 600
kilometres from Delhi. Bardia Na-
tional Park being my first official stop
after 9 hours of riding.
Avoiding the regular route used by
travellers I decided to take the less
treaded route but believe you me, bar-
ring a stretch of 15-20 kilometres of
bad roads, overall the roads are good,
the route is more scenic and offers
greater wildlife and definitely better
flora and fauna. This route passes
through jungles, valleys and directly
connects you to Zero Point at Mukti-
nath. This route is a treat for photog-
raphers.
Apart from the other things I had
planned, my target was to cover at
least three National Parks; Bardia Na-
tional Park, Banke National Park and
Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park.
All of them well known for rare wild-
life and various species of birds. The
following were on my list of ‘must
capture’… tigers, clouded leopards,
rhinos, Bengal foxes, corsac foxes,
Tibetan foxes, Asiatic elephants, mar-
bled cats, Chinese pangolins, and Ti-
betan wolves, to name a few.
I want to take a moment to talk a
little about the national parks in Ne-
pal. I visited Bardia followed by Ban-
ke and then after a few other stops I
visited Shivapuri. To describe my ex-
perience collectively for all the three
national parks I visited, I would say,
untouched, natural and raw beauty
that cannot in any possible way be
compared to man-mad attractions.
TRAVERSE 62
Bardia National Park has eco re-
sorts setup for travellers. Camping in-
side this park is not an option because
free movement of elephants is com-
mon even in the buffer zone. There is
also a habitat centre inside this park
only for the rhinos who need a shel-
tered recovery zone.
I did leave Bardia with mixed feel-
ings, happy because I made it to my
destination and sad because I could
not complete a full safari … all safaris
were cancelled due to bad weather.
Banke National Park is next to the
Bardia National Park and has been
recognized as a ‘Gift to the Earth’. Ti-
gers and four-horned antelopes are
the main attraction for wildlife here.
The flora and fauna that this park of-
fers is a treat for those travellers who
enjoy silent beauty.
Shivapuri National Park is based on
the outskirts of Kathmandu. You can
get there by trekking for 2-3 hours or