2021 NEPAL

A PHOTOGRAPHIC TOUR : “BARDIA AND CHITWAN NATIONAL PARKS PERFECTLY IN FOCUS”

Run and led by a professional wildlife photographer and the best nature guides in Nepal. This tour is aimed at guests who are either keen amateur or professional photographers and/or nature lovers who have an avid interest in sound conservation management at both scientific and local community levels. The tour has three options: a full tour of both National Parks (26 days), a visit to Bardia National Park (17 days) or Chitwan National Park (13 days).

Overview

Bardia and Chitwan National Parks now hold the esteemed record of being some of the best managed protected areas in the world, boasting an almost zero record of poaching and wildlife crime. Where critically endangered mammals and reptiles such as the Greater One-horned Rhinoceros, Royal Bengal tiger (so prized in SE Asian traditional medicines) and fish eating Gharials have been brought back from the edge of extinction and whose numbers continue to grow in both protected areas. The Park’s recently celebrated the fact that in the past two years not one single rhinoceros had been lost there other than through natural causes or disasters-such as seasonal flooding and wild fires.

The key to both Park’s success lies not only in vigilant patrolling of its environs by well trained and committed rangers BUT equally in the role the local community play in informing on suspected poachers and their belief that the wildlife that surrounds them has an economic value.

Five-Star hotels or other forms of luxury accommodation are not allowed inside either National Park-even the world famous ‘Tiger Tops Camp’ was removed from Chitwan in 2012. Instead, locally run lodges, particularly in Bardia have been allowed to flourish. The community forests/buffer zones that surround the Parks are managed by the local people for THEIR economic benefit and offer outstanding wildlife sightings. In short, the economic benefits of tourism have been spread much more evenly than in other global locations.

This is a tour that aims to tick many conservation boxes and is as much about the people that surround the Parks as the wildlife itself.

The Tour(s) will offer outstanding chances for wildlife viewing with the highest guide to guest ratio currently on the market. Where it is the norm on other tours to pack ten people in a jeep or canoe……you will only travel as three…….this optimizes the chances for wildlife sightings. Our guides and staff are all experts in their various fields and have for the most part been brought up in the regions we visit. Instead of taking you on well-trodden tourist paths you will see locations that are very seldom visited.

As photographers, all your needs will be catered for : whether it be help in changing lenses or carrying your equipment. Importantly, you are being tutored (if need be) by a professional photographer with years of experience in the field and led by guides who track wildlife by sight, sound and smell.

The tour(s) also offer excellent chances to meet and interact with the custodians of these forests, the local people, and to contribute to funds, bursaries and trusts set up to further their education and vocational training. These people are friendly and informative and in the case of the Tharu and other indigenous communities offer a glorious chance to observe ancient cultures still very much alive.

Clive Grylls (photojournalist)

Clive Grylls is the coordinator of this tour and your photographic tutor. He will also be a paying guest on this tour. If you have any questions about this tour click on CONTACT……or I can also be reached on: www.facebook.com/clivegryllsphotography

Bardia National Park

Bardia National Park was established in 1988 (as what was then known as the Royal Bardia National Park) and covers an area of 968 km2 (374 sq miles). It is the largest and most undisturbed wilderness area in Nepal's Terai region-a tropical hinterland to the south of the countries lower Himalayan hills.

The park is famous for with its rich biodiversity and habitats that harbour 53 species of mammals including the critically endangered Greater one-horned rhinoceros and Gangetic dolphin and the endangered Asiatic elephant and Royal Bengal tiger. The Park has over 25 species of reptiles, including the critically endangered fish-eating Gharial and over 400 species of birds, 121 species of fishes and an unknown diversity of mollusks and arthropods. About 70% of the park is covered with forest (mainly Sal), the remaining 30% is a mixture of grassland, savannah and riverine forest.

The northern limits of the Park are demarcated by the crest of the Siwalik Hills. Natural boundaries to human settlements in the Park are also formed in the west by the Geruwa River, a branch of the Karnali River, and in the southeast by the Babai River. For the most part it is surrounded by community forests managed by local people (mainly Tharu) that provide an essential role-and corridors-for wildlife migration.

Chitwan National Park

Chitwan National Park was established in 1973 and granted the status of a UNESCO ‘World Heritage Site’ in 1984. It covers an area of 932 km2 (360 sq mi) and is located in the subtropical Inner Terai lowlands of south-central Nepal. In 1997, a buffer zone of 766.1 km2 (295.8 sq mi) was added to the north and west of the Narayani-Rapti river system, and between the south-eastern boundaries of the park. These buffer zones, known as ‘community forests’ are lived in, and for the most part, managed by local people (mainly Tharu) and provide an essential role-and corridors-for wildlife migration. The altitude ranges from about 100 m (330 ft) in the river valleys to 815 m (2,674 ft) in the Churia Hills.

The Narayani-Rapti river system that flows through the Park forms a natural boundary to human settlements. Adjacent to the east of Chitwan National Park is the ‘Parsa National Park’, and contiguous in the south is the Indian Tiger Reserve, ‘Valmiki National Park’. This block of protected areas called a ‘Tiger Conservation Unit’ (TCU) covers 3,549 km2 (1,370 sq mi) of alluvial grasslands and subtropical moist Deciduous and Riverine forests.

The Park is dominated by Himalayan subtropical Broadleaf forests with Sal trees covering about 70% of its area together with mixed stands of Chir pine, Beleric, Rosewood, Axlewood and Elephant apple. Savanna and grasslands cover about 20% of the park’s area with Elephant grass (Saccharum ravennae) very dominant. Seasonal bushfires, flooding and erosion evoke an ever-changing mosaic of Riverine forest and grasslands along the river banks.

The Park holds 68 species of mammals, 544 species of birds (two-thirds of Nepal's globally threatened species), 56 species of reptiles and 126 species of fish .The park is especially renowned for its protection of the critically endangered Greater One- horned Rhinoceros and Gharial crocodile. The alluvial floodplain habitat of the Terai is considered as one of the best habitats for the Royal Bengal tiger found anywhere in its geographical range. Chitwan is considered to have the highest population density of sloth bears with an estimated 200 to 250 individuals. Smooth-coated otters inhabit the numerous creeks and rivulets. Bengal foxes, Spotted linsangs and Honey badgers are also relatively common and endangered Striped hyenas prevail on the southern slopes of the Churia Hills. In 2011, endangered Asiatic wild dogs were recorded in the southern and western parts of the park, as well as Golden jackals, Fishing cats, Jungle cats, Leopard cats, large and small Indian civets, Asian palm civets, Crab-eating mongooses and Yellow-throated martens.

The park’s alluvial grasslands are important habitats for the critically endangered Bengal florican, the vulnerable Lesser adjutant stork, Grey-crowned prinia, Swamp francolin and offer one of the few known breeding sites of the globally threatened Spotted eagle.

The Tharu People

The Tharu people are an ethnic indigenous group predominantly living in the southern foothills of the Nepali Himalaya, known as the Terai. The Tharu call themselves “people of the forest” however their true origin is very unclear and surrounded by myths.

Around Chitwan and Bardia National Parks they have been established for hundreds of years practicing shifting cultivation revolving around crops such as rice, mustard, corn and lentils. Hunting and gathering has also played an important role in their culture using the forest to collect wild fruits, vegetables, medicinal plants and materials to build their houses and to hunt smaller game such as deer, rabbit and wild boar. The Tharu are expert fisherman practicing unique methods when fishing in the local rivers and oxbow lakes.

Their forest life has until recently kept them isolated in their own localities allowing them to develop a unique culture free from the influence of adjacent India, or from the mountain groups of Nepal. The most stand out aspects of their culture are decorated rice containers, gloriously painted verandahs and outer walls of their homes made entirely from clay, mud, dung and grass. Much of these complex and rich designs are rooted in devotional activities and passed on from one generation to the next,

Until the year 2000-when the Nepalese government abolished it-many Tharu families worked under the system of bonded labour known as Kamaiya which had existed in Nepal since the 18th century. In the late 1950s and 60s, the World Health Organisztion together with the Nepalese Royal family supported an attempt to eradicate malaria in the forests of the central and western Terai using labour from the non-Tharu population found in the Nepali hills. Bhutanese, Sikkimese and Indian settlers also moved into the region. In the western Terai, especially in the Bardia area, many Tharu families lost their land to these immigrants and were forced further into a life of virtual slavery.

Though the Tharus are now recognized as an official nationality by the Government of Nepal they are calling for a more inclusive democracy as they are fearful of remaining an underprivileged group. In 2011, the Tharu population of Nepal was estimated at 1,737,470 people, or 6.6% of the total population.

DETAILED ITINERARIES

FOR OPTION ONE ‘COMPLETE TOUR OF BARDIA AND CHITWAN NATIONAL PARKS, NEPAL’ (FT) AND OPTION TWO: ‘BARDIA NATIONAL PARK’ please read ITINERARY ONE (BELOW)

FOR OPTION THREE: ‘TOUR OF CHITWAN NATIONAL PARK’ click here

ITINERARY ONE: (OPTION ONE and TWO)

Day One:

Arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu where you will meet our company representative and be driven to the Thamel area of the city and stay overnight in your comfortable guesthouse.

Day Two:

Travel overnight by air conditioned bus to Bardia National Park where you will stay for the next eleven nights at the Tharu Home Lodge run by local Tharu people and situated within easy walking/driving distance from the entry into this wild and isolated natural paradise.

Day Three:

A full day rest day at the lodge. In the afternoon you will be introduced to our chief guide, Rajan Choudhary and other local members of our team. They and Clive Grylls will be on hand to answer any questions regarding your visit. You will also enjoy a ‘sundowner’ at a close by beauty spot. Dinner will be served at our lodge.

Day Four:

After breakfast we will spend a full day walking into the heart of the Park through Riverine forests and open grasslands. A packed lunch will be supplied. Locations visited will include the Teenkune, Kingfisher, Bhellor tree locations and waterholes and the Elephant and Tiger Machan posts. There will be chances (if we are fortunate) to spot and photograph the following wildlife: Tiger, Greater one-horned rhinoceros, Otters, ungulates such as Chital, Sambar and Hog deer. Birdlife that may be spotted include: Red headed fish eagle, Asian open-billed stork, Woolly necked Stork, and many species of Bee-eaters and Kingfishers.

Day Five:

A packed lunch will be supplied. After breakfast we will visit the ‘Tharu Cultural Museum’ at the Park entrance and then spend a full day walking into the heart of the Park through Riverine and Sal forest visiting the Pattharbandt, Khaura cross and Bhellor tree locations. There will be chances (if we are fortunate) to spot and photograph the following wildlife: Tiger, Greater one-horned rhinoceros, Otters, Elephants, ungulates such as Chital, Sambar and Hog and Swamp deer and Pythons. Birdlife that may be spotted include: Dusky large owl, Brown fish owl, Great hornbill, Great slaty woodpecker and many species of Bee-eaters and Kingfishers.

Day Six:

A packed lunch will be supplied. After breakfast we will walk to the same locations as the previous two days. These are some of the best viewing locations in the Park and will enable us to maximize our chances of seeing the wildlife often spotted there.

Day Seven:

A packed lunch will be supplied. After breakfast we will embark on a full-day drive through the Park traveling through Riverine and Sal forest and ending our drive camping overnight at the Laimati/Japanese Camp region overlooking the confluence of the Karnali and Geruwa rivers where dinner will be taken under the stars. Locations visited along the way will include: the Baghaura, Gaida Machan, JBS Camp (so-called because the naturalist John Blashford Snell discovered there the two largest Asiatic elephants ever recorded in Asia), Balcony, Dhanesh tal, Ganesh tal and khodao tal waterholes. There will be chances (if we are fortunate) to spot and photograph the following wildlife: Tiger, Greater one-horned rhinoceros, Otters, Elephants, Asiatic wild dog (dhole), Leopard, Hyena, Jackal, Porcupine and ungulates such as Chital, Sambar ,Hog, Barking and Swamp deer, Pythons and critically endangered Gharials. Birdlife that may be spotted include all the Park’s bird species (407.)

Day Eight:

Breakfast will be served at the campsite and a packed lunch will be provided.Full day rafting on the Karnali River starting at the Karnali Bridge and ending up at the village of Daulatpur to visit and dine at the famous and unique ‘Banana Resort’ restaurant where everything from alcohol to fine and delicious foods and snacks are made entirely from bananas. We will then be driven back to our lodge for a late dinner. There will be chances (if we are fortunate) to spot and photograph the following wildlife: Critically endangered Gangetic dolphins, Blue Bull or Nilgai (Asia’s largest antelope), Otters, Elephants and ungulates. Birdlife that may be spotted include most of the species found in the riverine forest sections of the Park……plus Ospreys and Black baza which are commonly sighted along this section of the river.

Day Nine:

Breakfast will be taken at our lodge and a packed lunch will be prepared for us. There are many highlights on this trip. You will be working with expert guides that are also (in the strictest sense of the word)……true conservationists……and an expert tutor and professional photographer who spent years studying Asiatic wildlife all over the Indo-Gangetic Plain. Today we will embark on a journey by jeep into the true heart of the Park where few people have ventured. Starting from our lodge in the west of the Park we will embark on a five-six hour drive through grasslands, Sal, Riverine and Pine forests into its South-western heartland, the Guthi region, where we will be camping close to or by the Babai River. All camping, rafting food and other equipment for our stay will be transported in a separate jeep(s). There will be chances (if we are fortunate) to spot and photograph the following wildlife: Sloth bear, Four-horned antelope, Tiger, Greater one-horned rhinoceros, Otters, Elephants, Asiatic wild dog (dhole), Leopard, Hyena, Jackal, Porcupine and ungulates such as Chital, Sambar ,Hog, Barking and Swamp deer as well as Pythons and critically endangered Gharial. Because of the topography covered on this day the birdlife that may be spotted include most of the Park’s bird species (407) including a rare chance to maybe spot or photograph the elusive but relatively common Silver-eared mesia and Fire-tailed myzornis

Day Ten:

Breakfast will be at our campsite and a packed lunch will be prepared for us.Full day rafting on the Babai River and then a jeep drive back to our lodge. There will be chances (if we are fortunate) to spot and photograph the following wildlife: Elephants, Four-horned antelope, Sambar and Gharials. The birdlife that may be spotted include: Black-capped kingfisher, Blue-eared kingfisher, and if we are very lucky…..the Great Hornbill.

Day Eleven:

In the morning we will drive to the ‘Blackbuck Conservation Area’ established in 2009 to conserve the elegant but endangered blackbuck antelope. This protected area covers 16.95 km2 and is a sanctuary for the northernmost surviving herd in the world. In the afternoon you will be free to rest at your guesthouse or wander around the local villages.

Day Twelve:

Breakfast at our lodge and lunch taken at a local eatery. In the morning we will travel inside the National Park to reach a bridge that traverses the Babai River……this is possibly the best place to view both critically endangered Gharial AND Mugger crocodiles (sometimes together) sunning themselves on sandbanks. The river is dammed and huge shoals of the endangered game fish, the Golden Mahseer, also gather there. Mid-morning we will take local tea and refreshments with a typical Tharu family. In the afternoon we will travel outside of the Park into ‘community forests’ to visit the village of Pattharboji, described by our chief guide, Rajan, “as possibly the most unique and isolated Tharu village in the area.” Surrounded by abundant wildlife that thrive in the buffer zones of the Park…..in this village we will be able to witness and photograph century old skills of basket making and construction of storage vats made entirely from straw and clay. A donation to this village is included in the cost of the trip. Finally, we will visit Rajan’s tree house built deep inside a community forest and take a late afternoon walk where there will be a good chance of spotting/photographing resident Greater one-horned rhinos.

Day Thirteen:

Breakfast at our lodge and lunch taken at a local eatery. The whole day will be spent in and around the Tharu village of Bantarya……this is where our chief guide, Rajan, was born and still lives. We will visit his home to meet his elderly parents (his Mum is 97 years old). Then visit a local water course where bee-eaters nest on the adjoining banks and local ladies fish with circular nets……pyramid shaped baskets perched precariously on their heads. In the afternoon we will join local people who have survived Leopard and Tiger attacks in the community forests. Despite suffering appalling injuries they still play an active role in local committees set up to protect the wildlife and to inform on poachers.

Day Fourteen:

Guests on the Bardia trip OPTION TWO will depart overnight on an air conditioned bus and arrive in Kathmandu the next morning to stay in their comfortable guesthouse.

Guests on OPTION ONE, will enjoy a full days walk in Bardia National Park.

Day Fifteen:

For guests on OPTION TWO the tour is now over and after breakfast they will be free to fly home.

For guests who are on OPTION ONE (FT) you will spend a whole day relaxing at your lodge in preparation for your next leg of the tour…….Chitwan National Park.

Day Sixteen:

Guests will depart by bus on a spectacular twelve hour overnight drive to Chitwan National Park arriving the next morning to stay in your comfortable lodge, in Sauraha, close to the Park entrance.

Day Seventeen:

In the morning you will arrive at your comfortable lodge in the town of Sauraha by the entrance to Chitwan National Park. In the afternoon you will join up with our local guides and support staff who will discuss with you our visits to the Park that start in the morning of the next day. A sun-downer will be taken on the shores of the Rapti River and you will be dined at a local eatery.

DAY Twenty:

After breakfast we will cross the Rapti River by canoe and enjoy a half-day walk through the Park crossing wetlands, grasslands and Riverine forest until we reach the Padampure area. Wildlife that may be spotted includes: Greater one-horned rhinoceros, Sloth bear, Gaur and all the major species of deer. The birdlife that may be spotted includes: Peacock, Babblers, Black francolin, Oriental dollarbird, Indian roller, Paradise flycatcher, Lesser golden backed woodpecker, Osprey, Crested serpent eagle and Changeable hawk-eagle. After taking lunch at a local eatery we will embark on a half-day jeep safari to the Kasara region passing through wetlands, Riverine and Sal forests and grasslands offering excellent chances of seeing the Greater one-horned rhinoceros as well as all the Park’s ungulate species including Gaur (Indian bison), Wild pig and Sloth bear. Included in this drive will be a brief visit to the ‘Crocodile Breeding Center’ where critically endangered Gharials and other endangered turtle and vulture species are bred for a return to the wild.

Day Twenty One:

After breakfast we will travel by minibus to the start of the Khorshor community forest run by local committees and after a long day’s walking will end up overnighting at the village of Pathani. Along the way-walking through mainly Sal and Riverine forest-there will be excellent chances of seeing Greater one-horned rhinos wallowing in many of the waterholes that we pass. There will also be a fair chance of spotting Elephants, Sloth bear and all of the ungulate species. Birds that we are likely to see include: Jacanas, Moorhen, Owlet and other raptors, Great hornbill and many species of Parakeets, Kingfishers and Bee-eaters. Our lodge is situated on the banks of the Rapti River where at sunset local mahouts wash their elephants and local ladies fish and collect wild grass-all of which make for excellent photographic opportunities.

Day Twenty Two:

After having breakfast at our lodge we will embark on another long days walk through wetlands, Sal and Riverine forests to visit the lakes of Lami Tal, Kamal Tal and Tamal Tal. All three lakes offer excellent chances of seeing rhinos and are some of the best known spots to perhaps see the Royal Bengal tiger. Other wildlife in this area include Gaur (Indian bison), Sloth bear, Hyena, Monkeys, Wild pig, Mugger crocodile, Pythons and all the major Deer species. There will also be a extended detour back to the ‘Crocodile Breeding Centre’ offering superb opportunities to photograph Gharials and endangered turtles living in a semi-wild environment. Our walk will end when we cross the Rewa River to reach the hamlet of Pandave Nagar where we will stay for two nights in a local Tharu homestay powered only by solar electricity. This village, part of the Madi municipality, is surrounded by the National Park on all sides and has the unenviable record of having the worst record of wildlife predation of livestock and crops in the area. Fifteen villagers have also lost their lives through elephant attacks in the last three years. The village now has collectively decided to discontinue growing crops due to continuing losses and is trying to establish itself as an alternative tourist hub…….and we will be one of the first tourist groups to support this effort. We will also contribute to a foundation being set up by our chief guides, Prakash and Rajan, to help with the education and vocational training in the village. A glorious and tasty dinner will be served at our homestay comprising of furn (jungle spinach) and locally grown soya bean seed salad washed down with alcoholic raksi made from rice.

Day Twenty Three:

We will leave our homestay before first light. The area of the Park around our village offers an outstanding chance of spotting the Royal Bengal tiger either marking out and patrolling his territory or quenching their thirst at a river or waterhole. Fresh pug marks are seen on a daily basis along the natural pathways of the Hill and Sal forests of the region as well as its wetlands and grasslands. We will start our day walking to the Bhalwoli vantage point overlooking the Rio River hoping for a sighting of this mystical felid. Mid-morning will be spent visiting the old and world famous ‘Tiger Tops’ camp which remained in the Park until 2012 until all the lodges INSIDE the protected area were closed by the government. The camp-now overgrown by jungle and virtually derelict- will cast an eerie and nostalgic spell on you. Our packed lunch will be taken by a local lake. The afternoon will be spent retracing our steps and revisiting known tiger haunts: our guides sometimes posted high up in trees to maximize our chances of a spotting. This area is also sometimes visited by Wild dog (dhole) and Hyenas.

Day Twenty Four:

The whole morning you will be guided through the village where we are staying: meeting local people from the Tharu, Bot and Fisherman tribal groupings and photographing their fascinating local life, dwellings and activities. After a late lunch we will say goodbye to our hosts at our homestay (the Chaudhary family) and take a minibus back to our lodge in Sauraha. You will be served dinner at a local eatery after a sundowner overlooking the Rapti River.

Day Twenty Five:

After breakfast we will drive back to Kathmandu (arriving around lunchtime) where you will stay overnight at the famous Kathmandu Guest House.

Day Twenty Six:

After breakfast your tour will end and you are free to fly home. If you would like to extend your stay to take in a guided tour of the sights of Kathmandu then this can be arranged by us at an additional cost.

OUR TEAM

PHOTOGRAPHIC EQUIPMENT

This trip is a combination of wildlife, landscapes and people photography. For the wildlife on this trip a 400, 500mm or 600mm lens will be useful for birds, mammal close-ups etc. A tripod OR better still a beanbag or soft cushion is a must. (If your budget does not run to prime lenses, a high quality 100-400mm or similar zoom can be a great alternative.) Alternatively, you can get wonderful results with a high quality digital compact camera with a 20x or higher optical zoom. For portraits and landscapes a 24-105mm or lens would be ideal.

Clive Grylls is the coordinator of this tour and your photographic tutor. He will also be a paying guest on this tour. If you have any questions about this tour click on CONTACT……or I can also be reached on: www.facebook.com/clivegryllsphotography

WHAT’S INCLUDED:

• Services of Clive Grylls as your photographic tutor and advisor.
  
• All accommodation whether it is in hotels, lodges, homestays or campsites.
  
• Full board (Breakfast, lunch and dinner) daily.
  
• All land transfers to start and end points from airports.
• All transportation whether it be in minibuses, tourist buses, jeeps or taxis.
  
• Guides, company reps and porters for the duration of the tour.
  
• Bottled water.
  
• All entrance fees, permits and fees for visiting National Parks or community run areas or projects.
  

WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED:

• International flights.
  
• Beverages and alcoholic drinks.
  
• Travel insurance
  
• Laundry, telephone calls, wifi and other items of a personal nature.
  
• Shopping.
  
• Pre and post trip accommodation outside of the tour dates.
  
• Optional gratuities to staff.
  

ACCOMMODATION:

There is no additional charge for SINGLE OCCUPANCY (in other words all guests single or couples will have their own double rooms). In Kathmandu and Pokhara you will be staying in very comfortable air-conditioned and graded hotels. At Bardia and Chitwan National Parks you will also be accommodated in air-conditioned lodges with private attached bathrooms. Mosquito nets are provided. On overnight stays in Tharu or ethnic villages the accommodation will be more basic but all rooms will have private bathrooms, a fan and mosquito nets. For overnight camping trips all necessary equipment will be provided allowing you a comfortable stay out in the wilds…….but do NOT expect any luxury.

MEALS:

The tour(s) are full board: breakfast, lunch and dinner is inclusive in the price of your tour and will consist of non-vegetarian and vegetarian options. If you are Vegan please inform us. When you are on a full day of activities a packed lunch will be provided, again with both options. Dinner will be taken at the hotel/lodge/homestay/campsite unless otherwise stated. Bottled purified water will be provided free at all of the hotels and lodges and will be transported by our guides on all of your activities. Alcoholic beverages and soft drinks (apart from being supplied as part of a packed lunch)….. WILL NOT be supplied free.

ALTITUDE/WEATHER/CLOTHING:

Both Bardia and Chitwan National Parks are in the tropical Terai region of Nepal with a maximum altitude of less than 300 meters. The days and nights can be very warm and humid. Sunscreen and a good hat are essential so are light cotton clothing-preferably in shades of green or grey when you are visiting the Park.

INSURANCE:

All guests MUST HAVE, and arrive with, comprehensive travel insurance before you embark on the tour(s). This policy must include the cost of covering your medical expenses-including emergency repatriation- all activities taken on the tour, your personal liability, cancellation, curtailment and loss of luggage and personal effects. Our staff will need to see evidence of your travel insurance policy (with an emergency contact number) before you start your trip.

SAFETY AND RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL :

Nepal is a safe and friendly place: however we recommend that you check your individual countries latest travel information and advice before you travel there. Your travel insurance MUST cover you for all areas of your tour itinerary and activities.

The tour(s) are as much about connecting with local people as viewing wildlife. It is important to remember that what may be acceptable behavior, dress code and language in your own country, may not be appropriate in Nepal. You should be considerate of Nepal’s customs, traditions, religion and culture. It is better you dress modestly and respectfully especially when entering places of worship. English is widely spoken in the major towns but not necessarily elsewhere- especially among rural communities. Learning a few words of Nepali, particularly greetings, can make a huge difference. Buy locally made products which support local artisans and help keep traditional crafts alive.