Bardia National Park

Bound by the Karnali River and the Churia range of the Siwalik Hills in south-western Nepal, parts of the 374-sq-mile (968-sq-km) Bardia National Park were originally a royal hunting reserve. Today it’s the largest and most undisturbed protected area in the Terai.

Watered by the Babai River, its combination of magnificent sal forests and extensive grasslands makes it an ideal habitat for a variety of fauna, around 53 species of mammals and over 400 birds.

Bardia’s stars include the endangered Royal Bengal tiger and the vulnerable one-horned rhinoceros but there are plenty more elephants, black buck, swamp deer, and two species of crocodile. With patience and luck, visitors might also glimpse the rare Gangetic dolphin in the Karnali.