Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve (175 km2) lies on the flood plains of the Koshi
River. The rectangular - shaped Reserve is contained within the east and west
embankments of the Koshi Barrage. Therefore, the entire Reserve is subjected to
seasonal flooding during monsoon. This Reserve was gazette in 1976, and
established mainly to preserve the habitats for the last remnant population of
wild water buffalo in Nepal. In addition, there are larger ungulates such as
Gaur, Nnilgai, Hog deer and Wild pig, and medium sized predators such as
Fishing
cat, Jungle cat, and civets. The Koshi River also supports sparse populations of
endangered species such as the Gangetic Dolphin and
Gharial.
The Koshi Barrage at the
border of the east Nepal and India, was completed by the
Koshi Project, a Government of India undertaking, in 1964 to contain the monsoon
floods as they had become more devastating, and to irrigate farmlands, creating
abundant marsh and littoral habitat making it Nepal's most important wetland. At
75m elevation, the Koshi Barrage is one of the lowest area in Nepal with 14
species of birds found nowhere else in Nepal have been recorded. Because of its
great wetland importance, the Government of Nepal acceded to Ramsar Convention
in 1987, and thus Koshi Tappu has been included in the list of Wetlands in
International Importance.
Because of open access to the Koshi Barrage area from India, Koshi Tappu
Wildlife Reserve is equally threatened with wildlife-related damages. Also,
herders from both India and Nepal have set their bases for cross-breeding their
domestic herds with the wild buffalo for vigor and for fodder. Today, feral
cattle in the Reserve outnumber wild buffaloes.Both feral and wild buffaloes
raid crops by wandering as far as 10 km from the reserve boundary into
farmlands. The high incidence of crop raiding, and ensuring conflict, is a
cumulative action of over 100 wild buffaloes, some 500 feral water buffaloes,
and over 7,000 cattle.
Access:
To reach Bardia, take the daily air flight or public day or night bus from
Kathmandu to Nepalgunj , from where it is five hour drive by jeep to the camp
area. This nature sanctuary is best visit from October to April however it is
hot during the months from April - August.
What to see:
Vegetation: The Park contains 70% of
shore Robusta and the remaining 30% is
covered with the balance mixture of grasslands and reverie woods.
Animals: The wild Boar, Hog Deer, Blue Bull, Porcupine, sloth bear, wild dog,
Mongoose, civets, jungle cats, Rhesus Monkey, Barking Deer, Sambar Deer Otter,
Jackal, Hyena, Common Leopard. Fishing cat, Langur Monkey etc. are commonly
seen.
Birds: The Woodpecker (10 species), Heron (5 species), Bulbul (5 species), Dove
(5 species), Egret (4 species), Parakeets, King fisher, Bee Eater, Barbet,
Pigeion, Stork, Sunbird, Babbler, Warble, flycatcher and Bar-headed Goose are
seen in this park.
When to visit:
The best seasons to visit the park are fall (October - November) and spring (mid
February - April).
How to travel:
There is a daily domestic flight to Nepalgunj from Kathmandu Airport. This
national Park can be reached by surface route only. So after reaching Nepalgunj,
Public bus services wait us to the far west Terai.
Duration : 2 Nights 3 Days
Safari Package Includes :
Accommodation in lodge or tented camp, all sightseeing and outings (as per
specific itinerary provided for different packages), park entrance fees and all
meals for the duration of the package tour.
