Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve Safari

Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve 

Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve is amazingly distinct for the vast Koshi River and nature walks for bird watching. Established in 1993 as the first luxury camp in the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve, it was mainly for the bird watching the activity. Nature walks on feet is greatly fascinating to watch the flock of birds like Swamp Francolin, Black-necked Stork, etc. The other best birds in Koshi Tappu are Lesser Kestrel, Lesser Adjutant, Black-bellied Tern, Cotton Pigmy Goose, Baer's Pochard, , Yellow-wattled Lapwing, Greater Painted Snipe, Ruddy Crake Bailon's Crake, Indian Courser, Spot-billed Duck, Falcated Duck, Comb Duck, Imperial Eagle, White-tailed Eagle, Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Striated Grassbird, Bristle Grassbird, etc. Also, the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve is the home for the lush vegetation that mainly includes the Khair-sissoo forest, deciduous mixed riverine forest, tall Khar-pater grasslands, etc.

The Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve is popular for the bird watching; so the best time to visit is usually during October and March. During this period, the birds are migrating, so we can observe the local birds usually near the barrage and river channels. Also, we can see the wild water buffalo (Arna), spotted deer, wild bear, blue bull, Gharial crocodile, herons, storks, ducks, egrets, Gangetic dolphin, etc This Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve is the survival home for the wild water buffalo (Arna). The Sapta-Koshi river changes its course time to time according to the change in season. This river includes about 80 different species of fish including endangered Gangetic dolphins and Gharial crocodiles. A great part of Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve is still unexplored and hence to be kept undisturbed. There is the mystery of what kind of birds and animals are preserved as it’s inaccessible.

The Koshi Tappu includes the wetlands, riverine forest, and grasslands. Till this date, the Ramsar Site (a wetland of international significance) is the only one, present in Nepal. Hence, the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve is included in the list of World Heritage Site in 1984 by UNESCO. For its preservation and to maintain its originality, only a small part of its area is allotted for tourism purpose. Step On Himalaya has been organizing the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve trip. The accessibility is via air, land, and river. 1^st option is via a 45-minutes flight from Kathmandu to Biratnagar followed by one and half hours’ drive to the camp. By road, it will take about 10 hours from Kathmandu to Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve. Rafting is another fascinating way to reach the terminus.