Picture this. You’re deep in the wilderness of Nepal surrounded by tall grass, the punishing South Asian sun beating down on you. Sweat drips from your brow as you maneuver a narrow, overgrown trail through the deep brush. A leech surreptitiously latches on as your ankle grazes the prickly blades of grass. Another one sneaks onto the other ankle as you wade across a muddy creek. Your ears perk up as a spotted deer yelps out an alarm, signaling that a predator is near. And instead of running away, you run towards it, hoping to catch sight of one of nature’s most magnificent creations. Too late, it’s gone.

Rinse and repeat for 12 hours a day, likely leaving empty-handed at the end of it all. Well, aside from the mud that’s caked itself all over you and the stubborn leeches that have somehow gone unnoticed for the entire day. Sound miserable? It was. And I would do it over and over again. Tracking wild tigers in Bardiya National Park is one of the most uniquely unforgettable travel experiences I’ve ever had.

When most people think of Nepal, they think of the towering peaks of the Himalayas, and rightfully so. This landlocked country is home to the world’s most breathtaking peaks, but Nepal is much more than that. Along with its natural beauty, Nepal is home to rich cultures, colorful traditions, countless historical monuments, and to many travelers’ surprise, an array of wildlife-spotting opportunities. There is no better place to experience this than the remote, untouched Bardiya National Park.

As a full-time traveler for the last decade, it has become increasingly rare to stumble into a place that leaves me utterly speechless. Bardiya is one of those rare places, instilling fear, excitement, enthusiasm, desperation, and countless other emotions that will light a spark under even the most experienced of travelers. If you are seeking out a destination that is truly unique, pristine, and unforgettable, let me introduce you to Bardiya National Park.

Read on for everything you need to know about planning a trip to Bardiya, from the marathon bus journey to get there, to one of the best homestays I’ve ever stayed at. Am I forgetting something? Oh, yeah — everything you’ll need to know about tracking tigers on a one-of-a-kind safari experience. Here is my complete guide to visiting Nepal’s Bardiya National Park.

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Table of Contents

• Is Bardiya National Park Worth Visiting?
• Chitwan vs. Bardiya: Which is Better?
• How To Get To Bardiya National Park
• Where To Stay in Bardiya
• Best Time To Visit Bardiya National Park
• Best Things To Do in Bardiya National Park
  • Walking Safari (Bushwalk)
  • Jeep Safari
  • Dalla Community Corridor
• Final Thoughts on Bardiya
• Buy Me A Beer!

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Is Bardiya National Park Worth Visiting?

To be blunt, Bardiya National Park is far from your average safari. It is a massive test of patience and discipline. Before going, one must be fully prepared for heartbreak and disappointment. This can be a tough pill to swallow because Bardiya is not an easy destination to reach. It’s no wonder that very few travelers make their way to this corner of Nepal. However, that challenge and risk can be a huge part of Bardiya’s beauty and charm. I can honestly say my time in Bardiya flipped my entire perspective on safaris and wildlife spotting.

Aside from a bushwalk that I did in Botswana’s Okavango Delta, and a solo bicycle safari in Kenya’s Hell’s Gate National Park, I have never had as intimate a wildlife experience as I did in Bardiya. In both of those prior experiences, I spent half a day in the park. In Bardiya, I spent six days, three of which were 12-hour days starting at sunrise and wrapping up at sunset. It was intense. There would be frequent, but short, bursts of racing through the bush to try to get ahead of a tiger’s movements. It was pure exhilaration, never knowing what lurked in the tall grass, and the excitement at what one might see.

At the same time, it was incredibly peaceful, and some might even find it mind-numbingly boring. There was a lot of quietly waiting in anticipation, often for long stretches of time. For every 10 minutes of hiking or racing through the tall grass, there would be an hour or more of sitting by the river and hoping for any sign of movement. Most of the time, there wouldn’t be.

Like I said, temper your expectations because nothing is guaranteed here in Bardiya. To see wildlife in their actual wild environments, you must be prepared for wild animals to act like wild animals. Usually, that means avoiding humans and sleeping all day.

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Chitwan vs. Bardiya: Which National Park To Visit?

We didn’t actually visit Chitwan, so I can’t speak for the safari experience there. However, we did plenty of research while weighing the two options. Honestly, I wouldn’t say we “chose” Bardiya as much as I’d say we avoided Chitwan. We were a bit put off by the prevalence of elephant-riding safaris in Chitwan, which we couldn’t justify no matter how many times an agency insisted that it was ethical. That, plus the much more commercialized atmosphere surrounding Chitwan pushed us towards Bardiya, despite the longer journey and the uncertainty of what we would actually see.

Bardiya is much less commercialized but still has solid infrastructure for travelers. There are accommodation options catering to different budgets and travel styles. Your accommodation will be your one-stop shop. It is where you eat, sleep, and book your tours. As far as I know, there aren’t any independent agencies in town and hardly any restaurants to eat at outside of the hotels. When we went, there were very few visitors. It was my first safari experience where we could go an entire day without seeing other safari-goers. Prior to visiting Bardiya, I had no idea safaris could be such an intimate affair. When we did run into other safari-goers, it felt like they were much more intentional about the experience. One doesn’t really end up in Bardiya on a whim, so everyone we met was respectful, responsible, and generally, just a cool person with a cool story to tell.

On top of the national park itself, I loved the village that we stayed in. Thakudwara started feeling like a second home after our week there. There was nothing touristic about the place, and it was so refreshing after a week in Pokhara to be able to walk down a street without being hounded by travel agencies and street vendors. It was a completely different side to Nepal, showing that there was much more to this country than just its mountain vistas.

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How To Get To Bardiya National Park

A major reason why Bardiya remains off the typical tourist trail is the difficulty of reaching it. The closest airport is in Nepalgunj, about three hours away. This trip was planned very last-minute, a spontaneous decision as we mulled around Pokhara plotting our next step. Because of this, flights were getting quite expensive, and we would have needed to take a bus from Nepalgunj to Bardiya, regardless.

Although lengthy, we decided to keep things simple and take a bus. Our fellow budget travelers will have to face a daunting 15-hour bus journey from Pokhara or close to 20 hours from Kathmandu. We used the Prithvi Rajmarga bus company, departing from Prithvi Chowk. Here is the location on Google Maps of the bus departure point. Since Prithvi Chowk can be pretty chaotic, we opted to buy tickets the day before from the Prithvi Rajmarga counter at the Pokhara Tourist Bus Park, which is much closer to the Pokhara Lakeside neighborhood where most travelers stay. We paid 2600 rupees per ticket for the air-conditioned bus and were able to select our seats. Our bus departed from Pokhara at 2 PM and arrived in Ambassa at 5 AM.

Don’t worry, the bus makes a few stops for food and bathrooms along the way. The roadside restaurants vary greatly in hygiene and quality, so eat at your own risk. If a place seemed a bit questionable, I’d buy a few snacks and subsist on stale chips and bland cookies for a few hours. Overall, the bus ride was comfortable enough, but don’t expect sleeper bus seats or “tourist bus” standards. Definitely bring an eye mask and earplugs as you are likely to encounter a relentless combination of ungodly bright lighting, loud music, midnight movie showings, and the symphony of brainrot blasted from your fellow bus-riders’ phones. Headphones don’t really seem to be a thing in Nepal.

After surviving the journey, you will get off at an intersection of the highway called Ambassa. Make sure to let your driver know that you plan to get off here. Our accommodation arranged for transport to pick us up, so arriving in the middle of the night was not a problem. Make sure to have transportation sorted to pick you up at the bus stop because Bardiya is still a 20-30 minute drive from Ambassa. There might be a tuk tuk or two hanging around, but just to be safe, ask your accommodation to send you a driver. It only cost 500 rupees.

The accommodation options are spread out all over the region. With the early morning highway dropoff, Thakudwara is definitely a place you want to pre-book your accommodation rather than showing up and winging it.

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Where To Stay in Bardiya National Park

While Bardiya has no shortage of places to stay, ranging from local guesthouses to nicer resorts, I am not going to beat around the bush. If you are coming to Bardiya, you better choose Nanu’s Homestay. It is a humble guesthouse with only three rooms, tucked away in a tranquil setting surrounded by farmland. The homestay is managed entirely by Nanu and his wife Kali, who is also training to be a forest guide — almost unheard of for women coming from rural and traditional backgrounds. Their two chatty sons are also guaranteed to keep you entertained during your downtime.

Nanu’s is a great budget-friendly option. Our private room with an ensuite bathroom was only 500 rupees, or about $3.50 per night. Best bang for your buck that you’ll find anywhere in the world. Like the teahouses up in the mountains, guests are typically expected to eat most meals at the homestay as well. Thankfully, Kali is an excellent cook, and the food is delicious. Most nights you’ll have dhal bhat for dinner, and for breakfast they offer omelettes and pancakes. If you were simply staying at Nanu’s without going on any safaris, you could easily spend under 1000 rupees per day on accommodation and food, but that’s not why you made the trek all the way to Bardiya.

On top of running his homestay, Nanu is an extremely knowledgeable and passionate safari guide. He has been guiding for over 15 years and his experience shows. The safety and enjoyment of his guests is a priority, but he is also deeply dedicated to doing things responsibly and ethically. Not that I didn’t already admire Nanu greatly, but I gained a lot of respect when he showed that he is not afraid to confront clients, guides, and other safari-goers if he feels like a line is being crossed. Nanu will also happily customize the safaris depending on your preferences. While we came for the big mammals, others do come for bird-watching or even spotting rare plants. Just tell Nanu what you want to see, and he will do his best to accommodate.

When you’re not on safari with Nanu or enjoying Kali’s cooking, you’ll have the chance to get to know the rest of the family. Their youngest son even took us on bicycles to look for leopards in the forest one evening. It is truly a family affair at Nanu’s, and I can guarantee that you’ll fall in love with the family. They were beyond welcoming and their hospitality was definitely a huge part of what made our time in Bardiya unforgettable.

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Best Time To Visit Bardiya National Park

So, when should you plan on visiting Bardiya National Park? Choosing which time of year to visit Bardiya can make or break your tiger tracking experience. It is possible to see tigers year-round, but various factors impact the likelihood.

Since we were visiting in the winter, the cooler temperatures meant that the animals were less likely to hang out at watering holes. The tall grass of the national park also made it significantly harder to spot animals. For all we know, there could have been rhinos and tigers mere meters away from us, but obscured from view by the thick brush. It was a scary thought, and Nanu had once come face-to-face with a tiger when they stumbled into each other in the tall grass. Luckily, the tiger backed away and Nanu and his clients walked away safely, although a little rattled.

The best time to spot tigers in Bardiya National Park would be in the hotter months of spring, between March and May. During the spring, the tall grasses die down and are sometimes burned back, resulting in much better visibility. In addition, the hot temperatures — up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit during the day — mean that animals are inclined to spend time at watering holes bathing and cooling down. This makes it easier for guides to know where to look and to share sightings with each other. However, if you go during the spring, be aware that you’ll be subjected to the hot temperatures, too. With safaris often lasting 10 or more hours, this could be brutal, and unlike the animals, we won’t have any watering holes to safely dive into.

The only time of year to absolutely avoid visiting Bardiya is monsoon season, from June to September. During this period, constant downpours cause flooding and mud which can be dangerous and make trails inaccessible. The animals don’t love the heavy rains either, so wildlife sightings are rare. Nanu told us that when guests try to book during monsoon season he even advises them not to come altogether. That’s another thing I really respected about Nanu. Money was always secondary to transparency, and he always put the guests’ experience above making an extra buck here or there.

Best Things To Do in Bardiya National Park

Now, without further ado. You’re here for one thing, and that is to track tigers. Let’s dive into it. The tiger tracking experience in Bardiya can be split up into the different safari options.

Walking Safari in Bardiya

The first option is a walking safari, which is exactly what it sounds like. Yep. You will literally be tracking one of the world’s fiercest apex predators on foot. A bushwalk in Bardia is a surreal experience, and perhaps my favorite type of safari I have been on. On a walking safari, you spend all day looking for wildlife on foot. To maximize our chances and time in the national park, we were there from the moment the gates opened to the moment they closed. Nanu really had us going at it from 7 AM to 6 PM. At the price point of 4,500 rupees, including lunch, national park entrance, and the entire day with two guides, I’d say it was unbeatable value.

The walking safari requires a lot of patience. You’ll spend most of your time waiting at potential wildlife viewing spots, sometimes for hours at a time. When we were there in November, the mornings and evenings were chilly, but as soon as the sun came out, it warmed up significantly. During a walking safari, you are simply a measly human taking on the elements. Expect to contend with hot and cold weather, slippery river crossings, endless fields of sharp tall grass, an extensive variety of bugs, and worst of all, leeches. Wear long pants and a long-sleeved shirt, and bring a pair of flip flops or sandals if you’re not keen on barefoot river crossings.

Long days, leeches, and a good chance you might not even see any large animals — why were these walking safaris some of my all-time favorites? Simply put, there’s something special about being out in rugged nature with very few other people around and nothing between you and some of the most awe-inspiring animals in the world. After a few hours of silently following Nanu — no talking as not to scare off the animals — my senses would lock in. My ears were more attuned to jungle noises than I knew was possible, and my eyes were spotting deer in deep shadows which I never would have noticed outside of safari mode. Even on days where we didn’t spot any big animals, the opportunity to disconnect from the outside world and tune into nature was incredibly refreshing.

Big animal sightings are far from guaranteed on a Bardiya walking safari, but there are also no swarms of jeeps or people crowding and chasing animals like on many other safaris I’ve done. When you do get lucky with wildlife sightings at Bardiya, it’s absolutely magical.

Jeep Safari in Bardiya

While walking safaris were my favorite way to experience Bardiya, hopping on a jeep is also a good option. Although more expensive than a walking safari — ours was 8,000 rupees per person — it helps you cover much more ground and see other parts of the vast national park. While our walking safaris limited us to the grasslands and rivers, the jeeps will take you mostly through the dense forests of Bardiya. Similar to the walking safaris, we frequently stopped at watering holes to seek out the wildlife. Some of these were no more than large puddles, but a fair few of them were quite scenic. The natural beauty was a good consolation prize to a mostly uneventful jeep safari.

We saw deer and wild boar, a set of tiger tracks, and missed a tiger by mere seconds. Upon hearing the alarm calls of spotted deer, we waited by a river crossing near the highway. A few minutes later, a local bus drove by and informed us that the tiger we were looking for had just crossed in front of them seconds past. Brutal. That’s the reality of Bardiya. One needs to be at the right place at the right time, and no matter how hard you try, a large part of it comes down entirely to luck.

As Nanu emphasized before we booked the jeep safari, the fact that we cover more ground and pay more money does not increase our chances of seeing wildlife. We still decided to give it a go as it would give our legs a break and give us the opportunity to see a different side of the park. It was another full day out in the park, so for about $60, again including lunch and the entrance fees, it is still one of the best-value safaris you’ll find anywhere in the world. If you’re planning several safari days in Bardiya, I’d recommend trying a Jeep safari at least once.

Dalla Corridor in the Khata Village Community Forest

Outside of the main Bardiya National Park area, there are a few wildlife corridors that can be visited. These have a separate entrance fee to Bardiya National Park. I don’t know how it really works, but Nanu suggested that we come here on one of our rest days since it’s more of a late-afternoon activity. We paid 2000 rupees per person for this 3-4 hour safari, which mostly involved hiding in a tree and waiting for animals to come out to the long stretch of river.

We came to the Dalla Community Corridor three times, twice in the evening and once for sunrise. The first evening, we left empty-handed, but we really enjoyed the scenery and the relatively low commitment and effort that it required. The price was more affordable, the timing gave us most of the day to do other things, and was less physically taxing than a full-day safari. We decided to come back a second time, and that is when we saw a rhinoceros. It was the first large mammal that we had seen our entire time in Bardiya, and it felt like a great consolation prize for all our efforts.

However, Nanu had other plans. Our bus to Kathmandu was already booked for the following afternoon, but that still left us with a free morning. Nanu suggested that we head back to the corridor the next morning. Despite how much we would have liked to have a slow morning before hopping on a 20-hour bus, the rhinoceros gave us the little bit of hope we needed to try once more. What an excellent decision that proved to be.

Heck, a leopard crossed our paths not even two minutes after we left Nanu’s house that morning. When it rains, it pours, right? We arrived to the corridor and nestled into the trees where we would wait for the next three hours. Once more, it seemed like our efforts were in vain. Our guides descended from the trees, started unpacking breakfast, and made the preparations to go home. Stubbornly, we decided to stay in the tree to eat our banana pancakes up there and milk every last second we had in Bardiya. Those few extra minutes we stayed up there ended up being all the difference. It was a real-life buzzer-beater.

Not one, not two, but three tiger cubs came frolicking out of the tall grass to drink water and play along the river. I have no words to describe what was going through my mind at that moment, but every single one of us, guides included, were a little teary-eyed at this moment. We silently sat in the trees in awe, admiring the magnificence of these creatures for about five minutes before they disappeared into the wilderness once more.

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Closing Thoughts on Bardiya National Park

This was truly a special, special experience, and one of the most memorable I’ve had throughout all of my travels. I did not know what to expect when I came to Bardiya, but this remote little region of the world just filled my heart and soul and spirit with countless emotions, the vast majority of them fantastic. Those long safari days spent immersed in nature, there’s nothing quite like it. Even if we left without seeing tigers, leopards, rhinos, or elephants, I’m certain that I would still look back very fondly on our time here. For something truly unique and off-the-beaten-path, a visit to Bardiya National Park deserves to be on your Nepal travel itinerary.

Buy Me A Beer!

If this post helped you out, show some love and support for the blog and help keep my adventures going by buying me a beer! My adventures are entirely self-funded, so any show of support is greatly appreciated, and allows me to keep writing helpful travel guides and creating travel content to help you all travel the world on a budget.