Rara National Park

Rara National Park:

The small but exotic Rara National Park lies in the far western region and offers a representative sample of the region's of the flora and fauna. Sprawled over Mugu and Jumla district, the heart of the park is the country's biggest lake, Lake Rara , from where the park got it's name. The lake is as deep as 167 meters at some places, and drains into the river Murara-national gu karnali via Nijar Khola. The park is mainly covered with coniferous forest while the area around the lake is dominated by blue pine, rhododendrone, juniper, spruce, oak and cypress are found at around 3,000 meters while at higher altitude pine, spruce and fir are more common. The rich vegetation of the park is home to the endangered red panda, musk, deer, Himalayan black bear, leopard, jackal, Himalayan tahr, wild yellow-throated martin, wild dog, wild boar, common langur, rhesus macaque and common otter, during winter the park is enlivened with diffrent species of birds like coots, great-crested grebe, black-necked grebe,Himalayan Snowcock, Chukar Partridge, Himalayan Monal, Kalij Pheasant ,Blood Pheasant, red crested pochard, mallard, common teal, merganser and gulls, migrant water fowls and gallinaceous birds can also be seen during certain seasons.

In 1979, three endemic snowtrout species were collected in Lake Rara and described as new species: the Nepalese snowtrout Schizothorax nepalensis, the Rara snowtrout Schizothorax raraensis and Schizothorax macrophthalmus. Also in 1979, the frog species Paa rarica has been first recorded as endemic to the lake.

Rara is not generally a tourist destination, as there are little to no accommodations within the park, no health post and it is difficult to get to.Visitors must fly from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj, followed by a flight to Jumla or Kolti. From there, a three-day trek will bring them to the park office. Alternatively, visitors can travel from Nepalgunj to Surkhet, where it is a ten-day trek to the park. The lake has not received over 200 tourists in any year. Experienced trekkers can visit the national park via any of these routes, and Rara National Park is an interesting destination for many interested in seeing various flora, fauna, and scenery unique to the area.There are no settlements within the boundaries of Rara National Park, as the two villages once inside the area, Rara and Chhapru, were resettled in the Banke District when the protected area was established. Agriculture is the basis for the local economy in the surrounding areas, which has led to pollution inside the park. Sediment from the surrounding hills as well as sewage and solid waste threaten the park.The best time to visit the park is autumn, spring and summer. the best way to reach rara National park is from jumla.

Langtang National Park

Langtang National Park
Langtang National park is situated in the Central Himalayan region in Rasuwa district and is the fourth national park in Nepal and was established in 1976 as the first Himalayan National Park.The highlights of this park are the langtang range in the north and several lakes in the south. High altitude jungles with diverse vegetation and wildlife, scenic lakes,langtang-national glaciers, and Himalayan peaks combine to make Langtang an attractive destination for visitors.                                                                                                 
 

Twenty five percent of the park's total area is covered by forest, starting at sub-tropical forests below 1,000 meters giving way to alpine scrubs and grasslands toward higher altitude. Animals seen here are wild dog, red panda, pika, muntjac, musk deer, Himalayan black bear, Himalayan Tahr, ghoral, serow, rhesus monkey, common langur, snow leopard among others. Common birds seen here are tragopan, impeyan, and pheasants (kalij). The Langtang Valley is also renowned its holy Lake Gosaikunda. Thousands of Hindu        pilgrims visit the lake area every year, especially during the janai  
  Purnima festival every August. The easiest way to reach Langtang National Park via Dhunche in Rassuwa district, which is a six to seven hours drive away from the capital. From Dhunche, it takes about three days of trekking to reach Langtang Valley. The park is also accessible from Sundarijal toward the east of Kathamandu and melamchi Pul, about three-hour drive from Kathmandu.

                  
                          Pheasant                                                                                                       







                                                          Serow



Tragopan

Bardiya National Park:

Bardiya National Park:

The Bardia National Park is Nepal's one of the best protected areas in the Terai.The park is home to the endangered Royal bengal tiger and Asian famous one- horned rhinoceros. The national Park is located Bardia district lying in far-western Nepal and is bordered by river karnali in the west, the Churia ranges in the north and established in 1988.Covering an area of 968km2. The babai river flows bardiya right through the park providing wild species with an excellent habitat.

The varied geographical factors together with the thick cover of sal, savannah forests and grasslands is home to 53 different mammals ,more than 250 species of birds, 839 species of flora, including 173 vascular plants species comprising 140 dicots, 26 monocots, six fern, and one gymnosperm species and several varieties of reptiles and aquatic species.

Some of common animals found in the park are wild elephant ,number of deer spices  ( The six deer species found in the park are: Chital or spotted Deer with its ubiquitous white spots on a brown coat; Hog Deer; similar to but smaller than Chital; Sambhar, the largest Deer on Indian subcontinent with a shaggy coat and thick antlers; Swamp Deer; Barasingha; and reddish-colored Barking Deer, the park's smallest Deer),blackbuck, gharial crocodile and mugger crocodile. The exotic Gangetic Dolphin can be spoted in the karnali river. Birds include endangered varieties of Bengal florican, lesser florican, silver-eared meisa and sarus crane.The best time to visit the park is autumn, winter and early summer when the weather is warm and dry.

Gorkha

Gorkha District  a part of Gandaki Zone, is one of the seventy-five districts of Nepal, a landlocked country of South Asia, and home of legendary Gurkha soilders. The district, with Pokharithok, later known as Prithivi Narayan Nagarpalika as its district headquarters, covers an area of 3 ,610km² and has a population (2001) of 288,134. It is the location of the Manakamana Temple Also, the temples of great sage Gorakh Nath and goddess Gorakh Kali temple is located in district, after which the district got its name. Four major rivers run within and along it, they are Chepe, Daraudi, Marsyangdi and Budhi Gandaki.

About 24km north of Abu Khaireni, Gorkha was the birthplace of Prithvi Narayan Shah,conqueror of the Kathmandu Valley and founder of modern Nepal. It's a major pilgrimage destination, particularly for Newars, who regard the Shah kings (including the current one) as living incarnations of Vishnu. The main attraction here is the Gorkha Durbar, the former palace of the Shahs, which lords over Gorkha from a precarious ridge above the town.



 

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Royal Chitwan National Park

Royal Chitwan National Park was established in 1974 A.D.It is situated about 120 km. south-west of Kathmandu.It occupies an area of 932 sq.km. and is one of the Nepal's largest forest regions with a wide range of wild life.It is the first national park in Nepal is located in the
subtropical Inner Terai lowland of south-central Nepal in
the China. In altitude it ranges from about 100 metres (330 ft) in
the river valleys to 815 metres (2,674 ft) in the Churia Hills
In the north and west of the protected area the Narayani-Rapti
river system forms a natural boundary to human settlements.
Adjacent to the east of Chitwan National Park is Parsa
Wildlife Reserve contiguous in the south is the Indian
Tiger Reserve Valmiki National Park. The coherent protected area of 2,075 km² represents the Tiger Conservation Unit (TCU) Chitwan-Parsa-Valmiki, which covers a 3,549 km² huge block of alluvial grasslands and subtropical moist deciduous forests.

The wide range of vegetation types in the Chitwan National Park is haunt of more than 700 species of wildlife and a not yet fully surveyed number of butterfly, moth and insect species. Apart from King Cobra and Indian rock python, 17 other species of snakes, Indian starred tortoise and monitor lizards occur. The Narayani-Rapti river system, their small tributaries and myriads of oxbow lakes is habitat for 113 recorded species of fish and mugger crocodiles.
In the early 1950s, about 235 gharials occurred in the Narayani River. The population has dramatically declined to only 38 wild gharials in 2003. Every year gharial eggs are collected along the rivers to be hatched in the breeding center of the Gharial Conservation Project, where animals are reared to an age of 6–9 years. Every year young gharials are reintroduced into the Narayani-Rapti river system, of which sadly only very few survive.

Bengal tigress
The Chitwan National Park is home to at least 43 species of mammals. The „King of the Jungle“ is the Bengal Tiger. The alluvial floodplain habitat of the Terai is one of the best tiger habitats anywhere in the world. Since the establishment of Chitwan National Park the initially small population of about 25 individuals has increased to 70–110 in 1980. In some years this population has declined due to poaching and floods. In a long-term study carried out from 1995–2002 tiger researchers identified a relative abundance of 82 breeding tigers and a density of 6 females per 100 km2.


Leopards are most prevalent on the peripheries of the park. They co-exist with tigers, but being socially subordinate are not common in prime tiger habitat. Apart from these top predators fishing cats, jungle cats, clouded leopards, leopard cats, marbled cats, golden jackals, Indian wild dogs, sloth bears, Bengal foxes, Spotted linsangs, palm civets, Large and Small Indian civets, several species of mongoose, binturongs, honey badgers and yellow-throated martens roam the jungle for prey. Striped hyenas are rare and prevail on the southern slopes of the Churia Hills. Smooth-coated otters inhabit the numerous creeks and rivulets.


Rhinoceros: since 1973 the population has recovered well and increased to 544 animals around the turn of the century. To ensure the survival of the endangered species in case of epidemics animals are translocated annually from Chitwan to the Bardia National Park and the Sukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve since 1986. However, the population has repeatedly been jeopardized by poaching: in 2002 alone, poachers have killed 37 animals cruelly in order to saw off and sell their valuable horns.

From time to time wild elephant bulls find their way from Valmiki National Park into the valleys of the park, apparently in search of elephant cows willing to be seduced.

Gaurs spend most of the year in the less accessible Churia Hills in the south of the national park. But when the bush fires ease off in springtime and lush grasses start growing up again, they descend into the grassland and riverine forests to graze and browse. The Chitwan population of the world's largest wild cattle species has increased from 188 to 296 animals in the years 1997 to 2007.

Apart from numerous wild boars also sambar deer, Indian muntjac, hog deer and herds of chital inhabit the park. Four-horned antelopes reside predominantly in the hills.

Furthermore rhesus monkeys, hanuman langurs, Indian pangolins, Indian porcupines, several species of flying squirrels, black-naped hares and endangered hispid hares are present.

Every year dedicated bird watchers and conservationists survey bird species occurring all over the country. In 2006 they recorded 543 species in the Chitwan National Park, much more than in any other protected area in Nepal and about two-thirds of Nepal's globally threatened species. Additionally, 20 black-chinned yuhina, a pair of Gould's sunbird, a pair of blossom-headed parakeet and one slaty-breasted rail, an uncommon winter visitor, were sighted in spring 2008.



White-throated kingfisher
                                                                                                            Male Paradise Flycatcher

Silk cotton tree

Sagarmatha National Park

 Sagarmatha National Park:
Sagarmatha National Park was established in 1976 A.D. It is in Khumbu region towards the north
-east of the country. It occupies a total area of 1148 sq.km. and contains Sagarmatha and other high mountain peaks. It was recognized in 1979 A.D. as one of the major World Heritage.

Sagarmatha is an exceptional area with dramatic mountains, glaciers and deep valleys, dominated by Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world (8,848 m). Several rare species, such as the snow leopard and the lesser panda, are found in the park. The presence of the Sherpas, with their unique culture, adds further interest to this site.

The Sagarmatha National Park includes the highest point of the Earth's surface, Mount Everest (Sagarmatha). The park is also of major religious and cultural significance in Nepal as it abounds in holy places such as the Thyangboche and also is the homeland of the Sherpas whose way of life is unique, compared with other high-altitude dwellers.
The park encompasses the upper catchments of the Dudh Kosi River system, which is fan-shaped and forms a distinct geographical unit enclosed on all sides by high mountain ranges. The northern boundary is defined by the main divide of the Great Himalayan Range, which follows the international border with the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China. In the south, the boundary extends almost as far as Monjo.
This is a dramatic area of high, geologically young mountains and glaciers. The deeply-incised valleys cut through sedimentary rocks and underlying granites to drain southwards into the Dudh Kosi and its tributaries, which form part of the Ganges River system. The upper catchments of these rivers are fed by glaciers at the head of four main valleys, Chhukhung, Khumbu, Gokyo and Nangpa La. Lakes occur in the upper reaches, notably in the Gokyo Valley, where a number are impounded by the lateral moraine of the Ngozumpa Glacier (at 20 km the longest glacier in the park). There are seven peaks over 7,000 m. The mountains have a granite core flanked by metamorphosed sediments and owe their dominating height to two consecutive phases of upthrust. The main uplift occurred during human history, some 500,000-800,000 years ago. Evidence indicates that the uplift is still continuing at a slower rate, but natural erosion processes counteract this to an unknown degree.
In the region there are six altitudinal vegetation classed, from oak forests at the lowest elevations to lichens and mosses at the highest elevations. The Himalayan zone provides the barrier between the Palaearctic realm and the Indomalayan realm.
Most of the park (69%) comprises barren land above 5,000 m, 28% is grazing land and about 3% is forested. Six of the 11 vegetation zones in the Nepal Himalaya are represented in the park: lower subalpine; upper subalpine; lower alpine; upper alpine; and subnival zone. Oak used to be the dominant species in the upper montane zone but former stands of this species.

In common with the rest of the Nepal Himalaya, the park has a comparatively low number of mammalian species, apparently due to the geologically recent origin of the Himalaya and other evolutionary factors. The low density of mammal populations is almost certainly the result of human activities. Larger mammals include common langur, jackal, a small number of wolf, Himalayan black bear, red panda, yellow-throated marten, Himalayan weasel, masked palm civet, snow leopard, Himalayan musk deer, Indian muntjac, serow, Himalayan tahr and goral. Sambar has also been recorded. Smaller mammals include short-tailed mol, Tibetan water shrew, Himalayan water shrew; marmot, woolly hare, rat and house mouse.
Inskipp lists 152 species of bird, 36 of which are breeding species for which Nepal may hold internationally significant populations. The park is important for a number of species breeding at high altitudes. The park's small lakes, especially those at Gokyo, are used as staging points for migrants. A total of six amphibians and seven reptiles occur or probably occur in the park.
There are approximately 2,500 Sherpa people living within the park. The people are primarily Tibetan Buddhists. Their activities are primarily agricultural or trade based. Their properties have been excluded from the park by legal definition. There is and will continue to be an influence on the people by the park and vice versa. The Sherpas are of great cultural interest, having originated from Salmo Gang in the eastern Tibetan province of Kham, some 2,000 km from their present homeland. They probably left their original home in the late 1400s or early 1500s, to escape political and military pressures, and later crossed the Nangpa La into Nepal in the early 1530s. They separated into two groups, some settling in Khumbu and others proceeding to Solu. The two clans (Minyagpa and Thimmi) remaining in Khumbu are divided into 12 subclans. Both the population and the growth of the monasteries took a dramatic upturn soon after that time. The Sherpas belong to the Nyingmapa sect of Tibetan Buddhism, which was founded by the revered Guru Rimpoche who was legendarily born of a lotus in the middle of a lake. There are several monasteries in the park, the most important being Tengpoche.