Nepal can be divided into three areas, the high mountains, mid hills and low lands. The climate in these areas is different as well, having an arctic climate in the high mountains, the low lands and thus more or less the south of Nepal have a tropical climate. In these subtropical jungles three wildlife reserves, popular and open for tourists, can be found.
Nepal is a blend of nature and human efforts. That is why it has around 18% of its land as protected area – either known as National parks or Wildlife reserves or Conservation areas.
Eight national parks, four wildlife reserves, three conservation areas and a hunting reserve – just within the area of 147181 square kilometers of the country. And it’s not just the land coverage; it has a unique topography ranging from lowlands with sub-tropical jungles to arctic conditions in the Himalayan highlands. Within a mere 150 kilometers the land rises from near sea level in the south to over 8,000 meters in the North. This, together with the monsoon rainfall along the south facing slopes, has resulted in compacting virtually all climate zones found on planet Earth. As a result, Nepal has been endowed with a great diversity of life-zones providing a home for a large variety of plants, birds and animals.
The real good news for the visitors is that it is this multiplicity of topography, climate and ecosystem that host the different protected areas across the country. In other words, you will find the conserved areas in all three Nepalese geographical regions – the Terai, Hills and the Himalayan region.
The Terai lowlands are defined by a belt of well-watered floodplains stretching from the Indian border northward to the first slopes of the Bhabhar and the Siwalik Range. This is the richest habitat in the land with tall grasslands interspersed with riverine and hardwood sal forest. Here one can see wildlife such as the swamp deer, musk deer, black buck, blue bull, the Bengal tiger, gharial and mugger crocodiles, and the last of a breed of Asiatic wild buffalo. This area is also rich in birdlike with a variety of babbles and orioles, koels and drongos, peacocks and floricans, and a multitude of wintering wildfowl.
There are five protected areas in Nepal - Koshi Tappu and Parsa in the east, Sukla Phanta and Dhorpatan for hunting in the west and Shivapuri in the mid-mountain region. The Churia, also known as the siwalik, is the southern most range of the Himalaya. No where do they rise above 1,220 meters, This range is famous for fossil deposits of Pleistocene mammals, among them 10 species of elephants, 6 Rhinoceros, Hippopotamus, Saber-Toothed cats, various Antelopes and primates such as the Orang-utan, long extinct in the subcontinent, situated north of the Churia are broad, low valleys of the inner Terai know as the Doons. These valleys are not unlike the outer plains with tall elephant grass, Swamps and Ox-bow lakes where the last of the one-homed Rhinoceros survive, Chitwan National Park in the Inner Terai of central Nepal is the first and best protected area s in the country. Once one of the most famous big game hunting areas in Asia. Chitwan now offers protection to a large array of mammals such as the one-horned rhinoceros, tiger, leopard, sloth bear and the gaur (wild Bison) as well as more than 400 species of birds.
Higher in the north between 2,000 and 3,500 meters lies the Mahabharat Range with its oak crowned crests. The hills of this midland are covered by a moist temperate forest of deodar, oak, maple and birch in which are found deer, ghoral serow, leopard and monkey, the gorgeous multi-colored lmpeyan pheasant (Nepal's national bird) is also found here with other endangered birds like the koklas and Cheer Pheasants. Protected areas in this zone include Khapted National Park in the Far-West, Dhorpatan Hunting reserve, Northwest of Pokhara and Shivapuri Wildlife Sanctuary near Kathmandu.
Higher still, there are protected areas like the Sagarmatha National park declared as a natural site by the UNESCO. With the towering Himalayas in the north, these areas are the alpine mountain flanks inhabiting endangered species like the snow leopard. These rare species prey on blue sheep and the Himalayan tahrs, rarely seen are the wolf, black and brown bears and lynx.
Besides the natural attraction, even this remote region has on offer the cultural and ethnic varieties. The Sherpas, Manabga, and Dolpa-bas are some of those who farm and graze their livestock on the high mountain pastures. Their festival and rituals are certainly the tourism jewels in perfect harmony with the natural beauty they have around them. Langtang, Sagarmatha (Everest). Shey-Phoksundo and Rara National Parks are the protected high altitude areas of Nepal.
Seasons
The best time to visit the high altitude Himalayan parks is between October and November. The winter months, between December and February, attracts large numbers of visitors to the lowland parks including Koshi Tappu, Parsa, Chitwan, Bardia and Shukla Phanta. This is also a good time to observe wintering birds, including wildfowls and waders. From March to May, it is warm at lower altitudes and cool above 3000m. This is also an ideal time to visit high altitude nature sanctuaries like Everest, Annapurna, Langtang, Rara, Khaptad, Shivapuri, Makalu-Barun and Dhorpatan.
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