Wildlife in Nepal

A 16-day expedition through four eastern-Nepal habitats — Phulchowki above Kathmandu, Sindhuli Gadi, the Koshi Tappu wetland, and the Ilam hills — tracking red panda (Ailurus fulgens, IUCN Endangered) alongside resident and migratory birds including Sultan Tit (Melanochlora sultanea). Naturalist-led, small group, starts and ends in Kathmandu. Red panda sightings are not guaranteed.

A 16-day botanical walk from Basantapur to Tumlingtar along the Tinjure–Milke–Jaljale ridge in east Nepal's Koshi hills, topping out around 3,200 m on Milke Danda. Expect rhododendron forest in bloom — Rhododendron arboreum among them — and mid-hill cloud forest, not megafauna. Small group (min 4), naturalist-led, walking through Basantapur, Chauki, Gupha Pokhari, Milke Danda, and Khandbari.

A 12-day naturalist-led tour through Chitwan and Bardia National Parks — Nepal's sal-lowland and riverine-forest terai. Game-spotting is on foot, by jeep, and by dugout canoe, never on captive elephants. Max-12 group, full-board lodges next to the parks, and a park-licensed naturalist on every drive and walk. Bookended by the Kathmandu Valley and a half-day at Lumbini.

A trans-Himalayan expedition of 18 days into the Nar Phu valley behind the Annapurna massif, tracking snow leopard (Panthera uncia, IUCN Vulnerable) and its blue sheep prey (Pseudois nayaur). Naturalist-led, with a community wildlife tracker on every expedition. Nar Phu is a restricted area; passes here sit above 5,000 m. Sightings are not guaranteed — come for the landscape, treat the cat as a bonus.

An 11-day naturalist-led wildlife trip from Kathmandu into the Ilam tea-garden belt and the temperate broadleaf forest around it (2,200–3,600 m), tracking red panda (Ailurus fulgens, IUCN Endangered) on foot alongside Himalayan Monal and Satyr Tragopan. We track with a local community tracker who works these forests year-round, and sleep in tea-garden home-stays.

A 3-day jungle safari in Nepal's first and largest national park — UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984, home to 694 one-horned rhinoceroses (the world's second-largest population), 128 Bengal tigers, sloth bears, gaur, and gharial crocodiles. Jeep safaris, walking safaris with armed guides, dugout canoe trips, and stays in family-run lodges among the Tharu villages of Sauraha.