Bird Watching in Chitwan National Park
Chitwan has over six hundred recorded bird species, which is around two-thirds of Nepal's entire list, and this trip wor
Trip Overview
Chitwan has over six hundred recorded bird species, which is around two-thirds of Nepal's entire list, and this trip works the park as a birding destination rather than a rhino-spotting one. Three days with a specialist guide covers the four habitats that make the list so long — riverine forest along the Rapti and Narayani, sal forest, the tall elephant grass, and the oxbow lakes at Bis Hazari Tal and Lami Tal.
The specialities are the reason serious birders come: Bengal florican in the grassland, giant hornbill, slaty-legged crake, the grassland warblers, and in winter the ruby-cheeked sunbird and a long list of waterfowl. It is a completely different trip from the standard jungle safari — early starts, slow walking, boats and hides — and it happens to produce rhino and gharial anyway.
Tour Highlights
Six Hundred Species: Around two-thirds of Nepal's entire bird list, in one park.
Bengal Florican in the Grassland: One of the world's rarest bustards, with a small resident Chitwan population.
Four Habitats in Three Days: Riverine forest, sal forest, tall grassland and the oxbow lakes at Bis Hazari Tal.
Bird-Led, Not Safari-Led: Early starts, slow walking, boats and hides, with a specialist guide in a group of six or fewer.
Rhino and Gharial Anyway: The mammals turn up regardless — you are just not organising the day around them.
Itinerary
Three days birding Chitwan National Park with a specialist guide, working the riverine forest, sal forest, grassland and oxbow lakes.
1Day 1Fly to Bharatpur (200 m) and Bird the Rapti Riverine Forest
Fly to Bharatpur (200 m) and Bird the Rapti Riverine Forest
A morning flight of twenty-five minutes from Kathmandu to Bharatpur and a short drive to the lodge at Sauraha, which puts you in the field by early afternoon rather than at dusk.
After lunch your guide works the riverine forest along the Rapti — the richest habitat in the park, with hornbills, trogons, flycatchers, woodpeckers and, if the season is right, ruby-cheeked sunbird.
Late afternoon is spent on the riverbank and at the community forest edge, where the light is best and the storks and egrets come in to roost.
Your guide runs through the plan for the next two days over dinner and sets the pre-dawn start. Overnight at Sauraha.
2Day 2Grassland, Sal Forest and the Full Day in the Park
Grassland, Sal Forest and the Full Day in the Park
A pre-dawn start with a packed breakfast, into the park while it is still dark.
The morning is spent in the tall elephant grass, which is hard work and where the specialities are — Bengal florican, grassland warblers, francolins — and is best in the first two hours of light.
Mid-morning moves into the sal forest for minivets, drongos, woodshrikes and the resident owls, with a slow walk rather than a drive.
The afternoon runs a dugout canoe down the Rapti past gharial and mugger crocodile, with kingfishers, storks and waders on the banks. Rhino and deer turn up throughout without being sought. Overnight at Sauraha.
3Day 3Bis Hazari Tal and Return to Kathmandu (1,400 m)
Bis Hazari Tal and Return to Kathmandu (1,400 m)
A last early morning at Bis Hazari Tal, the oxbow lake system in the buffer zone north of the park and a Ramsar site in its own right.
In winter the water holds ducks, grebes, jacanas, storks and a good chance of lesser adjutant, and the surrounding scrub and forest edge is productive for warblers and raptors. The guide sets up the scope at the hide.
Back to the lodge for breakfast and to pack, then the short drive to Bharatpur for the flight to Kathmandu.
Transfer to your hotel on arrival, with the trip list totted up on the way — three days here typically produces between a hundred and fifty and two hundred and fifty species.
Inclusions & Exclusions
Return flights to Bharatpur, transfers, two nights at a lodge, all meals including packed breakfasts, park permits, a specialist bird guide with a scope and all excursions are included, while meals in Kathmandu, binoculars, drinks and tips are excluded.
What's Included
Airport pickup and drop-off services in Kathmandu.
Return domestic flights from Kathmandu to Bharatpur.
Private transportation throughout: a vehicle and driver reserved for your party alone, never a shared or public service.
Private vehicle between Bharatpur airport and the lodge, and for all birding excursions.
Two nights at a lodge on the edge of Chitwan National Park, with early breakfasts arranged around the birding.
All meals from lunch on the first day to breakfast on the third, including packed breakfasts for pre-dawn starts.
Chitwan National Park entry permits, Bis Hazari Tal access and all activity fees.
A specialist bird guide throughout, in a group of six or fewer, with a spotting scope.
Dugout canoe trips on the Rapti and boat access to the oxbow lakes.
Walking and jeep excursions into the grassland and sal forest.
A Chitwan bird checklist and use of the guide's scope.
All government taxes and service charges.
What's Excluded
Travel insurance covering medical treatment and emergency evacuation.
Meals in Kathmandu before and after the trip.
Binoculars, which you should bring.
Field guide.
Alcoholic drinks at the lodge.
Tips for the guide and driver.
Drinks, snacks, and personal expenses such as laundry, phone calls and souvenirs.
Tips for the guide and driver.
Any additional cost caused by flight delays, roadblocks, weather or other circumstances beyond our control.
Tour Map
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Altitude Profile
Pricing
Transparent per-person pricing based on group size, covering the services listed in the itinerary with no hidden charges.
The Habitats and What Each Holds
Riverine forest along the Rapti and Narayani is the richest — hornbills, trogons, flycatchers, woodpeckers, and the best chance at the ruby-cheeked sunbird. The sal forest holds a different set: minivets, drongos, woodshrikes and the resident owls. Tall elephant grass is where the specialities are, and it is hard work: Bengal florican, grassland warblers and the francolins.
The oxbow lakes — Bis Hazari Tal and Lami Tal — are the water. In winter they hold ducks, grebes, jacanas, storks and a good chance of the lesser adjutant. Between them these four habitats are why one park holds six hundred species, and why three days is the right length: one day is not enough to work them all properly.
How We Guide, and Birding Ethics
Every trip in this region runs with a specialist bird guide rather than a general naturalist — someone who birds for a living, knows the calls, and can put you onto a skulking warbler rather than pointing at a raptor. Groups are kept to six or fewer, because a line of twelve people does not see anything shy.
We do not use call playback to draw territorial birds, except sparingly and never for a threatened species in the breeding season; it stresses the bird and it is increasingly restricted in Nepal's protected areas. Nests are not approached, flash is not used on roosting birds, and habitat is not cut or moved for a photograph. If your guide asks you to stay on the path, that is why.
Season and Realistic Expectations
November to March is the core season — comfortable temperatures, wintering waterfowl and, from late January, the grassland cut and burned so the florican becomes findable. March and April bring breeding display, which is when the florican is at its most visible and the resident birds are in song. Numbers are highest in winter; behaviour is most interesting in spring.
A good three days here yields a hundred and fifty to two hundred and fifty species. Bengal florican is genuinely rare — a few dozen birds in the park — and a sighting is perhaps one trip in three, in the right season, with early starts. The hornbills, the lakes and the riverine forest are dependable. We would rather set that out now than have you expect a guaranteed florican.
Getting There, Staying and What to Bring
Sauraha is five to six hours from Kathmandu and four and a half from Pokhara by road, or a twenty-five-minute flight to Bharatpur, which is included on this trip because birding days start before dawn and a long drive the same morning does not work.
Accommodation is a lodge on the park edge with early breakfasts arranged around the birding rather than the kitchen's convenience. Bring binoculars, a field guide to the birds of the Indian subcontinent, neutral clothing, long sleeves and trousers, closed shoes, repellent, a hat and sunscreen. The guide carries a scope. A torch is useful for the pre-dawn starts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Find quick answers to common questions about the Bird Watching in Chitwan National Park.
1How is this different from the standard Chitwan safari?
Entirely different rhythm. A safari is built around game drives and the big mammals; this is built around habitat and time of day — pre-dawn starts, slow walking, boats, hides and long sits. You get the rhino and gharial anyway, but you are not organising the day around them.
2How many species should I expect?
A hundred and fifty to two hundred and fifty over three days, depending on season and effort. Winter gives the biggest numbers because of the waterfowl; spring gives the most interesting behaviour. Over six hundred species have been recorded in the park in total.
3Will we see Bengal florican?
Perhaps one trip in three, in the right season, with the early starts. There are only a few dozen birds in the park and they are one of the world's rarest bustards. The best window is late January to April, after the grass is cut and during display. We will work for it, and we will not promise it.
4Do we fly or drive?
Fly, and it is included. Birding days start before dawn and a five-hour drive on the same morning does not work, so this trip uses the twenty-five-minute flight to Bharatpur in both directions. If you would rather drive to save cost, tell us and we will price it that way.
5Is it suitable for a beginner?
Yes, and beginners often get more out of it than they expect — the variety is startling and a good guide will teach you to use your ears as well as your eyes. If you are travelling with a non-birding partner, the same lodge runs standard safari activities and we can book those alongside.
6What is the group size?
Six or fewer, because a larger line does not see shy birds in forest and grassland. If you want a private guide for one or two people, that is available as an upgrade and is worth it if you are working a specific list.
7Do we do the elephant breeding centre and cultural show?
Only if you want them. They are standard safari inclusions rather than birding ones, and most people on this trip would rather use the time at Bis Hazari Tal or in the grassland. Tell your guide on the first evening and the itinerary flexes around it.
8What about leeches and mosquitoes?
Leeches are a monsoon problem and this trip runs November to April, so they are not an issue. Mosquitoes are, particularly at dusk near the lakes — bring repellent and long sleeves. Malaria risk in the Terai is low but present; take advice from your own doctor before travelling.
Gallery
Explore authentic moments, landscapes and street scenes from the Bird Watching in Chitwan National Park.
Trekking Guides & Articles
Bird Watching in Nepal: 880 Species in One Small Country — Nepal holds around 880 bird species in an area the size of England, because it runs from 60 m to 8,848 m.
Red Panda Trail Trek: Tea Gardens and Cloud Forest in Ilam — A low-altitude trek through the tea country and cloud forest of Ilam and Panchthar, in some of the best red panda habitat in Nepal.
Chitwan National Park Guide: Rhino, Tiger, and the Terai — Nepal's first national park and a UNESCO site, with the world's second-largest population of greater one-horned rhino, Bengal tigers, gharial crocodiles and over 500 bird species.
Jungle Safari in Nepal: Every Park Compared — Nepal's Terai parks hold one-horned rhino, Bengal tiger, wild elephant and over 500 bird species.
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Guest Reviews
We loved every moment
“We booked Bird Watching in Chitwan National Park to add some birding to our Nepal trip and it was wonderful. The guide carried a scope and was brilliant at getting everyone onto each bird. Wonderful g...
Penelope Morales
Get in Touch
Tell us the dates you have in mind and roughly what you want out of the trek — one of our guides will reply, usually within 24 hours.
Email Us
info@greencompasstreks.com
Call Us
+977 9864379436
Office
Lakeside, Pokhara, Nepal
Office Hours
Sunday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM