Bardia travel guide
Remote national park with the best tiger odds in Nepal. Most people stay 2–4 nights. Best months: Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov.
Highlights
- Full-day jeep safari
- Tiger tracking on foot
- Karnali and Geruwa river float
- Tharu villages
Things to do in Bardia
- Bardia full-day jeep safari · 9 h · about ₹6,000 per person. Includes the foreigner park fee (about NPR 2,000 per day) and a shared jeep. Tiger odds are among the best in South Asia Feb–May, but sightings are never guaranteed.
- Tiger tracking on foot · 8 h · about ₹4,500 per person. Long waits at river viewpoints with two licensed guides; bring a packed lunch, muted clothes and patience.
- Karnali and Geruwa river float · 5 h · about ₹5,000 per person. Gentle inflatable float looking for gharials, mugger crocodiles and occasionally Gangetic dolphins. Longer Karnali whitewater trips run from several days upstream.
- Tharu village walk at Thakurdwara · 2 h · about ₹500 per person
- Crocodile breeding centre and park museum · 1 h · about ₹200 per person
- Birding walk on the park edge · 3 h · about ₹1,500 per person
Where to stay in Bardia
- Thakurdwara jungle lodges (budget, ₹1,500–₹3,500 a night): Family-run lodges by the park gate that arrange guides and jeeps.
- Thakurdwara cottage resorts (mid, ₹4,500–₹9,000 a night): Cottages with gardens and meals; walking distance to the park office.
- Karnali river and park-edge luxury lodges (premium, ₹20,000–₹45,000 a night): Full board with naturalist-led safaris and river trips.
What to eat
- Tharu thali with fish curry: Thakurdwara lodges and homestays
- Dal bhat and fresh vegetable curry: Lodge kitchens by the park gate
Getting there
- ~2.5h to Nepalgunj airport
- ~6–7h to Lumbini
- ~9–10h to Chitwan
Good to know
- Most lodges and park activities pause or scale back Jun–Sep.
- Tigers are easiest to spot Feb–May after the grass is cut; May is very hot.
Nepal itineraries with Bardia
- Wildlife: Chitwan rhinos and Bardia tigers · 8 days, Kathmandu → Chitwan → Bardia · from ₹61,650 per person, base estimate before flights. Nepal's two big lowland parks: rhinos, canoes and Tharu villages in Chitwan, then remote Bardia for tiger tracking and a river float on the Karnali.