Chitwan National Park
952.63 km²Bagmati / Madhesh · est. 1973
One-horned rhino, Bengal tiger, gharial, sloth bear
Nepal's first national park; a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984.
Nature & Wildlife
Nepal
Nature & wildlife
From Terai jungle to the high Himalaya, protected areas cover roughly 23.4% of Nepal — sheltering tigers, one-horned rhinos, snow leopards and red pandas across 12 national parks and six conservation areas.
National parks
12
Conservation areas
6
Protected land
~23.4%
Major rivers
5
Notable lakes
7
National parks
Sagarmatha National Park
1,148 km²Koshi · est. 1976
Snow leopard, red panda, Himalayan tahr, musk deer
Contains Mount Everest; a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.
Langtang National Park
1,710 km²Bagmati · est. 1976
Red panda, Himalayan black bear, snow leopard
The closest Himalayan park to Kathmandu.
Rara National Park
106 km²Karnali · est. 1976
Musk deer, Himalayan black bear, red panda
Nepal's smallest national park, built around Rara Lake.
Khaptad National Park
225 km²Sudurpaschim · est. 1984
Leopard, Himalayan black bear, barking deer
A rolling plateau of meadows in the far-west, with a revered ashram.
Shey Phoksundo National Park
2,712 km²Karnali · est. 1984
Snow leopard, blue sheep, Tibetan wolf
Nepal's largest national park; home to its deepest lake, in Dolpo.
Bardiya National Park
968 km²Lumbini · est. 1988
Bengal tiger, one-horned rhino, wild elephant, Gangetic dolphin
The largest park in the Terai, with Nepal's highest tiger density.
Makalu Barun National Park
1,500 km²Koshi · est. 1992
Red panda, snow leopard, musk deer
The only protected area on Earth spanning over 8,000 m of vertical range.
Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park
159 km²Bagmati · est. 2002
Leopard, Himalayan black bear, over 300 bird species
On Kathmandu's northern rim — a popular day-hike and the city's water source.
Banke National Park
550 km²Lumbini · est. 2010
Tiger, wild elephant, four-horned antelope
A “gift to the Earth”; forms a tiger corridor with neighbouring Bardiya.
Shuklaphanta National Park
305 km²Sudurpaschim · est. 2017
Swamp deer (largest herd in the world), tiger, wild elephant
Grasslands in the far-western corner of the Terai.
Parsa National Park
637 km²Madhesh / Bagmati · est. 2017
Wild elephant, tiger, sloth bear, leopard
Extends the Chitwan tiger landscape to the east.
Conservation areas
Annapurna Conservation Area
7,629 km²Gandaki · est. 1986
Snow leopard, blue sheep, Himalayan tahr
Nepal's largest protected area, covering the entire Annapurna region.
Kanchenjunga Conservation Area
2,035 km²Koshi · est. 1997
Snow leopard, red panda, musk deer
Surrounds the world's third-highest peak in Nepal's far-east.
Manaslu Conservation Area
1,663 km²Gandaki · est. 1998
Snow leopard, blue sheep, Himalayan tahr
Protects the Manaslu Circuit and its restricted upper valleys.
Api Nampa Conservation Area
1,903 km²Sudurpaschim · est. 2010
Snow leopard, musk deer, Himalayan tahr
Guards the remote far-western peaks of Api and Saipal.
Gaurishankar Conservation Area
2,179 km²Bagmati · est. 2010
Red panda, snow leopard, musk deer
Bridges the Langtang and Everest regions around sacred Gaurishankar.
Krishnasaar (Blackbuck) Conservation Area
16.95 km²Lumbini · est. 2009
Blackbuck (krishnasaar), blue bull, striped hyena
Nepal's smallest protected area, set up to save its last wild blackbuck herd.
Source: dnpwc.gov.np (Dept. of National Parks & Wildlife Conservation).
Rivers and lakes of Nepal
Major rivers
Karnaliकर्णाली
Far-west NepalThe longest river originating in Nepal, draining the west of the country.
Koshi (Sapt Koshi)सप्तकोशी
Eastern NepalNepal's largest drainage basin, gathering seven tributaries; called the “Sorrow of Bihar” for its flooding downstream.
Gandaki (Narayani)गण्डकी
Central NepalCarves the Kali Gandaki Gorge between Dhaulagiri and Annapurna — by some measures the deepest gorge in the world.
Bagmatiबागमती
Kathmandu ValleyThe sacred river of the Kathmandu Valley; the cremation ghats of Pashupatinath line its banks.
Mahakaliमहाकाली
Western borderForms much of Nepal's western border with India.
Notable lakes
Rara Lakeरारा ताल
Mugu, Karnali2,990 m · 10.8 km²
The largest lake in Nepal, set within the country's smallest national park.
Phewa Lakeफेवा ताल
Pokhara, Gandaki742 m · 4.43 km²
Pokhara's iconic lake, mirroring the Annapurnas and the Tal Barahi temple island.
Tilicho Lakeतिलिचो ताल
Manang, Gandaki4,919 m
Among the highest lakes in the world — a popular side-trip off the Annapurna Circuit.
Shey Phoksundo Lakeशे फोक्सुन्डो ताल
Dolpa, Karnali3,611 m · 145 m deep
The deepest lake in Nepal, famed for its luminous turquoise water in remote Dolpo.
Gosaikundaगोसाइकुण्ड
Rasuwa, Bagmati4,380 m
A sacred alpine lake and major Hindu pilgrimage site, especially at Janai Purnima.
Begnas Lakeबेग्नास ताल
Pokhara, Gandaki650 m
A quieter freshwater lake east of Pokhara, known for fishing.
Rupa Lakeरूपा ताल
Pokhara, Gandaki600 m
A small, birdlife-rich lake beside Begnas in the Pokhara valley.