Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve

Ramsar Wetland On The Sapta Koshi Floodplain, Nepal'S Best Birding Site And The Last Home Of The Wild Water Buffalo In Nepal · Sunsari, Koshi

Koshi Tappu is a wetland reserve on the floodplain of the Sapta Koshi, the greatest river of eastern Nepal, just above the barrage on the Indian border, and it is the country's finest place for birdwatching. Hundreds of species have been recorded here, and in winter huge numbers of migratory ducks, geese, storks and waders arrive from the north, along with rare residents such as the swamp francolin and Bengal florican. It was protected above all for the arna, the wild water buffalo, and it holds the last population of them in Nepal. Gangetic river dolphins are sometimes seen in the Koshi, and gharial and mugger crocodiles live in the channels. The reserve is a Ramsar wetland of international importance. Visitors explore by jeep along the embankments, on foot with guides and by boat through the channels, and the handful of camps and lodges on its edge cater mainly to birders. It is flat, hot and humid, and the Koshi is a river of floods; in 2008 its embankment burst and flooded huge areas of Nepal and India. It gives Koshi Province a lowland row alongside its mountains.

Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve, on the Sapta Koshi floodplain, Sunsari District, Sunsari, Koshi, Nepal

Open year round with a daily permit for foreigners, paid at the reserve office; outings run in daylight, and the best activity is at dawn and late afternoon. The best birding is from November to March, when migratory birds arrive. Access is from the East-West Highway near Itahari, with flights to Biratnagar and a drive of an hour or two. The monsoon brings floods and closed areas, and some camps shut for the season - confirm current rules and open areas locally.

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