Indeed, birds are the primary highlight of a visit to Suklaphanta. Nearly 400 bird species have been recorded in the reserve, including 50% of Nepal’s globally threatened species, over half of which are true grassland specialists, including Bengal Florican and Jerdon’s Babbler. There are Tigers here too — the reserve’s mixed habitat supports an estimated 20 Tigers, though the population here is unhabituated to humans so any encounters are truly special! Suklaphanta also supports a density of other mammals, particularly deer species, that is hard to match elsewhere in the subcontinent, and certainly in Nepal.

The real joy of a visit here, is of having the whole reserve to yourself — on a typical day the camp guides will accompany you in jeeps, or on foot, to explore the reserve’s Sal forest, wetland and grassland habitats in search of a truly mouth-watering array of specialist grassland and other birds and, if you are very lucky, the sight of a Tiger perfectly camouflaged amongst the reserve’s tall stands of distinctive cream-and-black grasses … not another jeep or group in sight!