National parks and Wildlife Conservation of Nepal

List of National parks.

National parks of Nepal

Bardiya National Park

Bardia National Park in Nepal is situated in the mid-far western Tarai, eastern banks of the Karnali River, about 400km far from Kathmandu valley.

Chitwan National Park

Chitwan National Park is Nepal’s first national park in the lowlands of the Inner Terai. 1/5 part of the park is made up of the floodplains of the Narayani, Rapti, and Reu Rivers and is covered by dense tall elephant grass.

Sagarmatha National Park

Sagarmatha National Park lies in the Northern mountain of eastern Nepal in the Solukhumbu district which is dominated by Mount Everest. Sagarmatha national park was established in 1976, it became Nepal’s first national park to be inscribed as a Natural World Heritage Site in 1979 and a Buffer Zone comprising 275 km2 (106 sq mi) was added in 2002.

Khaptad National Park

Khaptad National Park is located in the Far-western region of Nepal, established in 1984 covering an area of 225 sq. km. To reach the park one can fly from Nepalgunj to Dipayal and road transport is available for Silgadhi, Doti.

Langtang National Park

Langtang National Park is the nearest national park to Kathmandu. It was established in 1976, covering an area of 1710 sq. km.

Shey-Phoksundo National Park

Shey Phoksundo National Park is the largest national park in Nepal. It was established in 1984 and covers an area of 3,555 km2 (1,373 sq mi).

Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park

Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park was established in 2002. It was named after Shivapuri Peak at 2,732 m (8,963 ft) altitude.

Banke National Park

Banke National Park was established in 2010. It is located in the Lumbini Province. It covers an area of 550 km2 (210 sq mi) and is surrounded by a buffer zone of 344 km2 (133 sq mi).

Parsa National Park

Parsa National Park covers an area of 627.39 km2 (242.24 sq mi). It was established in 1984 and a buffer zone declared in 2005 comprises 285.3 km2 (110.2 sq mi). The protected area has been extended by 128 km2 (49 sq mi) in 2015.

Shuklaphanta National Park

Shuklaphanta National Park covers an area of 305 km2 (118 sq mi) bounded by the Mahakali River in the west and south.

Makalu Barun National Park

Makalu Barun National Park was established in 1992. It covers an area of 1,500 km2 (580 sq mi) in the Solukhumbu and Sankhuwasabha districts.

Rara National Park

Rara National Park was established in 1976, covering an area of 106 km2 (41 sq mi). It is the country’s smallest national park and lies in the Mugu and Jumla districts.

S.No.National ParksArea (sq. km.)EstablishedDistrict
1.Shey Phoksundo National Park35551984 AD / 2040 BSDolpa, Mugu
2.Langtang National Park17101976 AD / 2032 BSNuwakot, Rasuwa, Sindhupalchowk
3.Makalu Barun National Park15001991 AD / 2048 BSSankhuwasabha, Solukhumbu
4.Sagarmatha National Park11481976 AD / 2032 BSSolukhumbu
5.Bardia National Park9681988 AD / 2032 BSBardia
6.Chitwan National Park9321973 AD / 2030 BSChitwan, Makawanpur, Parsa
7.Banke National Park5502010 AD / 2067 BSBanke
8.Khaptad National Park2251984 AD / 2042 BSAccham, Bajhang, Bajura, Doti
9.Shivapuri National Park1592002 AD / 2058 BSDhading, Kathmandu, Nuwakot, Sindhupalchowk
10Rara National Park1061976 AD / 2032 BSJumla, Mugu
11.Shuklaphanta National Park3051976 ADKanchanpur
12.Parsa National Park6271984 ADBara, Parsa, Makawanpur

Wildlife Reserve

Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve

Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve is the first National Park of Nepal established in 1973 to preserve a unique ecosystem significantly valuable to the whole world. The Park gained much wider recognition in the world when UNESCO included this area on the list of World Heritage Sites in 1984.

Hunting Reserve

Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve

Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve is the only hunting reserve in Nepal, established in 1987. It covers an area of 1,325 km2 (512 sq mi).

New Conservation Areas

Api Nampa Conservation Area

The Api Nampa Conservation Area was established in 2010, covering an area of 1,903 km2 (735 sq mi). It is named after the two peaks Api and Nampa.

Krishnasaar Conservation area

The Krishnasaar Conservation area was established in 2009 to conserve the endangered blackbuck. It is located in Bardiya District, Nepal covering an area of 16.95 km2 (6.54 sq mi).

Gaurishankar Conservation Area

Gaurishankar Conservation Area was established in 2010. It covers 2,179 km2 (841 sq mi).

Manaslu Conservation Area

The Manaslu Conservation Area was established in 1998. It covers 1,663 km2 (642 sq mi).

Annapurna Conservation Area

Annapurna Conservation Area was established in 1985. It is Nepal’s largest protected area covering 7,629 km2 (2,946 sq mi). The conservation area stretches across Manang, Mustang, Kaski, Myagdi, and Lamjung Districts.

Kanchenjunga Conservation Area

Kanchenjunga Conservation Area was established in 1997, covering 2,035 km2 (786 sq mi).

S.No.Conservation AreaArea (sq. km.)Established dateDistrict
1.Annapurna conservation area76291992 AD / 2049 BSKaski, Lamjung, Manang, Mustan, Myagdi
2.Gaurishankar conservation area2179Dolkha, Ramechhap, Sindhupalcowk
3.Kanchanjunga conservation area20351998 AD / 2054 BSTaplejung
4.Api Nampa conservation area1903Darchula
5.Manaslu conservation area16631998 AD / 2055 BSGorkha, Manang
6.Krishnasaar conservation area15952009 AD / 2065 BSBardia

Frequently asked questions

Largest National Park of Nepal

Shey-phoksundo National Park is the largest National Park of Nepal, covering an area of 3,555 km2. It is situated in the Trans-Himalayan region of northwest Nepal.

Smallest National Park of Nepal

Rara National Park is the smallest National Park of Nepal, covering an area of 106 km2 (41 sq mi).

Oldest National Park of Nepal

Chitwan National Park is the oldest national park in Nepal. It is the first national park established in 1973 as the Royal Chitwan National Park.

How many National parks are there in Nepal?

There are 12 National parks in Nepal.

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