All 13 National Parks of Nepal: How to Reach Every One from Kathmandu (2026 Guide)

Nepal is barely the size of a mid-sized Indian state, yet it packs in a range of wild country most whole continents can't match. In a single country you can watch a one-horned rhino wade through morning mist in the Terai grasslands, and a week later stand below an 8,000-metre wall of ice and rock. Holding all of that together is a network of protected areas that now includes thirteen national parks — and if you're starting from Kathmandu, every single one is reachable, whether by an overnight coach across the plains or a mountain flight followed by a trek.

Most guides you'll read online still say Nepal has twelve national parks. That number is now out of date. In August 2025 the government carved out Chhayanath National Park in Mugu, making it the country's thirteenth and youngest park. This guide covers all thirteen, and — because getting there is half the trip — it's organised around one practical question: how do you actually reach each park from the capital?

Nepal's national parks at a glance

Nepal's protected-area system covers well over a fifth of the country's land, spread across everything from steamy sub-tropical jungle at around 60 metres above sea level to the highest ground on Earth. Two of the thirteen parks — Chitwan and Sagarmatha — are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Between them, these parks shelter Bengal tigers, greater one-horned rhinos, snow leopards, red pandas, wild elephants, gharial crocodiles and hundreds of bird species.

For a traveller based in Kathmandu, it helps to sort the thirteen into two groups. The first group you can reach overland, on a comfortable bus ride that ends at or near the park gate. The second group sits deep in the high Himalaya or the far-western hills, where the realistic route is a flight plus a trek — though even those journeys often begin with a road leg to a lowland hub. We'll take them in that order.

Part 1 — National parks you can reach by road from Kathmandu

These are the parks where a bus does most of the work. If you have a long weekend or a week and don't want to gamble on mountain flights, start here.

1. Shivapuri-Nagarjun National Park — the park inside the Kathmandu Valley

Pic Credit: Lonely Planet

You don't have to leave the valley to stand inside a national park. Shivapuri-Nagarjun sits on the northern rim of Kathmandu, its forested ridge visible from much of the city, with the main gates only about 12 kilometres from the centre. Established in 2002, it protects the watershed that supplies much of Kathmandu's drinking water, and it's laced with day-hike trails to spots like Shivapuri Peak, Nagi Gcompa, Bagdwar and the Nagarjun forest above Balaju.

Getting here is as simple as a taxi or a short local ride to one of the entry points at Budhanilkantha, Sundarijal, Tokha or Balaju. On a clear morning the Shivapuri ridge gives you a Himalayan skyline without a single flight or overnight bag. It's the ideal warm-up hike before a bigger trek, or a half-day escape from the city's traffic and dust.

Reach it from Kathmandu: local transport or taxi, under an hour. Entry fee: roughly NPR 100 (Nepali), NPR 600 (SAARC), NPR 1,000 (foreign).

2. Chitwan National Park — the classic Terai safari

Pic Credit: Travel & Tour World

If you visit only one national park in Nepal, most people make it Chitwan — and for good reason. Nepal's first national park (gazetted in 1973) and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Chitwan is the country's flagship for wildlife. It's the single best place in Nepal to see a greater one-horned rhino up close, with a real chance of gharial and mugger crocodiles along the Rapti River, plus deer, wild boar, monkeys, more than 500 bird species and, for the lucky few, a Bengal tiger.

The gateway is Sauraha, the tourist village on the park's eastern edge near Bharatpur. From Kathmandu it's roughly 165 kilometres, and a tourist coach covers it in about five to six hours along the Kathmandu–Mugling–Bharatpur corridor. That makes Chitwan very doable as a two- or three-night trip: travel down, do a morning jeep safari and a canoe ride, soak up some Tharu culture, and head back. One tip worth repeating — the park entry fee is usually charged separately from safari packages, so budget for it on top of your activity price.

Reach it from Kathmandu: tourist coach to Sauraha/Bharatpur, about 5–6 hours. Entry fee: roughly NPR 150 (Nepali), NPR 1,000 (SAARC), NPR 2,000 (foreign) per day.

For more details, you can also read our kathmandu to chitwan blog.

3. Parsa National Park — Chitwan's quieter neighbour

Pic Credit : Magnific

Right next door to Chitwan, sharing the same Inner Terai forests and hills, lies Parsa National Park. It began life as a wildlife reserve in 1984 and was upgraded to national park status in 2017. It covers a big stretch of sal forest and Siwalik ridges across the Parsa, Bara and Makwanpur districts, and it's an important refuge for wild elephants, leopards, sloth bears and a growing tiger population.

Parsa sees a fraction of Chitwan's visitors, which is exactly its appeal for travellers who want the jungle without the crowds. The usual jumping-off points are Hetauda or Birgunj, both well served by road from Kathmandu, and both easy to combine with a Chitwan leg since the two parks sit side by side. Think of Parsa as the wilder, less-polished twin of its famous neighbour.

Reach it from Kathmandu: coach toward Hetauda or Birgunj, then local transport to the park boundary. Entry fee: nominal, paid at the entry point (confirm the current rate on arrival).

Part 2 — The western Terai wildlife belt

Head far enough west along the East–West (Mahendra) Highway and you reach three lowland parks that reward the extra travel time with genuinely wild, uncrowded jungle. These are longer journeys — often overnight — but the payoff is some of the best big-cat country in South Asia.

4. Bardiya National Park — Nepal's best shot at a wild tiger

Pic Credit: Altitude Himalyas

Bardiya is the largest national park in the Terai and, for serious wildlife travellers, the highlight of the west. Because it's remote and lightly visited, its forests along the Karnali River feel far wilder than Chitwan's, and it has earned a reputation as the best place in Nepal to actually see a wild Bengal tiger. Alongside tigers you'll find rhinos, wild elephants, swamp deer, and — in the Karnali itself — the rare Gangetic dolphin.

There are two honest ways to get here from Kathmandu. The overland option is a long-haul coach heading toward Mahendranagar or Dhangadhi; you get off at Ambassa on the highway, then take a short local hop to Thakurdwara, the village at the park's edge. It's a big journey — in the region of 14 to 17 hours — so an overnight coach makes the most sense. The faster alternative is to fly Kathmandu to Nepalgunj (about an hour) and drive roughly three hours to the park. Either way, Bardiya rewards the effort.

Reach it from Kathmandu: overnight coach toward Mahendranagar/Dhangadhi, alight at Ambassa (~14–17 hrs); or fly to Nepalgunj + ~3 hr drive. Entry fee: roughly NPR 50 (Nepali), NPR 500 (SAARC), NPR 1,000 (foreign) per day.

5. Banke National Park — the "Gift to the Earth"

Pic Credit : Tourism Info Nepal

Directly east of Bardiya, and managed as part of the same greater tiger landscape, Banke National Park was declared in 2010 and nicknamed a "Gift to the Earth" for the biodiversity it protects. Its sal forests, grasslands and river systems give tigers, four-horned antelope and a long list of birds room to roam across the Banke, Salyan and Dang districts.

Banke shares Bardiya's gateway logistics almost exactly: it lies close to the Mahendra Highway, only about 15 kilometres from Nepalgunj airport, so the same Nepalgunj road or flight connection works. Many travellers pair Banke and Bardiya into one western wildlife loop rather than choosing between them.

Reach it from Kathmandu: as for Bardiya — via Nepalgunj, then a short highway drive. Entry fee: comparable Terai-park rates; confirm at the entry point.

6. Shuklaphanta National Park — grasslands at the far-western edge

Pic Credit: Rajendra Prasad Paneru /RSS

In the far south-western corner of Nepal, bounded by the Mahakali River along the Indian border, Shuklaphanta protects the largest patch of continuous grassland in the country. It's famous for hosting one of the world's biggest herds of swamp deer, and its open phantas (grasslands) and wetlands support tigers, rhinos, wild elephants and well over 400 bird species. It's Nepal's youngest of the "big" Terai parks in reserve terms, upgraded to national park status in 2017, and one of the least visited — so you often have the landscape to yourself.

The nearest town is Bhimdatta (Mahendranagar), just a few kilometres from the park entrance. From Kathmandu the direct overland route is a long overnight coach — in the region of 18 to 20 hours to the far west — while the quicker option is a flight to Dhangadhi followed by a road transfer of a couple of hours. If you're already exploring Bardiya and Banke, continuing west to Shuklaphanta rounds out a complete Terai safari trilogy.

Reach it from Kathmandu: overnight coach to Mahendranagar (~18–20 hrs); or fly to Dhangadhi + ~2 hr drive. Entry fee: roughly NPR 100 (Nepali), NPR 750 (SAARC), NPR 1,500 (foreign).

Part 3 — The mountain park you can still reach overland

7. Langtang National Park — the Himalaya, without a flight

Pic Credit: Much Better Adventures

Here's the one that surprises people: you can reach a high-mountain national park from Kathmandu on a single bus, no domestic flight required. Langtang National Park is the closest true Himalayan park to the capital, and its main trekking gateway, Syabrubesi, sits about 122 kilometres north along the Pasang Lhamu Highway. The road climbs through Trishuli Bazaar and Dhunche, and the drive typically takes seven to nine hours depending on conditions.

From Syabrubesi, trails lead up into a valley of bamboo forest, glacial rivers, high yak pastures and views of Langtang Lirung, with the Langtang Valley, Tamang Heritage Trail and the sacred lakes of Gosaikunda all within reach. Because there's no airport in the region, the road is the route for everyone — which makes Langtang the most accessible serious trek in Nepal for anyone who prefers wheels to wings. Note that trekking here requires a national park permit and a licensed guide, and rules can change, so check the latest requirements before you set off.

Reach it from Kathmandu: coach or shared jeep to Syabrubesi, about 7–9 hours. Entry fee: roughly NPR 100 (Nepali), NPR 1,500 (SAARC), NPR 3,000 (foreign).

Part 4 — The fly-in Himalayan and far-western parks

The remaining six parks sit in genuinely remote country. Reaching them means a flight and, usually, a multi-day trek — but even here the journey often begins with a road leg to a lowland hub like Nepalgunj before you catch the mountain plane. These are the trips for travellers with time, flexibility and a tolerance for weather delays.

8. Sagarmatha (Everest) National Park

Pic Credit: Tiger Enconter

Home to the top of the world, Sagarmatha National Park protects the Nepali side of Mount Everest — Sagarmatha in Nepali — along with a cluster of other giant peaks, deep gorges, glaciers and Sherpa villages. Established in 1976 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it's the goal of the classic Everest Base Camp trek and the Gokyo and Three Passes routes.

The standard approach is a short, scenic flight from Kathmandu to Lukla (around 25 to 30 minutes), and then you walk — the park's main entrance gate is at Monjo, a few hours below Namche Bazaar. Trekkers pay the national park permit plus a local Khumbu rural-municipality fee, and while a guide isn't strictly mandatory everywhere as of 2026, it's strongly recommended. This is the most iconic — and most weather-dependent — journey in the country.

Reach it from Kathmandu: flight to Lukla (~25–30 min), then trek. Entry fee: roughly NPR 25 (Nepali), NPR 1,500 (SAARC), NPR 3,000 (foreign), plus a local Khumbu fee.

9. Makalu Barun National Park

Pic Credit: Himalyan 360

Tucked into eastern Nepal beside the world's fifth-highest peak, Makalu Barun is one of the country's most pristine and least-trodden parks. It's prized for a huge altitudinal range that shelters everything from red pandas and clouded leopards to snow leopards higher up, and for a wilderness feel you simply won't find on the busier trails. The usual access is a flight to Tumlingtar in the east, followed by a road transfer to Khandbari or Num and then a demanding trek toward Makalu Base Camp. It's a park for experienced trekkers chasing solitude.

Reach it from Kathmandu: flight to Tumlingtar, then road and trek. Entry fee: roughly NPR 3,000 (foreign), lower for SAARC and Nepali visitors.

10. Rara National Park

Pic Credit: Tiger Encounter

Rara is Nepal's smallest national park, and it exists to protect the country's largest and arguably most beautiful lake — Rara Lake, a deep-blue sheet of water ringed by blue pine, spruce and juniper at nearly 3,000 metres in Mugu. For years it was one of the hardest places in Nepal to reach; that's changing. The quickest route is a flight from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj, a connecting flight to Talcha (Rara) airport, and then a three-to-four-hour hike to the lake — doable in a single long day when flights cooperate. There's also a growing overland option: a bus and jeep journey via Surkhet, Kalikot and Gamgadhi that takes two to three days but shows you a slice of Karnali most visitors never see.

Reach it from Kathmandu: fly via Nepalgunj to Talcha + short hike; or overland via Surkhet (2–3 days). Entry fee: mountain-park rates; confirm the current figure at the park office.

11. Shey Phoksundo National Park

Pic Credit: High Camp Adventure

The largest national park in Nepal, Shey Phoksundo sprawls across the trans-Himalayan district of Dolpa. Its centrepiece is Phoksundo Lake, a startling turquoise body of water and one of the deepest high-mountain lakes in the country, set against an austere, Tibetan-influenced landscape of high passes and ancient Bon and Buddhist villages. Access is a flight from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj, then on to the airstrip at Juphal in Dolpa, followed by a trek up toward the lake and, for those with the time and permits, deeper into Upper Dolpo. This is remote Nepal at its most cinematic.

Reach it from Kathmandu: fly via Nepalgunj to Juphal, then trek. Entry fee: confirm the current figure at the park office.

12. Khaptad National Park

Pic Credit: Klook

Khaptad is unlike anywhere else in this list — a rolling plateau of open meadows and rhododendron forest in the far-western hills, prized as much for its serenity and spiritual significance as its wildlife. It's named for the revered hermit Khaptad Baba, who meditated here, and it draws pilgrims as well as nature lovers, along with birdwatchers hoping for its 270-plus bird species. Getting there is a commitment: fly to Dhangadhi (or Nepalgunj), drive toward Silgadhi in Doti, and then trek for a day or more up onto the plateau. Those who make it find one of Nepal's most peaceful protected landscapes.

Reach it from Kathmandu: fly to Dhangadhi/Nepalgunj, drive to Silgadhi, then trek. Entry fee: roughly NPR 50 (Nepali), NPR 500 (SAARC), NPR 1,000 (foreign).

13. Chhayanath National Park — Nepal's newest

Pic Credit: Nepal Trekking

The country's thirteenth and youngest national park was declared in August 2025, carved out of the northern, Mugu-facing part of Shey Phoksundo. Chhayanath protects a swathe of rugged trans-Himalayan mountains, high valleys and glacial rivers near the Tibetan border, and it was created partly so that local communities in upper Mugu — who once faced a week-long walk to reach park services in Dolpa — could access them far more easily. It's snow-leopard country, home also to blue sheep, Himalayan tahr and the Tibetan wild ass. As a brand-new park in one of Nepal's most isolated corners, infrastructure is still minimal; realistic access mirrors the Rara route through Nepalgunj and Talcha or Gamgadhi in Mugu. This is a destination for the true frontier traveller.

Reach it from Kathmandu: via Nepalgunj to Mugu (Talcha/Gamgadhi), then overland and on foot. Entry fee: confirm on site — services are still being established.

Quick reference: the 13 parks and how to reach them

Entry fees and travel times are indicative and change seasonally; always confirm current rates with the Nepal Tourism Board or the park office before you travel.

When to go

Timing depends entirely on which kind of park you're visiting.

For the Terai wildlife parks — Chitwan, Parsa, Bardiya, Banke and Shuklaphanta — the sweet spot runs from October to March, when the weather is dry and comfortable and animals gather near shrinking water sources. Late in the dry season, around March to May, gives the best tiger sightings as big cats come out to drink, though April and May can be genuinely hot on the plains.

For the mountain parks — Langtang, Sagarmatha, Makalu Barun, Rara, Shey Phoksundo, Khaptad and Chhayanath — the trekking seasons are spring (March to May), when rhododendrons bloom, and autumn (September to November), when skies are clearest. Avoid the monsoon months of June to September, when trails turn muddy, leeches appear and mountain flights are frequently grounded.

Practical tips before you set off

A few things worth sorting in Kathmandu before you leave: carry your original passport for permits, and remember most park fees are charged per person and per entry — often per day for the Terai safari parks. Trekking parks like Langtang and Sagarmatha require a national park permit and, increasingly, a licensed guide, and the rules are updated periodically, so verify the current requirements before departure. For the fly-in parks, always build in one or two buffer days for weather delays, since mountain flights are the first thing to be cancelled when clouds roll in.

Book your long-distance road legs a day or two ahead in peak season, especially for popular gateways like Sauraha and Syabrubesi. Comfortable seats on the better coaches — air-conditioned deluxe and tourist classes — sell out fastest on weekends and around festivals. Booking your Kathmandu departure online in advance, rather than turning up at the bus park, saves you time and lets you pick your seat; platforms like GoMyGo let you compare departures and coach types for these routes and reserve in a few minutes.

Explore Nepal with GoMyGo

Nepal's national parks stretch from the valley rim above Kathmandu to the far corners of Mugu and Dolpa, and the smart way to plan any of these trips is to lock in your road travel first — the bus down to Sauraha, west to Nepalgunj for Bardiya and Banke, or north to Syabrubesi for Langtang forms the backbone of the whole journey. Getting that leg booked and confirmed early takes the stress out of everything that follows.

GoMyGo is an online intercity bus-booking platform built for exactly this. Through the app — available on both Android and iOS — and the website, you can browse live seat inventory across routes, compare coach types and fares, and pick your seat rather than leaving it to chance at the counter. Everything updates in real time, so what you see is what's actually available.

Payments are flexible and secure, with support for eSewa, Khalti, IME Pay, and ConnectIPS, plus options friendly to international visitors — handy given how many park-bound travellers are arriving from abroad. Once you book, your ticket confirmation arrives instantly by email and SMS, so you have your seat details on hand from the moment you're done.

And if anything comes up — a change of plan, a question about a route, a booking tweak — GoMyGo's customer support is available around the clock over WhatsApp, so help is only a message away wherever your national-park adventure takes you.

Final words

Thirteen national parks, one country, and a capital city that connects to every one of them. Whether you're chasing a rhino through the mist in Chitwan, a tiger in the wild forests of Bardiya, a Himalayan sunrise in Langtang, or the turquoise stillness of a lake in Dolpa, the journey almost always starts the same way — with a seat booked out of Kathmandu. Plan the timing around the season, sort your permits and your road travel in advance, and Nepal's wild heart is yours to explore, one park at a time.