The Tiger Tops Karnali Lodge is located outside the Bardia National Park, the largest and most preserved wilderness area in Nepal. The Park is in a very remote part of Nepal, a 14-hour bus trip or an expensive flight from Pokhara and the nearest town is Nepalgunj. But, Bardia is worth the extra effort in terms of travel, and guests are always rewarded with a quieter, more in-depth wildlife experience.
We were met at Nepalgunj airport and driven to the park on a pleasant two-hour journey along reasonable roads. The main Tiger Tops Karnali Lodge building was a thatched-roof roundhouse where we were received by the hotel staff. The lodge has been completely refurbished in 2013, and with the new look rooms and communal areas, it is now considered one of the very best lodges in Nepal. It has just 20 en-suite rooms, blending local Tharu design with international levels of comfort.
Tiger Tops Karnali Lodge offers a wide range of wildlife experiences from walking, jeep and river safaris. The resident elephants are unable to go into the park anymore, but you can ride them down to the river to a quick bath in between game drives. The highly experienced naturalists at Tiger Tops Karnali Lodge are passionate about wildlife preservation and love to share their information and make your wildlife experience a memorable event.
Amenities
24hr Room ServiceBar/PubConciergeCribs/Infant Beds AvailableGardenMultilingual StaffRestaurantSafety Deposit BoxesWi-Fi AvailableStay Tiger Tops Karnali Lodge has just 20 en-suite rooms. Accommodation is in comfortable, spacious traditional twelve cottages built from mud and thatch with high ceilings and decorated in soft natural colours. In addition, there are 12 rooms situated in Tharu style longhouse with attached shower. Kerosene heaters are provided in the bedrooms and they are lit by the staff every night. Hot water bottles are put into the beds to warm them. Patience is all you need when it comes to hot water.
ChildCare Children above 16 years are welcome to stay at the Tiger Tops Karnali Lodge but there are no specific facilities available. However, babysitting service can be arranged on request.
Dine All meals at the Tiger Tops Karnali Lodge are included in the cost, and as far as possible sourced from their own organic gardens and local suppliers. There is a fixed menu of Nepali and western style food. All tours to the park, are on foot or on 4WD in the area where there is presence of tigers, wild elephant and rhino. Apart from the big animals, there are hundreds of varieties of birds that can be watched from with the lodge itself or within the national park.
Relax We did a number of safaris on elephants (locally) and 4WD in the park and spent the day gently rafting down the river where we saw long-nosed, gharials. The scenery around the Tiger Tops Karnali Lodge is fabulous, where you can sit on a deck overlooking a watering hole. The thrill of seeing tigers, wild elephant, rhino, crocodile and other game up-close is what makes Karmali Lodge one of the best wildlife destinations in the Himalayas.
Experience Bardia National Park is one of Nepal’s best kept secrets. Located in the Terai region it is Nepal’s largest national park and wilderness area. The king of Bardia is the Bengal tiger with a population of around 50 to 60 animals. It is also the habitat for the wild Asian elephant and the one-horned rhinoceros and rhesus macaque monkey. The park is surrounded by idyllic villages inhabited by an indigenous ethnic group named the ‘Tharu’ who have their own unique language, customs and traditions.
Location Tiger Tops Karnali Lodge is set outside the Bardia National Park, Nepal’s largest wilderness area.
Getting There Kathmandu has an international airport. The flying time from Kathamndu to Nepalgunj airport is approximately forty-five minutes. A representative from Tiger Tops will meet you on arrival and drive you for about two hours to the lodge just outside the Bardia National park.
When to go The best time to visit the Bardia National Forest is from October to April. This is the cold season for Nepal. The heat wave runs through May until monsoon arrives in mid-June and stays until August. But in September, when the rains stop, the weather is balmy, the air is crip and the sky is clear; it is the perfect time to visit Nepal.
Destination
Western, Nepal
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