Nepal: Bardia National Park (Part I)

Having had an excellent short visit to Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha, we arose early the next morning to travel to Bardia National Park. Alba arranged this as she knows I live for the natural world and I had been uncharacteristically patient, visiting lots of temples over the past 2 weeks. 

The river of the village we stayed in, looking into the border of Bardia National Park. This particular spot was very good for animal and bird sightings, just a short walk from our lodge (Rhino Lodge Bardia).

Our journey began at 6:45am with a local bus north to Butwal, costing us just 150 NPR. We arrived at Butwal at about 8:15am and promptly bought our next tickets west to Ambasa, the gateway to Bardia for just 600 NPR. I didn’t really like the atmosphere at Butwal Bus Station. Alba was sexually harassed by a drunkard who slapped her ass and it was full of ignorant pigs who stared at her unforgivingly every time she stepped out of the bus. Sorry for being blunt but thinking about it really annoys me – it was disgusting. 

Ready for a long journey from Butwal Bus Station

We couldn’t leave the bus station soon enough. People like this are a minority but they seem to be more common in bus stations, based on our experiences. The behaviour of these Neanderthals was soon forgotten, however, as there was a really gentle old man who Alba befriended on the bus. She even got a photo with him, much to his amusement! The bus journey was really long, but it was interesting to look at life in the various remote villages as we passed, nonetheless. We arrived to Ambasa at around 5pm and we were met by a safari style 4x4 with driver and guide.

Alba with the kind man she befriended, on our journey west.

 

What a relief that was, considering the lodge was some 16km away. The guide, Dharma was full of information. I was incredibly excited to be there and asked him about elephants straight away. He told me a story of a mad bull that was in musth (*when male elephants become hormonal and and secrete a liquid from above the eye [during musth they become extremely unpredictable and aggressive]) and had been crossing the river from the national park into the village buffer zone. When elephants are in musth they are extremely aggressive. This one was no different and was even chasing the local dogs along the river bank. Our guide told us about a close encounter he had recently had, whereby the elephant suddenly appeared and charged at him. He even had a rather close photo to prove it! Based on the various conversations we had with him en route to the lodge I knew that this was going to be a very interesting stay. 

An elephant barrier, with iron bars, buckled after the recent escapades of the mad bull.

An elephant print, taken in a crop field. Human-elephant conflict is frequent in Nepal and there have been a few casualties even in this village

The resort of Rhino Lodge Bardia itself is beautiful. It is full of mature trees with a rich diversity of birds, bat and invertebrates. Our lodge is lovely too, with a powerful ceiling fan, mosquito nets, a private bathroom and a veranda where we can chill and watch birds in the morning. I’ve had some nice birds right from our doorstep including Shikra, Yellow-footed Green Pigeon and Indian Grey Hornbill, to name but a few. 

The first morning we walked around the village with two of the guides, Dharma, and another local guide named Sita. The village is lovely – full of traditional mud-huts owned by the indigenous Tharu people who are very friendly. Everywhere you look you see signs of a simpler, purer life; rice-fields, domestic buffalo bathing in muddy ponds, people herding goats, kids cycling to school, hand-carved wooden canoes, and so on. Life is simple here and everyone seems to be happy and peaceful

A very rural, traditional house - the woman inside was weaving a traditional basket

Alba with the woman of the above house

A semi-traditional house, because of the modern style roof. The walls are created with several stakes driven into the ground, woven with lighter sticks and plant material, and then coated with mud.

Domestic Buffalo are very common here, with most houses having at least one. They are usually given a pool to bathe in - they love it.

A local lady, tending to her rice

We stopped on our cycle one day to pet this adorable little pup.

Alba feeling camera shy?

The local Hindu temple

A typical small rural track leading between villages

After seeing some of the village we went to the river where we saw lots of birds including Indian Roller, Paddyfield Pipit, Common Hawk-cuckoo, White-browed Wagtail, Stork-billed Kingfisher, Cinnamon Bittern, Green and Blue-tailed Bee-eaters, Baya Weaver, River Lapwing, and many many more. I knew I was in the right place, and even though Alba doesn’t like birds the way I do, she liked it too – it was hard not to like it here. 

On the way back to the lodge we were stopped by a local family who had just unwrapped a rather large python from around their chicken. The python had taken cover in a hay bale and the chicken was ok but was standing on one foot, with the other leg raised and bleeding (a few days later the leg was ok so don’t worry!). We waited to see if the big snake would reappear but it had gone to ground. We left and for me this was further confirmation that where we were was the real deal. Wild Elephants chasing dogs and Pythons trying to take chickens! Anything was possible and I was excited to really explore this place.

Green Bee-eater, Bardia National Park

Red-whiskered Bulbul, Bardia National Park

River Lapwing, Bardia National Park

White-browed Wagtail (one of my Nepalese highlights!), Bardia National Park

Spot the hornbills (there are 2 species)

We spent the first full day setting up the new office computer, organising login details to the various social media sites and websites and figuring out what work we could do over the next few weeks. We had plenty to do and we worked away on the computers for 5 hours as was to be continued each day. In return we had our lovely lodge, beautiful meals 3 times a day and the help of the on-site staff and owner.  

Doing some work  at Rhino Lodge Bardia

A very nice light breakfast of Roti and black tea.

A lovely Dal Bhat, consisting of rice, dal (lentil soup), pumpkin leaves, curried cucumber, spiced lady fingers, pickle and popadum.

This was a nice surprise! The greens on the right are actually the shoots from a species of  edible fern and they were really tasty too. These are handpicked from the jungle here and are very popular - I can see why.

After our 5 hours of work we were going to take a shower when then we noticed the guides and staff running around grabbing binoculars and cameras frantically. We looked at each other somewhat bemused and wondered what was happening? Then Sita looked at us “Elephants, let’s go!” I asked him if the mad bull had returned and he said “No! A herd of elephants at the other side of the village, let’s go!”  Wow! Neither of us had ever seen a wild elephant before and we had doubts if we would even see ONE, never mind a herd. We also grabbed our gear and ran to the safari jeep (a regular jeep but with an open back and terraced seating). We rushed in the jeep about 6km away to the other end of the village, to a community forest (a grey area between national reserve and buffer zone, where the habitat is quite pristine but is managed by the community rather than the government). The excitement and suspense on the way was indescribable. 

Alba with safari jeep, at Rhino Lodge Bardia

As we arrived to this little sub-village the ever-present risk of elephants was clearly evident, as there were large wooden lookout towers all around, guarding the rice and crop fields. We parked up, and after a quick word with a local man, who had texted our guide with the news, we went in the direction of the river. They were speaking quite a lot in Nepalese and didn’t sound overly excited so we were wondering if the elephants had perhaps moved on? We saw a small crowd at the riverbank and then we could also make out two elephants at the other side coming from a clearing down to the river. When we got closer it became clear why they had chosen this spot. There was a shallow bank full of tall grass, which the elephants here love to eat, and of course the water – to drink and bathe in.  

The first few elephants to descend from the jungle into the riverside grass

What happened next was just magical, and beyond our wildest imagination. The elephants kept coming, and coming and coming. All shapes and sizes began to appear from the jungle, out into the open of the shallow bank. We couldn’t believe our eyes. I looked around and everybody was in silence with the biggest grins on their faces. After some time, we did a thorough count and had a minimum of 42 elephants (perhaps we missed some young ones hidden behind others, or in the long grass) For now, I think this has been the most magical wildlife moment of my life – I’ll never ever forget it. 

They continue to arrive and play - the elephant on the mid-right is scratching its belly off the bank and sliding down.

After a minute or two they seemed to emerge en-masse! What a sight!

We watched them feed, play, bathe, play-fight and just be wild and carefree for almost an hour. Unfortunately, some fishermen arrived after some time and started to shout and make noises, which surprisingly scared these gentle giants back into the cover of the jungle. We were rather nervous about this because we had been made aware that 3-4 elephants had crossed the river to our side and were potentially somewhere behind us. Luckily we never met them. One elephant closest to the fisherman acted as a lookout and trumpeted the alert to all the others – these are sociable intelligent animals, and despite the frustrating circumstances it was still very interesting to see this cooperative behaviour amongst the herd. And so that was it! We left on a high and went home to edit the several hundred photos we took! It is an experience that will live on in our minds forever.

Alba watching part of the 42-strong herd in disbelief!

How many elephant photos are too many?

This one was calling

There were several calves present in the group.

Two of the big bulls spent some time play-fighting when all the others fled, as a result of the screaming fishermen.

For the next day or two we got up early, went for a walk, worked through the day and went to the river in the evening to look for birds and whatever else we could find. Each night we saw lots and lots of Spotted Deer, and we even saw another large group of 23 elephants. Then the next day we were told we were going to be doing a jungle walk – one in the early morning and another after lunch. This is what we had been waiting for! Bardia National Park is famous for a whole array of exciting and dangerous animals; Bengal Tigers, One-horned Rhinos, Asiatic Elephants, Marsh Muggers, Sloth Bears, etc. We were really excited and to be honest we were scared. People are killed in the national parks here in Nepal every year. The chances are slim but it happens. 

The main entrance to Bardia National Park. This is where you sign the documents, before walking the short road and passing a final army checkpoint - then it becomes totally wild.

We got up at 5am, put on our boots and long sleeves (despite 30 degree + heat) and were driven to the park entrance. Here we signed some forms and the fees were kindly paid by Rhino Lodge Bardia. We took a short walk to the river where we were met by a man with a dugout canoe. It was quite atmospheric to be honest, it was proper jungle and there was a heavy mist sitting over the river. The dugout canoe made it feel extra Indiana Jones. Myself and Alba went first and then the boat man returned for out two guides. Before we set off into the jungle proper, they gave us some advice: “If you see a tiger, look it in the eye and slowly backup. If you see a rhino run and climb up the nearest tree. If you see an elephant run into dense scrub, hide and hope for the best”. This was all good advice but it just made everything feel so real and it made me quite paranoid. 

The ferry crossing in the early morning mist

And we are in! This is where the nerves began to set in. Unlike other places there were no guns or anything for protection, just the knowledge of the guides, our own wits and a stick.

So we went in and every noise made us jump and turn. We saw some Spotted Deer and Rhesus Macaques, and lots of birds. Then we entered the long grass. This part worried me because I was expecting something to jump out at me at any moment. To our relief we eventually made it past the grass and took a small track into the trees. Then we started to detect tiger tracks – cool but a reminder of what was around us. 

Our first animals (Rhesus Macaques & Spotted Deer) were nothing to worry about - nice to see though!

Ashy-headed Green Pigeon, Bardia National Park

Changeable Hawk Eagle

 

Spotted Deer, Bardia National Park

Lots of long grass - the perfect hiding place for a man-eating tiger.

Tiger print - this further fueled my vivid imagination and made me flinch at every sound.

And old tiger scat consisting of deer hair and even a hoof.

With time the paranoia eased off and we really started to enjoy it. We saw lots more birds, interesting invertebrates and lots of tracks and signs of various animals. We eventually found ourselves at a very tall tower just above tree height which looks over one of the river branches inside the jungle. We were told that this was an excellent location to see various wild animals, including tigers which come to drink and swim. 

As we are in monsoon season tigers are a little bit more difficult to see as they have access to water in lots of places, and so they don't have a necessity to visit the rivers. We had no luck this time with the tigers but we did have an amazing sighting of a family party of 9 Smooth-coated Otters. They glided, leaped and dived through the water with incredible speed and grace – I’ve never seen anything like it. We watched them in awe for a minute as they worked their way upriver, stopping occasionally to munch on a fish.

Part of the group of 9 Smooth-coated otters we saw from the tower.

These were a joy to watch as they bound through the air, munching fish on the go.

From here, we moved to another tower where tigers are frequently seen but it was not to be. We had an amazing view there thought and saw some nice birds and some Spotted Deer, again. From here we continued along the river. We saw some Rhino Apples (a favourite food item of Rhinos), as well as Rhino tracks and excrement, but no Rhino. We continued along the river stopping at each opening in the trees to view the river and its opposite bank. We had a brief glimpse of a young Gharial which slipped underwater as soon as it detected us coming. 

The second observation tower of the day - overlooking a hotspot of animal activity.

Alba scanning for any bathing/drinking tigers, from a height.

View from the tower.

Another view from the tower

A One-horned Rhino print among one of its favourite food items - Rhino Apple from a Trewia nudiflora tree

Anywhere we found Rhino Apples, we always found rhino tracks and dung. It also made me quite nervous, coming across these fruits!

Red Cotton Bug, a common species wherever we found fallen, fermenting Rhino Apples.

Continuing through the jungle; we stopped suddenly when I found a young Indian Rocky Python hiding in the leaf litter. It was rather bloated and lethargic and was presumably digesting a recent small mammal meal. We took some photographs and left it be. 

A young Indian Rock Python digests its last meal.

We soon reached an open kink on the river and could look back along the stretch we had just walked. “Rhino”, announced Sita. Jesus! We picked up the binoculars and realised we had walked right past this monster without even knowing (it was impossible though due to the dense thicket bordering the river in most areas along this stretch). Impressive and beautiful as they may be, these things are no joke. They do attack and kill people, someone was killed in Chitwan as recently as the end of this April by one. 

 

These were our first distant views of the Rhino.

We were asked if we wanted to go back to try to get a closer look. We both looked at each other in fear. Of course we wanted a better look but how dangerous would it be? We decided to go for it and I can’t ever recall walking so carefully with each and every step, before in my life. I was terrified of making of breaking a twig under my clunky boots or make a noise that would make it charge at us from the bushes. We had no idea how far back we had walked. Had we already past it? Were we right next to it? Had it moved onto the track? I’ll be honest – I was terrified. 

The guides eventually turned into a small clearing with a little view to the river. I crouched down and waddled through expecting to see it upriver a little, but got the shock of my life. “Fucking hell”. It was right in front of us. Alba and Sita went up a tree for a safe view. My hands were shaking like a leaf and even though it was right there I was afraid to click my camera for fear of making it charge us, because of the noise of the shutter. I told Dharma I wanted to turn around! It was no more than 15 feet away and it seemed to be staring right at me! Dharma assured me that it was safe. The section of bank we were on was slightly too step and had too much scrub for it to get at us. I calmed somewhat and it then moved. I immediately ran to the tree and realised I couldn’t get up! 

After ducking through a clearing this is what we were met with!

The first close unobstructed view. So close you can count the flies! Hands were shaking here.

When I turned I realised it was slowly crossing to the other side of the channel. I finally relaxed and fired off a plethora of shots. I was in awe. It was like an armoured tank! After a few minutes we left it in peace and we went on our way. I think this may actually slightly surpass the 42-strong elephant sighting, as my most memorable wildlife encounter ever, because of the sheer adrenaline rush alone. 

Finally beginning to relax after it crosses to the other side of the river

Once crossed, it took no notice of us and began to graze.

That’s it for now, but this isn’t the end of our Bardia story. Part II to come soon! As we are in an extremely remote area our WiFi signal can suffer, also power cuts are daily in Nepal, sometimes occurring more than once a day. However, we are getting by and its becoming a part of day to day life!

  

We begin to return back across the park boundary, but not for the last time. Only two can go at a time so we wait our turn and photograph our excellent guides: Dharma & Sita.