Kathmandu Valley and Chitwan National Park - A transformational experience—eight incredible days with Bishnu Thapa and his son Krishna, first in the hills around Kathmandu and then proceeding to Chitwan National Park and surrounding buffer zones for another five days. I could barely keep up with the staggering number of birds (at least 140) we saw, along with a menagerie from monitor lizards to gharials, dozens of rhinos and elephants, deer, and monkeys. Of the astonishing array of plants, several wild orchids stopped me in my tracks. I cannot recommend Nepal Birding highly enough and am already hoping for a trip to Bardiya National Park and to higher altitudes that were not practical to visit in my limited time. Any trepidation I may have felt before going solo to remote parts of a country I had never before visited evaporated as soon as I met the Thapas. Over the first two days we visited Godavari Forest and Shivapuri National Park, which despite their proximity to Kathmandu Valley were remarkably varied temperate forests that revealed different kinds of birds, with tits, flowerpeckers, sunbirds, fulvettas, and other small birds predominant in the former, and barbets, laughing thrushes, minivets, nuthatches, in the latter. Chitwan could not have been more different, in the lowlands so much warmer and more humid, with a spectacular array of drongos, parakeets, five kinds of kingfishers (Stork-billed, White-throated, Ruddy, Pied, and Common), bee-eaters, owlets, owls, eagles, various waders, and stunning Indian Paradise Flycatchers. Mr. Thapa kindly arranged comfortable lodgings on the edge of the national park, where we were visited immediately by the first of many rhinoceroses we would encounter. Here and at the small guest house on the western edge of the national park daily we had three excellent meals of the freshest ingredients (for dessert watermelons with pomegranates and yogurt, papayas, but no mangoes yet), and basically never stopped observing—even during the afternoon rest a Greater Coucal moved stealthily around the shady trees that offered respite from the hot afternoon sun. Equally compelling to what we saw inside the boundaries of the national park were the many species—Indian Rollers, weavers, more kingfishers, francolins—that we saw in the buffer zones where forests meet agricultural land. In these areas we also met local conservationists and young students training in the field, yet another sign of the dedication people in Nepal are devoting to treasuring their environment and biodiversity. At the last minute we arranged an extra day for me with Krishna at Nagarjun Forest Reserve on the west side of the Kathmandu Valley, where we saw Pale Blue and Blue-throated Flycatchers, and a Small Niltava to the whir of countless cicadas announcing the onset of the monsoon. Although I used some repellent and took full advantage of the mosquito nets provided at our hotel and guesthouse near Chitwan, I almost didn’t need them thanks to the geckos, and my tummy was fine for the entire trip. Bishnu and Krishna are passionate about their work, and genuinely interested in sharing their knowledge and experiences. I can hardly wait to go back.

Excellent birding in Langtang! - Excellent birding in Langtang region☆☆☆ for one week. Nice lodges, wonderful food, sunshine and excellent birds along the trail!

Great way to experience Bardia, and maybe see a tiger! - I spent 3 1/2 days in Bardia park with Bishnu, staying at the Samsara Trekking Lodge, and then arranged a day trip to Phulchowki hill when I was in Kathmandu. It was all great. Bishnu and Krishna were very good birding guides, flexible and helpful. The lodge is quite charming. And both are great places to go. I have attached some photos of birds at Phulchowki to a separate review for that day. Here I will attach a couple of mammals from Bardia. Very highly recommended!

If you like wildlife, do not hesitate to contact Bishnu (Raju) - My main purpose to visit Nepal was to see the red panda. By accident I had the chance to visit Bardia National Park, which made my Nepal tour more remarkable. I had a wonderful experience in Bardia with Bisnhu, Santa and the driver (sorry I forgot his name). All of them are very skillful. We were always the first one to spot the big cats. Despite the wrong season, the team was very dedicated to ensure my tiger sightings. In two and a half day, we saw 1 leopard, tigers for 3 times, many spotted deers, barking deers, swamp deer, sambars and many many birds, especially the indian pitta, peacocks, owlet, different kinds of woodpeckers and hornbills. Also, I'm impressed by Bisnhu's knowledge. He can answer all my questions about wildlife in Nepal, such as those related to the red panda, the snow leopard and the monal. Their professionalism, dedication and patience are highly appreciated. I would definitely recommend them to my friends.

Very knowledgeable Birding experts - We spent 5 nights at the Samsara lodge and 4 days birding with Bishnu, two of the days also included Santa. We loved it! They knew every bird at every life stage. We bumped around in the jeep for 3 days, two full days in Bardia, one day at some wetlands outside of Bardia, and one day on walking safari in Bardia. We were out from 7am till 6pm, saw 134 bird species, rhino, tiger, black backed antelope, wild boar, 5 different deer species, two mongoose species... They were really knowledgeable and enthusiastic, and excellent at spotting and ID. Santa and Bishnu own the Samsara lodge, which had great food and comfortable beds and hot showers, and cold beer. You will not be disappointed. We signed up for a 5 night, 4 safari days web special, food and airport pickup included. We did a bank transfer of 1/2 upfront and paid the rest in cash when we arrived. I don't think they take credit cards. Highly recommend.

Excellent tour -lots of birds! - I went twice, once with Raju and once with Prem, around Bhaktapur and the hills outside Kathmandu. While I didn't see my goal bird - a monal - I had an excellent amount of species at the end of each day. It was not for lack of trying - these guys know their birds. Raju told me where I could find a monal on the Langtang trek I was going on a few days hence from that day. One of my highlights was seeing and hearing the White-Crested Laughingthrushes in full laughter. Another was a White-Browed Scimitar Babbler - Raju was very pleased to see that one! Prem was concerned that I wear something dark so that I blended in, to not scare the birds - great suggestion. Not only were there good bird sightings, but we also talked about the environment in Nepal and the pressures of encroaching houses on the jungle. They are both very thoughtful people and deeply care about birds and preserving nature, as well as sharing this with others. I'm inspired to be even more conscious of my footprint after discussions with Prem especially. I hope to go back someday to do a birding trek with them next time.

Wonderful Birding Experience - I did a solo 9 day trip on the "Golden Triangle" itinerary with Bishnu. I would definitely recommend this company and this itinerary to anybody wanting to see a good range of the bird species of Nepal, we saw 220 species, which I thought was excellent. I was very impressed with Bishnu's birding skills and tireless energy, he was continually working hard to find the more difficult birds. One of my top target birds was ibisbill, and after many hours of searching, Bishnu managed to find a couple of these elusive birds. I was also impressed that both Prem and Bishnu took the trouble to spend time with me both before and after the trip.

Great Birding in Nepal - We traveled with Bishnu Thapa for 6 days; three days in Pihauli (near Chitwan), 2 days in Chitwan National Park and one day in Shivapuri National Park above Kathmandu. Bishnu is a super guide who knows the birds of Nepal very well and does everything to ensure that his guests get to see them. He also has a great sense of humor, so that trips with him are not only very interesting from an ornithological point of view, but also a pleasure from a human point of view.

Cannot recommend highly enough - I travelled with my brother and met Raju through other UK trekkers highly recommending him. Raju is an exceptional guide and person. He guided us in Pokhara and in Chitwan on day walks. His knowledge of wildlife is simply incredible and his ability to see it and hear it when others can’t is simply amazing. We did two days of birdwatching walks in Pokhara and 2 days Safari in Chitwan. He took some stunning photographs for us too. He also was great company. He speaks exceptionally good English and has a great a sense of humour. He is polite and courteous and chose walks that were the right length and difficulty for us. He arranged logistics for us and visited us the days before at our hotel. He also recommended some excellent places to eat. I would not hesitate in recommending him and will trek with him again.

Great guides and birds! - Used this company for two days in the Kathmandu area (Godawari) and highly recommend them. I would gladly use them again! They were punctual, professional, courteous, and knew where to go. We saw over 100 species over the two days, far more than I expected.