KATHMANDU: Despite being home to Nepal’s largest grassland, rich biodiversity, and rare wildlife, Shuklaphanta National Park continues to remain overlooked because of inadequate promotion and weak infrastructure.
The park, located in far-west Nepal, is renowned for its vast meadows, swamp deer, Bengal tigers, and unique flora and fauna. Yet, both domestic and international tourists rarely make their way here.
According to official records, the park saw 12,138 visitors in fiscal year 2018/19, but numbers have remained low since the COVID-19 pandemic. In FY 2023/24, only 3,371 visitors entered the park, including just 199 foreigners and 152 from SAARC nations.
“Tourist arrivals had been significant before the pandemic, but numbers dropped sharply afterwards,” said park information officer Purushottam Wagle. “Even domestic visitors have decreased in recent years.”
Although the nearby Gaddachauki border point has seen an increase in international arrivals, most foreigners choose to travel on to Bardiya National Park instead of Shuklaphanta. Immigration officials estimate that around 80 percent of tourists entering through Gaddachauki bypass Shuklaphanta entirely.
Tourism entrepreneurs blame the lack of government priority, inadequate infrastructure, and poor marketing for the decline. “The peaceful environment and the opportunity to observe a high diversity of rare animals in a relatively small area could attract more tourists if promoted properly,” said a local businessman.
Shuklaphanta boasts over 2,300 swamp deer, along with tigers, rhinos, elephants, blackbuck, pangolins, leopards, and more. It is also a birdwatchers’ paradise, with over 461 bird species, including globally rare species such as the Bengal florican, swamp francolin, and lesser adjutant stork.
Spread over 305 square kilometers, the park offers not just wildlife, but also wetlands and rivers that provide habitats for reptiles, amphibians, and hundreds of butterfly species.
Locals say that with better road access, lodging facilities, and global outreach, Shuklaphanta could emerge as one of Nepal’s leading eco-tourism destinations.
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