Parsa National Park

Parsa is the forest you drive through between Hetauda and Birgunj without realising it is a national park. It shares a boundary with Chitwan National Park to the west and with India's Valmiki Tiger Reserve beyond, making it part of one of the most important tiger landscapes in Asia.

The forest

Tall sal forest covers the flats and the slopes of the Chure (Siwalik) hills, cut by dry, stony riverbeds that fill in the monsoon. Water is scarce in the dry season, so waterholes are the best places to wait for wildlife.

Wildlife

Tigers have increased here since the 2010s, and the park is home to wild elephants, gaur (the world's largest wild cattle), sloth bears, leopards and many deer. Birders come for forest species such as hornbills and the Indian pitta.

Visiting

Parsa has very little tourism infrastructure compared with Chitwan. Visits must be arranged through the park office, with guides, and are best suited to naturalists who value solitude over comfort.