Parsa was set up as a wildlife reserve in 1984, originally to protect wild elephants and as a hunting ground in earlier times, and became a national park in 2017. It covers 627 km² across Parsa, Makwanpur and Bara districts, running east from Chitwan's boundary to the Hetauda–Birgunj highway. Unlike Chitwan's river plains, most of Parsa lies on the dry, rugged Churia (Siwalik) hills, at 435 to 950 m, covered in sal, chir pine on the ridges and seasonal stream beds called khola.
Together with Chitwan and India's Valmiki Tiger Reserve to the south, Parsa forms one of the largest tiger landscapes in South Asia. The 2022 survey counted 41 tigers in Parsa, up sharply from a handful a decade earlier. Wild elephants move through the park, gaur graze the forest clearings, and sloth bears, leopards and four-horned antelope live in the hills. A few rhinos have been translocated here from Chitwan.
Parsa is not set up for mass tourism. There is no village like Sauraha at the gate, accommodation near the park is basic, and wildlife is harder to see in dense forest and steep terrain than on Chitwan's grasslands. That is its appeal for some travellers: you may drive for hours without meeting another vehicle. We arrange Parsa trips on request as an extension to a Chitwan safari, with a jeep, naturalist and park permits. Check current status before you travel.
What to see and do
- A growing tiger population
Parsa's tigers rose to 41 in the 2022 survey, making it one of the success stories of Nepal's tiger programme. Sightings remain rare in thick forest, but fresh pugmarks on the dry stream beds are common.
- Wild elephants and gaur
Herds of wild Asian elephants move between Parsa, Chitwan and the Indian forests to the south. Gaur, the world's largest wild cattle, graze clearings in the sal forest and are seen more often here than in Chitwan.
- Churia hill forest
Most of Parsa lies on the Churia hills, a young, crumbling range of sandstone and gravel cut by dry stream beds. The landscape of ridges, gorges and sal forest is very different from Chitwan's river plains.
- Birding without crowds
Parsa's forest holds hornbills, woodpeckers, pittas in the wet season, raptors and many forest birds. With almost no other visitors, it rewards patient birders willing to walk and wait.
- Part of a cross-border landscape
Parsa connects with Chitwan to the west and Valmiki Tiger Reserve in India to the south, forming a large corridor for tigers, elephants and other wide-ranging animals across the border.
Experiences in Parsa National Park
How to reach Parsa National Park
Road
The park headquarters at Adhabhar lie on the Hetauda–Birgunj highway, ≈ 25 km · 45 min north of Birgunj and ≈ 40 km · 1 h south of Hetauda. From Sauraha it is ≈ 110 km · 3 h via Tandi and Hetauda; from Kathmandu ≈ 270 km · 7–8 h via Mugling, Narayangarh and Hetauda.
Air
Simara Airport, with flights from Kathmandu of about 20 minutes, is ≈ 25 km from Adhabhar. Flights are less frequent than to Bharatpur, so check current status before you travel.
Road
From India, cross at Raxaul–Birgunj and drive ≈ 25 km north to Adhabhar. This makes Parsa a convenient first stop for Indian travellers driving into Nepal, before continuing to Chitwan.
Where to stay
Accommodation near Parsa is limited and basic. Small lodges and buffer-zone homestays operate near the park boundary, and hotels in Birgunj, Simara and Hetauda offer more comfort within an hour's drive. Most of our guests visit Parsa as a day trip or one-night extension from Chitwan, staying in Hetauda or Birgunj, then return to a comfortable lodge in Sauraha or Patihani. Ask us for current options, as facilities near the park are still developing.
Tips from our trip managers
- Treat Parsa as an add-on to Chitwan rather than a replacement; wildlife is harder to see here.
- Book a jeep and naturalist in advance; there are few activity operators near the gate.
- The Churia hills are hot and dry from March; start drives at dawn and carry plenty of water.
- Park fees are similar to Chitwan's and are paid at the headquarters at Adhabhar.
- Wild elephants are the main risk on foot; walk only with licensed guides and follow their lead.
