Nepal is a land of extreme contrast, both in terms of climate and geography. It has a unique topography ranging from the lowlands with sub-tropical jungles to arctic conditions in the Himalayan highlands. Within a mere 150 kilometers, the land rises from the sea level in the south to over 8,000 meters in the north. This, together with the monsoon rainfall along the south facing slopes, has resulted in Nepal having virtually all the climate zones found on earth. As a result of this, Nepal has been endowed with great diversity of life and is home to a large variety of birds and animals.
The Terai lowland is the richest habitat in Nepal with tall grasslands that are interspersed with reverie and hardwood Sal forest. Here, one can get the opportunity to see diverse wild life such as: the swamp Deer, Musk Deer, Black Buck, Blue Bull, the Royal Bengal Tiger, Gharial and Mugger Crocodiles and the last of the breed of Asiatic wild Buffalo. This area is also rich in birdlife and has a variety of Babblers and Orioles, Koles and Drongos, Peacocks and Floricans and a multitude of wintering wild Fowls.
Once, the Chitwan National Park was one of the most famous big game hunting areas in Asia. However, now it offers protection to a large array of mammals such as: the one- horned Rhinoceros, Tiger, Leopard, sloth Bear and the Gaur (wild Bison) in addition to more than 400 species of birds.
