Burhan Wilderness Camps

Bardiya National Park, a lush 374-square-mile jungle paradise in the Tarai and a less-crowded alternative to Chitwan National Park, has seen its Royal Bengal tiger population soar to a record-breaking 125 felines over the last decade. Conservationist Manoj Gautam, former director of the Jane Goodall Institute Nepal , acquired a piece of private land in the Khata Wildlife Corridor to save it from being turned into a casino hotel—and to set an example for a more sustainable future in tourism. Optimally nestled on a peninsula between two channels of the Karnali River, Burhan Wilderness Camps offers visitors bushwalks, canoe trips, wildlife tracking with anti-poaching units, and front-row seats to Asiatic elephants, greater one-horned rhinos, swamp deer, and more without entering the park. (While nothing is guaranteed, Gautam says tiger spotting is highly probable with a three-night stay—and if you don’t see one, you’ll likely hear roaring throughout the night.) Operating in a micro-conservancy style, Burhan prioritizes the protection of animals while minimizing its own ecological footprint. Aside from one treehouse with solar-powered air conditioning, slated to open after monsoon season, the camp sets up platformed safari tents only when guests are present and serves local, organic food. It also supports indigenous Tharu culture through employment, operating a thatched-roof longhouse for guest experiences in a nearby village and teaching life-saving solutions to human-tiger conflict, ensuring the frontline community also benefits from conservation. “[We want] responsible tourism to flourish in the buffer zone area,” says Gautam, who aims to replicate this model in other remote parks throughout Nepal.

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