The Red Panda is a mammal native to the eastern Himalayas of Nepal. The red panda has reddish-brown fur, a long, shaggy tail, and a waddling gait due to its shorter front legs.
Red Panda is found in most of part Himalayas of South Asia. From Eastern Himalayas to Southwestern China its native area ranges around the Himalayas only. Like the giant panda, it is also mostly an herbivorous mammal that feeds mainly on bamboo. The red panda has reddish-brown fur, a long, shaggy tail, and a waddling gait due to its shorter front legs. It is only slightly larger than the size of a domestic cat, though with a longer body and somewhat heavier. Growing from 50-65cm in length and weighing up to 6kg.
Red Panda Tour in Nepal, itinerary focuses on Dobate Village of Ilam district for seeing the lesser panda. Red Pandas are skillful climbers that spend most of their time in the trees curled up with their long, bushy tails wrapped around their heads. Their thick reddish-brown fur offers additional protection from the cold, often harsh, mountain weather. We’ll give you a guide while you’re on this itinerary. You can also experience the day-to-day activities of the typical rural village in the Ilam district of Nepal.
Living in 36 different mountain districts, there are around 1000 red pandas in Nepal. It is one of the most endangered species in the country as well as the whole world. The majority of the red pandas of Nepal are protected inside the national park. Also, there are some communities of red pandas in Eastern Nepal in the districts like Ilam, Panchthar, and Taplejung where there are not any national parks or wildlife reserves yet is home to one-fourth of pandas. There are some non-profit organizations that are working to save the pandas of this region.
The Red Panda Community and Red Panda Network are organizations that are working since 2007 to spread awareness among local people and actions to protect the various endangered species through their habitat management, sustainable livelihood, and awareness building.
See for yourself if all that you have read and watched on the internet, about the tranquil beauty of Nepal and the warm hospitality of Nepalese. After flying through the beautiful view of this trekkers; paradise, you will meet our company representative at the airport. You must have an impatient heart for a breathtaking adventure. Get ready to experience Nepal up close and personal. But first, we will transfer you to your hotel.
If you have an early arrival, you may stroll around the hippest and happening area in Thamel, where you can find restaurants with varieties of cuisine to dine. This first night in the country, you will be staying in Kathmandu.
On your second day, you can go sightseeing to some of the famous religious and historical sites of Kathmandu. After exploring this city of temples; you will meet your tour guide at the hotel. You will be briefed in detail about the wildlife adventure. The guide will also assist you with any last-minute shopping that you require for the safari.
Have a well-rested night at Kathmandu before heading off to the wildlife.
(You can dump the stuff you do not want during the trek at the hotel or our office store.)
Morning flight to Bhadrapur. Bhadrapur is one of the most beautiful flights in Nepal. If you are lucky enough then you can see 7 mountains over 8000m on a clear sky day including Mt. Everest. After arrival in Bhadrapur, you will be transferred to Ilam by road for about 3 to 4 hours.
Once you reach Ilam, you can enjoy the scenic beauty of that place. One of the most beautiful places of Nepal, you can enjoy the landscape of tea plantation-covered hills in most parts of the place. We will stay overnight in a lodge here in Nepal's tea capital.
Today we will head toward the village of Dobate in the northern part of Ilam. The protected forest of Dobato is in Ilam, at the foot of the Himalayan Mountains. This location has a powerful hold for Red Pandas. We will travel along with our red panda tracking guide. You can get the opportunity to enjoy the actual rural village of Nepal. The road is sometimes uneven, but it is all worth it when you reach Dobate and feel the actual beauty of a rural village and the wonderful world of the Red Panda.
Upon reaching the village, you will feel as if you had just been transported to paradise. Dobate has very few numbers of houses, some better looking than others, and the area has a deserted look.
During our evening time, we will enjoy the surroundings and walk towards the lake located at an altitude of about 2700m.
Today we will start to track Red Pandas in the forest of Dobate. This place is a stronghold of Red Pandas and our tour focuses on tracking this cat-bear Himalayan raccoon in their natural habitat. In these 3 full days, you will hike around the rhododendron and oak forests in search of the firefox. This area is also famous for special birds like Fire-tailed Myzornis, Maroon-backed Accentor, Rufous-throated Wren Babbler, Slender-billed, Scimitar Babbler, Rusty-fronted Barwing, Rufous-capped Babbler, and eight species of laughing-thrush, to name a few. Other mammals in this place include Clouded Leopards, Leopard cats, and Himalayan Palm Civets.
Our guide will communicate with the Red Panda Network (RPN) office in Ilam and Taplejung to check to see if there are any suspicious activities taking place in the forest. The guide will move upfront and see which path we should follow and where can we locate red pandas. There is a very good chance of locating red pandas with our guide on our side. During the course of three days, we will repeat the same activity every day but on different paths and places. We can see red pandas sleeping and relaxing in the branches of a tree or roaming around the jungle.
If we are unable to encounter the red panda on our first day, we have another two days. There is a high chance of tracking red pandas in this area so we can make sure that you will see red pandas during these periods.
We will spend a few times in the morning seeing the beauty of the village. After morning breakfast and speding few times, we will return back to Ilam bazar. Reaching Ilam bazar we have to say goodbye to our guide who helped and remained with us constantly during our red panda tracking period.
After this wonderful trip, drive to Bhadrapur and fly to Kathmandu.
Once you reach Kathmandu you will check-in at a nice hotel around the Thamel area. In the evening you can stroll around for souvenir shopping, drinks, and dinner. Walking around Thamel and nearby areas for shopping and self-exploring the narrow streets of this tourist hub is a good idea to spend your evening in Kathmandu.
We will drop you to the airport according to your flight schedule. Tiger Encounter hopes to take you to another exciting wildlife safari in Nepal soon.
Taplejung District is one of 77 districts of Nepal and one of the 14 districts of Province No. 1. It is remotely located in the Himalayas in Eastern Nepal. To get there, Morning flight to Bhadrapur. Bhadrapur is one of the most beautiful flights in Nepal. If you are lucky enough then you can see 7 mountains over 8000m on a clear sky day including Mt. Everest. After arrival in Bhadrapur, you will be transferred to Ilam by road for about 3 to 4 hours.
What to Bring
Red Panda Behavior
The family life of this attractive animal is obscure. A weak unearthly whistling or squeaking note is given out when it is disturbed or separated from its mate. This resembles the chirping of a bird. The whistling and chirping sound thus may be a means of communication. The courtship mating behavior of this animal resembles that of cats. It has been observed that stress and excitement give out a strong odor produced from the anal scent glands. The odor may be the means of defense and sexual attraction. The panda in captivity rubs the glandular area of the anal gland against a rough surface over which it moves living a scent trail that might well serve as a single to another individual.
This is a pre-booking form for the lead traveler. We would send you the actual booking form after the confirmation
Excellent safari in Chitwan and Bardia. Very professional company and we were looked after really well. Communication was easy and fast response. The guides on the safaris were brilliant and the accommodation was excellent. Can’t rate them highly enough.
I’ve been to 28 different countries and countless safaris over the world- let me tell you that this is the standard for every other safari I’ve been on since! The attention to detail, the absolute love and care of the guides, and the tour operator’s genuine wish for you to have the best experience possible made this one of the most amazing tours/safaris I’ve been on. It was just as amazing to meet the locals and meet the Tharu people as it was to see the rhino and to be close up with an elephant!! (And That tiger that kept in front of our raft to cross the river!!) As an experienced traveler, take my word that you will have a genuinely wild and carefree adventure!!!🤩🥳🥳
Had the most wonderful and life changing experience with Tiger Encounter. I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Mr. Sharma (owner) who had accompanied me as my guide throughout my adventure. They had planned everything so well and truly make you feel like family. Be it every step of the way from jeep safari, jungle walk, canoe ride, trek through the jungle, mountain trek Mr. Sharma is truly amazing guide, photographer and wonderful motivator. It goes without saying that your guide is your doorway to experiencing everything about the beautiful country you visit. Be it food, shopping, adventure or pleasure. I truly loved every moment of my time…and hope to return to this beautiful country with Tiger Encounter to many more adventures and celebrating a wonderful friendship. Hop you all have as amazing adventures and journeys with them. 🌟
Thank you Tiger Encounter team for another great experience in beautiful Nepal. We had amazing memories in Mt. Everest & Chitwan! We did wildlife safari, jeep safari, bird watching, village tour & cultural program. You are super professional, knowledgeable. Strongly recommend.
Tiger Encounter made our tiger encounter possible. On tiger tracking day two we saw the beautiful beast come out to drink it has an incredible experience. Waiting for almost two days on the blazing heat of May was really worth it!!
We went on a wildlife safari tour operated by Tiger Encounter last May 2019. It was a great experience for the whole family our kids were very excited to see animals out in the wild.
Walking along with the wild that shelters varieties of birds and animals felt amazing. Very organized and fun wildlife tour.
Embark on a private safari in Chitwan National Park, guided by experts, and immerse yourself in its pristine wilderness and rich biodiversity.
Come across the magnificent Royal Bengal Tigers, and watch them live their untamed lives. Experience this immense quest in the wilderness of the most undisturbed protected area in Nepal.
Explore the wilderness of Chitwan National Park to visit Royal Bengal Tigers, one horned rhinos and many other animals and birds in their natural residence.
