Dodhara Chandani (Kanchanpur), April 30: Two thousand six hundred and thirty-four tourists visited the Shuklaphanta National Park here in the first six months of the current financial year. Among these visitors, 1,629 were men and 1,005 were women, according to the park office.
Similarly, the number of domestic tourists visiting the national park is 2,278. In addition, 244 tourists from SAARC countries, including 49 women and 195 men, and 112 tourists from other countries, including 49 women and 63 men, have visited the national park, said Purushottam Wagle, the National Park Information Officer.
During this period, the highest number of tourists visited the park in Chaitra (March 15- April 13), with 621 visitors. Similarly, 580 tourists visited the park in Kartik (October 17 – November 15), 293 in Mangsir (November 16 – December 15), 376 in Poush (December 16 – January 14), in Magh, 369, and 386 tourists visited the park in Falgun (February 13 – March 14). Information officer Wagle stated that revenue of Rs 1 million 467 thousand 486 was collected from the visitors as entry fee.
This park, full of biodiversity, rare wildlife and a peaceful environment, is becoming a favourite among tourists. Although there was a slight decline in the number of foreign tourists visiting here after the COVID pandemic, that number has been increasing in recent years.
“This park, which has the largest grassland in Nepal, is home to leopards, deer, and rare wildlife, as well as various plant species. Both domestic and international tourists visit here for observation along with carrying out studies and research about the area with natural beauty and biodiversity,” Wagle said.
According to the park’s data, 3,762 people, including 132 foreign and 112 SAARC country tourists, visited the park in the fiscal year 2080/81. In the fiscal year 2081/82, 3,322 people visited the park, including 199 tourists from SAARC countries and 152 foreign tourists from other countries.
Shuklaphanta National Park, spreading over an area of 305 square kilometres, is known for its rhinoceroses. The park has more than 2,323 swamp deer.
