Butterfly Watching in Nepal
Nepal is paradise for butterfly watching. With over 600 species, 20 of which are on the endangered list, butterfly enthusiasts are able to watch and record butterflies in all their natural beauty to their heart's content. Nepal is excellent representation of both in Oriental and Palearctic realms in terms of butterfly species. According to official records, Nepal has 651 species of butterflies, which is 3.72% of the world's butterfly species. All these species are categorized under 11 families of the existing of 15 families in the world. About 29 species and sub-species have been found widespread in the country. Butterflies can be found from 2,700m to 5,500m in the Himalayas region. Parnassius acdestis (Sikkim Banded Apollo), Aglais Ladakensis (Ladak Tortoise Shell) and Pontia Sherpae (Sherpa white) exist in higher altitude in the western Himalayas of Nepal. Parnassius species (Apollo) can be found above 2,700m from the eastern to western Himalayas of Nepal. The mid-mountain region is a meeting point for both the Palearctic and Oriental species. Among the notable and rare species found in this part includes Teinopalpus imperialis (Kaiser-E-Hind), Papilio Krishna (Krishna Peacock) and many others. More than 360 species of butterflies are found in Kathmandu and its surrounding hills. Teinopalpus imperialis, Papilio Krishna, Diagora nicevillei, Troides aeacus etc. are some of the notable kinds found in Kathmandu. The southern part stretching from Gofavari to be Pulchowki is considered to be the sites with the most potential for butterfly watching in Nepal. Shivapuri National Park is the next hot spot to see a wide variety of species. Various studies show the existence of 102 species of butterflies in this park. Rare species like Papilio Krishna has been reported at an elevation of 2,120m of Shivapuri. If you have a fascination for butterflies, or if you have a slight interest but would like to learn more, join us on this expert-led tour!