Each of Bhutan's
National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries is an essential part of
the Bhutan Biological Conservation
Complex - a system of national parks, protected areas and
forest corridors covering 35 percent of the country. Each of these
parks and sanctuaries has its own special character and are homes
to endangered animals, birds and plants.
Jigme
Singye Wangchuck National Park
Located in
the central part of the country, Jigme
Singye Wangchuck National Park covers 1,300 sq.km and is the
second largest protected area of Bhutan. The natural habitats
in the park range from high permanent ice peaks to low conifer
and broadleaf forests. The park was formally known as the Black
Mountain National Park. The varying altitude and rainfall in the
areas have created a wide diversity of climatic conditions, making
it a suitable home for many species of plants, animals and birds.
The park
has one of the highest coverage of mature fir, pine and other
types of broadleaf forests making it one of the largest undisturbed
tracks of forest in the Eastern
Himalayan region. Both musk deer and Himalayan black bear
can be found here. The golden langur that is endemic to Bhutan,
the rare clouded leopard, the red panda and the Royal Bengal tiger
are also found in the park. This National Park is an important
link between the northern and southern tiger population in Bhutan.
The eastern side of the park supports about 20% of Bhutan's tiger
population.
The national
park is also home to 391 bird species of which seven species are
among the globally threatened species. Phobjikha valley, in the
buffer zone of the park, is the winter habitat of the black necked
cranes. More than 260 cranes winter in Phobjikha
every year.
TrumshingLa
National Park
Situated
at the very heart of the nation and covering 768 sq. km, ThrumshingLa
National Park is Bhutan's newest National Park, officially gazetted
in July 1998. Pristine forests ranging from alpine to subtropical
broadleaf combine with dramatic mountains, snow leopards, tigers,
red pandas and rare plants to create a globally important and
unique habitat.
With its
elevation ranging from less than 1,000 m to more than 4,000 m,
and temperatures between - 21° C and 28° C, the park has
some of the most diverse climatic variations and habitats in the
world. The park made news in the year 2000 when a WWF-supported
survey team captured a camera-trap image of a tiger at 3,000 meters
- the first photographic evidence that the magnificent creatures
exist at such high altitudes. Besides that, the park has 341 species
of birds making it truly a birdwatcher’s paradise.
ThrumshingLa
National Park has some of the most breathtaking scenery and natural
habitats in the world. It is a source of awe and inspiration for
numerous tourists and trekkers and tourism helps to sustain the
lives of the communities within the park. With an effective management
plan, dedicated park staff and WWF support, it should stay that
way for generations to come.
Royal
Manas National Park
Bhutan's
Crown Jewel, the Manas National Park represents the largest example
of tropical and sub-tropical ecosystems in Bhutan. With its thousands
of animal and plant species, many globally endangered, it is not
only the most diverse protected area in the Kingdom but also one
of the world’s biologically outstanding sites.
Lying in
south central Bhutan, Manas is connected at the southern border
with India’s Manas Tiger Reserve, a World Heritage Site.
To the north it borders the Jigme
Singye Wangchuck National Park. Royal Manas was designated
a wildlife sanctuary in 1966 making it Bhutan’s oldest protected
area. The area was upgraded to a National Park in 1993.
There are
wide climate variations in Royal Manas. The May-September monsoons
bring up to 5,000mm of rain. Rainfall is negligible in winter
and the climate is extremely pleasant from November till February.
Manas is
also extremely rich in wildlife species, including the highly
endangered Royal Bengal tiger, Asian elephant, greater one-horned
rhinoceros, clouded leopard, Himalayan black bear, gangetic dolphin
and pangolin. Found virtually nowhere else in the world is the
especially rare golden langur, a primate of extraordinary grace
and beauty with its long, silky blond fur.
More than
365 species of birds have been officially recorded in Royal Manas
National Park with an additional 200 believed to be in residence.
Species found here include the globally threatened rufous-necked
hornbill, Pallas fishing eagle, great white-bellied heron, spotted
wren-babbler, blue-headed rock thrush and emerald cuckoo. Many
of the park's, more than 900 types of plants, have commercial,
medicinal, traditional and religious significance.
WWF and Bhutan's
Nature Conservation Division jointly developed a five-year conservation
management plan for this very special haven on earth. The plan
includes training and equipping park staff, improving park infrastructure,
and supporting biological and socio-economic surveys and park
monitoring programmes.
Jigme
Dorji National Park
With an area
of 4,349 sq. km, the Jigme
Dorji National Park is the largest protected area in Bhutan.
It is one of the most biologically rich areas in the Eastern Himalayan
region, and stretches from warm broad-leaved forests to permanent
ice fields and glaciers on Bhutan’s north-western border.
The monsoon rains and a varied topographical gradient, from just
over 1,000 meters to more than 7,000 meters above sea level, account
for this rich plant and animal diversity.
Sacred peaks
such as Jomolhari, Tsherimgang
and Jichu Drakey are prominent landmarks in the park. Glaciers
and glacial lakes are interspersed in the mountains forming important
head waters for some of Bhutan’s main rivers.
The alpine
region houses numerous flowers such as the national flower blue
poppy, edelweiss, orchids, rhododendrons etc.
Charismatic
animal species like the snow leopard, takin, tiger, black bears
and red panda inhabit the forests and mountains of the park. This
may be the only place in the world where the Royal Bengal tiger
and snow leopard habitats overlap. Most of Bhutan’s most
popular trekking routes can be found inside the Jigme Dorji National
Park.
Bumdeling
Wildlife Sanctuary
Bumdeling
Wildlife Sanctuary is located in north-western part of Bhutan
covering an area of 1,545 sq. km with 420 sq. km of buffer zone
encompassing parts of Trashi Yangtse, Lhuentshe, and Mongar district.
It shares international borders with the Tibetan region of China
in the north and India in the north east. The sanctuary is home
to around 100 species of mammals, including globally endangered
species such as snow leopard, Royal Bengal tiger and red panda.
About 150
black necked cranes spend their winter in Bumdeling every year
from mid November to early March. Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary
is also a paradise for butterflies: as of now 130 species are
recorded and another 120 are expected to be found there. Besides
natural beauty and diversity many significant religious and cultural
places can be found inside the sanctuary, such as Rigsum Gompa,
the mystic Singye Dzong (fortress) and Dechenphodrang
Temple maybe most scenic monastery in the whole country.
Sakteng
Wildlife Sanctuary
Located in
the easternmost part of the Kingdom, Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary
spans an area of 650 sq. km and is Bhutan’s newest protected
area (launched in 2003). The sanctuary is a lost world of biodiversity
waiting to be discovered. It presents a wide diversity of Himalayan
terrestrial ecosystems, namely alpine meadow, temperate forest,
and warm broadleaf forest.
The Sanctuary
is home to people of isolated nomadic tribes. It is characterized
by thick carpets of rhododendrons, and in its habitat roam snow
leopards, red pandas, Himalayan black bear, barking deer, Himalayan
red fox, the hoary-bellied Himalayan squirrels and even the mythical
Yeti (or the 'Abominable Snowman'). Sakteng is virtually untouched
by development. Bird species include the Assamese macaw, blood
pheasant, grey backed shrike, grey headed woodpecker, common hoopoe,
rufous vented tit and dark breasted rosefinch.
Plant life
includes Bhutan's national flower, the blue poppy, rhododendrons,
primulas and gentiana, all of which transform the park into a
garden of colours during spring time. There are also many plants
with medicinal values- such as cordyceps.
Email
: bhutanallseasons@gmail.com
Mobile : +975-17140616 & 17111489
Fax: +975-2-321263
Mailing Address : Bhutan All Seasons Tours & Treks, Post Box
No.625, Thimphu, BHUTAN