Tigertops Karnali Lodge

The National Park was spectacular, and we saw wild elephants, rhino, and lots of other wildlife. We also got to take a special two-night trip on the Babai River, camping beneath the stars. The Lodge was super comfortable, and the Tiger Tops team were friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. Amazing experience.

The main issue for us was how little the stay seemed to justify its price. We chose Bardia after Chitwan because it’s more remote and tiger sightings are more likely, and we still recommend visiting Bardia. But Tiger Tops felt far too expensive, perhaps because there’s less competition than in Chitwan. We’d stayed at Barahi Jungle Lodge there for much less and had a much better time, so we highly recommend it instead. At Tiger Tops, we had several large, fast spiders in our rooms because the windows had been left open before we arrived. Dinner was the same on both nights, and we had no hot water for the first two nights. Those things wouldn’t have bothered us much at a lower price. Until the cost comes down or the experience improves, we wouldn’t recommend Tiger Tops to friends or family.

BC and his team had everything so well organised, from the full day drives to the river safari. I made a last minute decision to visit Bardia National Park without knowing what to expect, and the whole Tiger Tops experience blew me away. We didn’t see tigers this time, but our naturalists Shambu and Krishna were wonderful. We’ll definitely come back!

Seeing elephants and three Bengal tigers was incredible, and Sambu made it even better as a guide. He taught us a lot and we felt at ease with him. BC was a great host too. After safari, the welcome drinks and hot towels were a lovely touch. The land rovers were loud and bouncy, as expected, though I’d love to see electric ones in future, both for the environment and to help us see more animals. This was a real highlight of our three weeks in Nepal. The food was excellent, beautifully plated, and served wonderfully. We have gluten and dairy allergies, and they accommodated them with delicious meals. I also enjoyed touring the organic garden. We had a great time at Tiger Tops Karnali Lodge. It’s polished and very well run. The signature rooms are gorgeous and comfortable, with great showers and two hot water bottles at night that we loved. They were quite dark even with all the lights on, though, and another lamp would help. There also weren’t enough hooks for hanging things.