Wildlife of the Narayani
The animals that depend on the river itself, from Nepal's rarest crocodile to the birds of its sandbars.
Most wildlife writing about this part of Nepal is about the forest. This page is about the river: the animals that live in the Narayani or depend on its banks.
Gharial
The gharial is a crocodile with a long, thin snout full of fine teeth, built for catching fish. It is critically endangered worldwide. In Nepal it survives mainly in two rivers, the Narayani and the Rapti, with a few in rivers further west.
The national count in December 2025 found 135 gharial in the Narayani and 231 in the Rapti, 366 in total. Numbers in the Narayani have been slowly falling, while the Rapti has become their main home. Fishing nets, sand and gravel mining, and pollution are the biggest threats.
In March 2026 a gharial was seen basking on a sandbar just downstream of Devghat, the first seen there in some 30 years (Kathmandu Post). Sightings near the city are still rare.
Mugger crocodile
The mugger, or marsh crocodile, is broader and heavier than the gharial and eats almost anything. It prefers still water: oxbow lakes, side channels and wetlands such as Bis Hajari Tal.
Smooth-coated otter
Otters are occasionally reported on quieter stretches of the river and in the wetlands. They are shy and usually seen early in the morning.
River birds
The banks and sandbars are good places to see:
- River lapwing and small pratincole on the stones.
- River tern skimming the water.
- Ruddy shelduck and other ducks from November to February.
- Ospreys and fish eagles.
- Great egret and other herons in the shallows.
- Lesser adjutant, a large stork of the wetlands.
Watching wildlife responsibly
- Keep well back from crocodiles on land.
- Don't feed or approach any animal.
- Take all litter away with you. Plastic in the river harms fish and the birds that eat them.
Questions
Where is the best place to see gharial?
On sunny winter mornings, gharial bask on sandbanks in the lower Narayani and the Rapti. They are shy, and no trip can promise a sighting.
Are gharial dangerous to people?
They are not known to attack people; their jaws are made for fish. Muggers are a different matter, so keep your distance from both.
Trips that go there
Bis Hajari Tal, Barandabhar forest
Bis Hajari Tal Wetland Walk
A guided morning walk around the forest lakes of Bis Hajari Tal, a Ramsar-listed wetland near Bharatpur, for herons, storks, kingfishers and winter ducks.
from US$40per person
Amaltari community homestay
A Night by the Narayani
An afternoon and a night with a family in the Amaltari homestay: the river at dusk, a village dance, an early morning on the water, and the drive back the next day.
from US$120per person
Devghat, Narayangadh and the riverbank
Narayani River Day Tour
The whole river story in one day: the Devghat confluence in the morning, a riverbank bird walk and lunch in the afternoon, and dusk on the Narayangadh waterfront.
from US$65per person
