Beeshazari Lake

Beeshazari (or Bishazari) Tal is an extensive oxbow-lake complex in the Inner Tarai of Chitwan, at about 286 m, in the Barandabhar forest corridor that links Chitwan National Park with the Mahabharat hills to the north. Its name comes from the Nepali bis hajar tal, 'twenty thousand lakes', a nod to the maze of channels, ponds and marsh that make up the wetland. The main lake is roughly 3.2 km² of open water, while the Ramsar site — the Beeshazar and Associated Lakes, designated on 13 August 2003 (site no. 1313) — covers about 3,200 ha of lakes and surrounding forest.

The wetland sits in the buffer zone of Chitwan National Park, gazetted in 1973 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984. Acting as a waterhole and corridor, it draws the park's flagship wildlife: one-horned rhinoceros, Bengal tiger, sloth bear, smooth-coated otter and wild boar all use it, and the water itself holds mugger crocodiles, Indian rock python and king cobra.

It is one of the richest birding sites in central Nepal, with waterbirds and raptors including Pallas's fish-eagle and the white-rumped vulture, and its forest-fringed channels are best explored on foot or by canoe.

Lying just north of Bharatpur and easily reached from the city or from Sauraha, Beeshazari is a popular nature walk and a quieter complement to the safari activity inside Chitwan proper.