My Experience

This is my seventh times in Lumbini Buddha Garden (LBG). It will be injustice to LBG and their team members if I make a greediness to spill my word in this blog. As a bird lover, nothing is best than to start the day when you get morning alarm of birds when you are about to get late for bird watching. The warm hospitality of the LBG’s staff makes you feel you are in your own home. In addition to this, the sunbird about to feed the nectar of the flower, bulbul making a call for their partner, Malkhoa trying to play hide and seek from the bushes, feeding the newly fledged young Jungle Babbler by all the adults, woodpecker making a “tock, tock, tock” sound, mysterious Grey Francolin feeding insects and a majestic Sarus Crane just in front of you when you are having a delicious breakfast makes you feel like you have really won the jackpot. LBG owns a land of mixed habitat (grassland, waterholes, garden, farmland and forest) making a suitable habitat for most of the species of birds. I have recorded hundred and two species of birds within the LBG compound. Siberian Rubythroat makes a long journey just to meet the LBG staff at winter time. Rare Indian Spotted Eagle hunting in the farmland, IUCN threatened different species of vulture (White-rumped Vulture, Egyptian Vulture and Himalayan Vulture) gaining the height using thermal will surely amaze you. Blue Bull simply known as a “Nilgai”, largest antelope of Asia is easily seen in nearby areas and provides an opportunity to make a good picture even for the amateur photographer.  When you see Terai Grey Langur, Rhesus monkey to eat the fruits in the LBG’s garden will surely make you feel hungry then you realize the sun is already at the zenith. I prefer to use the word “Magnifico” for the lunch they offered me. 

This is more than LBG offers to you.  The spacious and elegant room will tempt you to take a short nap after the lunch. You won’t realize when you got dozed off. The exploration around the LBG compound will surely amaze you with a different species of birds when you begin your walk after four in the afternoon. When you sit inside the dining hall at night making your checklist of birds that you have observed, it will surprise you. More than seventy species in a single day, without much effort –Wow! Appealing dinner before going to bed along with the warm hospitality of the hotel’s staff will make you feel you really had a wonderful day and the night surely gonna be pleasant. Believe you won’t regret for the money you have paid for your stay at this resort.   Highly recommend to all --!

-posted by Sandesh Gurung on 19 September 2018, Raptor Researcher, @ Lumbini, Nepal