Foreign and domestic tourists have started visiting Bardiya to observe the blackbuck, known as Krishnasar in Nepali.

Located about 45 kilometres from Bardiya National Park, the Blackbuck Conservation Area in ward 2 of Khairapur in Gulariya Municipality has seen growing footfall in recent years.

According to ranger Ramu KC, a total of 4,607 tourists—including 107 foreigners, 13 visitors from SAARC countries, and 4,587 Nepalis—visited the area in the last fiscal year of 2024-25. “So far this fiscal year, 493 tourists have arrived, but only two were foreigners as the monsoon kept numbers low,” KC said.

The blackbuck population in the conservation area currently stands at 248, comprising 32 males, 151 females, and 35 fawns. First introduced as a protected species in 2009, blackbucks have since become a key attraction for Bardiya’s eco-tourism efforts.

However, despite the growing interest, Khairapur lacks basic tourism infrastructure. “Visitors return to hotels near Bardiya National Park after day trips because there are no resorts, homestays, or restaurants in the conservation zone,” KC explained.

Entry fees—Rs2,000 for foreigners, Rs500 for SAARC nationals, and Rs100 for Nepalis—are now being collected to fund future development.

Dipendra Yadav, chairperson of the Blackbuck Conservation Committee, stressed the need to remove illegal settlements from the protected zone. “Over 350 bigha [237 hectares0 of land within the 708-bigha [479.5 hectares] conservation area have been encroached upon by squatters,” he said, calling for proper resettlement measures.

Declared a conservation area in March 2009, Khairapur remains Nepal’s only habitat for blackbucks, whose numbers had once dwindled alarmingly before local and government-led protection efforts revived their population.