01 · West Champaran · 2 days
Valmiki National Park
Sal forest and grassland in the Himalayan foothills where the Gandak enters India. Tigers, gaur, sloth bear and over 250 bird species. Jeep safaris run from Valmikinagar.
DiscoverEco Circuit
Forest, falls, wetlands and the river
The state's eco circuit strings together the tiger reserve on the Nepal border, the Kaimur plateau's waterfalls and wildlife sanctuary, the hot-spring forests of Bhimbandh and Rajgir, three Ramsar wetlands — Kanwar, Nagi, Nakti — and the dolphin sanctuary on the Ganga. Infrastructure is thin and the rewards are real: you will often be the only visitor in a forest the size of a district.
The places
All destinationsThen
02 · West Champaran
Valmikinagar & the Gandak03 · Nalanda
Rajgir Nature Safari & Ghora Katora04 · Kaimur
Telhar Kund & Karkatgarh05 · Rohtas
Dhua Kund & Manjhar Kund06 · Rohtas
Tutla Bhawani
07 · Nawada
Kakolat Falls
A 160-foot curtain of water in the forest
08 · Munger
Bhimbandh Wildlife Sanctuary
Hot springs in a sal forest
09 · Begusarai
Kanwar Lake
Asia's largest oxbow lake, and a Ramsar wetland
10 · Darbhanga
Kusheshwar Asthan
A Shiva temple and a bird wetland in the Kosi backwaters
11 · Jamui
Nagi & Nakti Bird Sanctuaries
Two reservoirs in granite hills where 20,000 birds winter
12 · Bhagalpur
Bhagalpur
Silk city, and a river full of dolphins
Routes that do it justice
All itineraries
3 days / 2 nights · Full
Rajgir outdoors weekend
The state's adventure hub plus its most pleasant town: glass bridge and zipline, a zoo safari, a car-free cycle to Ghora Katora, the old ropeway to the Shanti Stupa, and Kakolat Falls on the way out.
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3 days / 2 nights · Steady
Forts of the Kaimur
Sher Shah's tomb in its lake, the mountaintop fort of Rohtasgarh, two monsoon waterfalls and a 1,400-year-old temple — the best short trip in Bihar and almost unknown.
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5 days / 4 nights · Steady
The Wild North
Up through the republic of Vaishali and the stupa at Kesaria to Champaran's forest: two days of safaris in Bihar's tiger reserve and a day on the Gandak with gharial, dolphins and a raft.
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Field note · 4 min
Waiting for the Ganga dolphin
Next collection
Spiritual Bihar