Wildlife

During your trekking you will experience impressive mountains and stunning views. This beautiful scenery is also home to a very rich diversity of flora and fauna. That’s why large parts of the Himalayas are protected nature reserves! So you might encounter all sorts of plants and animals, depending on area, altitude and time of the year.

Below you will find several examples of the impressive Himalayan wildlife. Some are easy to spot, but most of them are not always visible — it really depends on your luck! Seeing them can be quite difficult: a lot of these wild animals are shy and afraid of humans and some are very rare.

Category	Animal	Altitude	Features / Notes
🦌 Large Mammal	Himalayan Tahr	Above 3,000 m.	Wild mountain goat, agile on rocky slopes, usually seen in groups.
🦌 Large Mammal	Himalayan Black Bear		Comes down in summer for fruits, mostly active at night.
🐆 Medium Mammal	Snow Leopard	Above 4,000 m.	Very rare; nocturnal predator, mainly hunts Himalayan Tahr.
🦌 Medium Mammal	Musk Deer	2,500–3,500 m.	In rhododendron forest; known for its musk scent gland, shy and solitary.
🐿 Small Mammals	Himalayan Marten, Gray Langur Monkey	1,500–4,000 m.	Playful but elusive animals, often seen in groups.
🐼 Small Mammals	Red Panda	2,800–3,800 m	Dense bamboo forests. Extremely rare, feeds mostly on bamboo. More likely to be seen in the Langtang region rather than in the Annapurna area.
🦜 Birds	Himalayan Monal (Danphe)	2,000–4,500m.	National bird of Nepal; very colorful and attractive.
🦜 Birds	Kalij Pheasant, Sunbird, Laughing Thrush		Across all elevations. Commonly sighted; their songs enliven the forest.
🦜 Birds of Prey	Himalayan Griffon, Steppe Eagle		Open high-altitude areas. Large-winged raptors soaring gracefully in the sky.

You can also spot yaks around Langtang and on the Annapurna Circuit trail.

The best time for wildlife viewing is spring (March–May) and autumn (October–November).

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