Considering the plain Terai, bordering India (to the south), where arnas (wild bulls) run to the hills from in fall, landscape structure of Narayani can be considered unique.

Some important cities and towns are Birganj, Parwanipur, Jitpur, Alau, Hetauda, Bharatpur, Narayangarh, Kalaiya, and Gaur.

Narayani hosts Nepal's oldest and most famous national park: Chitwan National Park (932 km2), considered to be one of Asia's richest nature reserves, renowned for its Bengal tigers and the Indian rhinoceros.

As of 2014 the Zone now hosts the beauty contest of Miss Glam Narayani, wherein winners are given direct entry to Miss Glam Nepal.

Narayani is one of the few zones that was left relatively untouched by the Maoist insurgency.