Royal Chitwan National Park, Nepal

Any trip to Nepal should really, in my opinion, include a visit to the Royal Chitwan National Park area.

When I visited, some years ago, there was a wide variety of stays available to suit most budgets. We stayed in very comfortable two-man tents erected on permanent flooring and with a toilet / shower block between two tents. Meals were taken in a communal area which included a bar, and there were various activities laid on by the friendly staff.

We went on a number of treks, both on foot and on elephant back, and were lucky enough to see a family of rhino amongst other animals.

I even got to bathe an elephant in the river, long an ambition of mine! Great fun.

Personally I always take the “Package” when I go to Sauraha for Chitwan (5 times to Chitwan now !!)
You Might save a few $$ by organising things yourself but when you think the price now (2008) is usually around $70 it saves a lot of hassles taking a package.
As long as it includes the following that is
1) Transport to Sauraha, both to and from Kathmandu or Pokhara
2) 2 night’s accommodation with all meals
3) Activities, these usually include Elephant ride, Canoe trip+ Jungle walk, Elephant Breading farm visit, Village / Bird watching walk and Cultural Show.
These activities are fairly standard, what varies is the standard of food and accommodation.
I Always book my packages through Nirmal at HMA, contact details on my travelogue “a Very Important Decision)
Chitwan is a fabulous place, however you decode to go, just don’t miss it !!

Just outside the reserve we were staying in we visited a typical village in the are. The people there are descendants from people from Northern India who migrated into the area. This area was very sparsley populated due to malaria, however the new arrivals had a special resistance to malaria so thrived and flourished.

The village had a donation scheme for healthcare and schools when you enteresd it so no one hassled you for money. you could talk to the villagers and go inside their houses. Some of the kids could speak good English and were keen for pens and paper for their schoolwork. The place had a dignified air about it and definitely was not your usual " You buy postcard one dollar" set up.

All in all it was a pleasing experience, I just wish I had brought more pens.

Apparantly Tiger spotting is the thing to do in Chitwan National park. However don't get your hopes up. There are not many left, they are mainly nocternal and are pretty elusive.

Still that does not stop the fun of going on an Elephant Safari to see what you can see. In our case, it was not a lot, but it was still fun.

The park covers an area of 932 km², is the oldest national park of Nepal. Established in 1973, it was granted the status of a World Heritage Site in 1984.

The park is located at the foot of the Himalayas in the Terai region, and the is rich in flora and fauna, which include one of the last populations of single-horned Indian Rhinoceros (which we did see!) and the Bengal tiger. It used to be a place for big game hunting and until 1951 it was a hunting reserve.

Weatherwise, winter, spring and monsoon are the three main seasons. The cool winter season occurs from October to February. The spring begins in March and is soon followed by summer that ends in early June. The summer days are typically hot with 30 C on average day temperature. The monsoon usually begins at the end of June and continues until September. during this time of the year rivers are flooded and most of the roads are virtually closed.

Entrance fee is 500 Nepal Rupees for foreigh nationals.

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Elephant ride
The most appreciated attraction in Chitwan, the ride through the jungle with the elephant slowly advancing through the dense vegetation, balancing his enormous body at every step as if in an endless belly dance, the ride seemed to me a mix of mystique savour and childish, innocent charm, to the point that the more I was doing it, the more I wanted. A ride just before dawn is also recommended, as this reveals the most spectacular views and animal appearances.

Elephant bath
Elephants love to take baths and chill out during hot summer days, and probably there’s hard to find a more joyful and childish experience than help a baby elephant taking his bath.
Unfortunately, this is not the case in winter time when, despite the 25+ Celsius at noon, the water is too cold for the elephants to take baths. And fortunately, they are not forced to for tourists’ vanity.

Baby Elephant
A special attention and round of applause for the baby elephants!!!!
With a domesticated mother and a wild father, this baby had only 28 days during Christmas day in Gaida Wildlife Camp. And what a star she was already… the attraction of the worker’s children, with her tromp too heavy to carry, but having a lot of energy to play with various sticks, stones and people she knew.

For more info, pics and tips on Royal Chitwan, visit my Chitwan page.

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Elephant ride – normally not longer than 2- 2 and a half hours, 3 rides in 2 days. The whole idea is the more rides you do, the greater are the chances to see wild animals. Bengal tigers are hard to get close to, so you can consider yourself lucky is you manage to see one.
Canoe – mainly for bird watching, so bring some binoculars. There are some lazy crocodiles stretching in the sun.
Elephant training course (and bath) – learn to mount an elephant without platform and some info about elephants,. No bath during winter.
Tharu village – get to know the people living around the Royal Chitwan national park, their problems and customs.
Mustard fields - walking through the bright yellow fields allows idyllic views, with small houses scattered here and there, a fairy tale-like cartoons, with the snowy mountain peaks at horizon.

For more info, pics and tips on Royal Chitwan, visit my Chitwan page.

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Irrespective of season, most people travelling through Nepal long enough to allow some days “in the wild” will choose Chitwan (the oldest and most famous nature reserve in Nepal) at least for an extended weekend. I spent an extended weekend in Chitwan, just before Christmas 2006, and I guess this was one of the most pleasant and durable gifts I allowed myself until that time.
Enlisted World Heritage Site by UNESCO, Royal Chitwan means a large nature reserve for wild animals, a few tourist lodges in the national park, some idyllic and quiet villages.

Of course, there is always Sauraha - the main town, booming with improvised constructions, guesthouses and restaurants, crowded with touts looking for tourists and with tourists in search of a beer between an elephant ride and a canoe rafting. Better keep away and opt for the more upmarket lodges in the jungle.

For more info, pics and tips on Royal Chitwan, visit my Chitwan page.

The swamps on the border between India and Nepal were once a natural border, which not many people crossed. Tigers and mosquitos where the guardians. Only few villages were build in this area. Today this area is a beautiful Nationalpark, where you can see tigers (when you are lucky!), rhinos (certainly), crocodiles (Gavial - sometimes) and many beautiful birds (always).

Chitwan Nationalpark