Chitwan National Park. Nepal: Chitwan National Park Brief information about the national park
We've read a lot about Nepal's royal Chitwan National Park - it has an abundance of rhinoceroses, Himalayan bears and tigers and leopards. And the English King George V and his son, during a hunt in 1911, managed to shoot 39 tigers and 18 rhinoceroses at once. You won't find such animals in Africa. True, there are rhinoceros in Africa, but they are very, very rare there. And the greatest chance of meeting them is on Lake Nakuru.
Chitwan is one of the must-see places for tourists in Nepal after the Kathmandu Valley with its architectural and historical monuments and the Himalayan treks. Its area is 932 km - almost two-thirds of the famous Masai Mara National Park in Kenya. But now they want to add to it the new Parsa Wildlife Reserve with an area of 499 sq. km and then it will be close in size to Masai Mara.
Tourists' assessments of visiting Chitwan are very different - from delight to outright skepticism, denial and exclamations - “a scam”! Is it worth going there if you are short of precious time? I’m not talking about “package” tours - there’s no escape from that.
But for us, free tourists?
All roads lead to Chitwan The park is located in the southern part of Nepal, stretched from west to east, and paved roads lead to it from both main tourist destinations - Pokhara in the west and Kathmandu in the east. Using tourist buses, you can get to the park in 6-8 hours.
And although the distances between them are small - about 150 and 200 km, respectively, the roads here are not highways - narrow and mountainous with constant serpentines. There are no tunnels at all. Often there are no guardrails along the edges of the road over deep chasms. And if even a small accident happens, traffic jams and loss of time are inevitable.
You can come to Chitwan by two types of buses - the so-called Local Bus and Tourist Bus. The first type of bus is understandable - it stops at every wave of the hand of everyone, the second is more comfortable, costs a little more (a couple of dollars) and makes stops only for snacks and the toilet. Sometimes these stops look very decent - it can be a small hotel with a restaurant in a green area, and sometimes - only near the toilet, the appearance of which made especially squeamish ladies shudder - a tin box over a steep cliff with a light film curtain swaying in the wind overlooking the bus and the road.
We came to Chitwan from the mountainous region of Pokhara. Having bought tickets from a travel agency near our hotel for 500 rupees (85 rupees = $1), we left for the south at 7.30 am. The bus was caught with broken shock absorbers and therefore every hole and bump was felt.
After an hour and a half, stop for the toilet and breakfast. On the road there was a fairly decent hotel for these places with a restaurant and a small green garden with a fountain in the shape of a cobra with a swollen hood. We took a small breakfast - a couple of sandwiches containing flatbreads made from something incomprehensible and a couple of cups of coffee with milk - 640 rupees for two. And again on the road.
An hour later, another stop on the river bank. 4 people got out, taking off quite heavy luggage - they will probably go rafting down the river. The river is below average difficulty. There are practically no thresholds. The flow is normal. And after 15 kilometers it flooded quite widely - I don’t know how they will swim here - they will have to row a lot. After a few kilometers, a fast current appeared again, and then the river, turning to the side, disappeared from view.
Another hour later we arrived in the large and dusty city of Bharatpur. Having passed it, half an hour later we entered another one - smaller, but even more dusty due to fewer asphalt streets. This is Sauraha. Having traveled another two or three kilometers from it, the bus stopped at a small site in the village of Sishawar, where hotel representatives were waiting for us. Having sorted out the arrivals, they took everyone to the tourist village of Chitwan Sauraha, located along the Rapti Nadi river. For those who have not met, there are taxi offers for 250 rupees to any hotel - small jeeps with an open body and two seats on the sides.
Our hotel Rhino Lodge ($20/room) had a very convenient location - it is located in the center of the Chitwan Sauraha village, and its green area, densely planted along the paths with large beautiful dahlias, overlooks the Rapti Nadi river, behind which Chitwan National Park immediately begins . The hotel has two three-story residential buildings. One of them is still finishing finishing work on the third floor. There is a good restaurant - lunch was prepared very quickly. It’s amazing how they can cook everything on the menu so quickly - my wife Tamara admired - it’s like there’s no one, you can’t hear any smells from the kitchen, and suddenly, after 10-15 minutes, everything you order will be brought fresh - with ardor and heat! I couldn't do that!
Then, going up to the hotel manager, we agreed on the program for the next and only day we had. He proposed the following program and prices in rupees per person:
- permission to enter the NP – 1500;
- excursion along the river by canoe (40 min) and on foot for 3 hours – 800; the same for the whole day – 1500;
- jeep safari (13.30 - 17.30 – 1200 / person); whole day for two with lunch on the way - 16,000 rupees;
- elephant ride for a couple of hours – 1300;
- excursion to the “kindergarten” of elephant calves (Elephant breeding center) – 400;
- cultural program in the evening (show with songs and dances) in a restaurant - 150.
We decide to take a canoe and trekking excursion in the morning, and an afternoon jeep safari later.
Morning canoe excursion You need to be on the river bank by 7 am. Here is a meeting place for tourists and their guides. Now the shore is empty, but during the day all the sun loungers are occupied and people spend their free time here.
Tame elephants also slowly descend here for their morning watering hole. And their mahouts stand picturesquely on the backs of elephants. We also met here with our guide Kesav, a 52-year-old man.
He is calm, pleasant-looking, and worked in this park for many years - first as a caretaker, and now as a guide. Kesav took another assistant with him. But, although we are going into the jungle, which, judging by the description, is full of predatory and dangerous wild animals - tigers, leopards, rhinoceroses and Himalayan bears, along with wild elephants and ferocious boars and pigs, they did not have any weapons. Only a long stick in his hand. And they didn't even have a machete, a much-needed tool when moving through the jungle!
Having sat down in a long dugout boat and having difficulty maintaining balance while sitting even on low benches, we moved downstream of the Rapti Nadi river. A rower stood at the stern and pushed off the shallow bottom with his pole.
Kesav, telling how many crocodiles there were, looked for them, peering intently at the passing shores. On the right bank from our village, a woman was rinsing clothes in the river, and her two little girls splashed happily nearby.
- What if there are crocodiles? – I asked him a question.
- Local crocodiles love only fish.
- And they grow up to 4 meters?
“And in this river there are famous Gangetic dolphins,” Kesav left the conversation, “and their height is larger than a person’s – over two meters!”
- And where will we see them?
- Right here - in this river. If they jump out.
We see one of the boats running aground ahead. How do dolphins navigate this section of the river?
In such observations and conversations, we swam for about forty minutes past rare herons, storks and marabou. Suddenly some orange spots appeared ahead. As we got closer, we saw several orange-brown ducks grazing on the shore.
ABOUT! Yes, these are Ogar ducks or red ducks!
- Yes, it really is them. Very interesting and beautiful birds. And in some ways they even look like little geese. However, they really are from the order Anseriformes. Like swans, these red ducks are monogamous and live in one pair all their lives, Kesav noted.
With their posture, long neck, short beak and rare flapping of wide, blunt wings, they really looked more like small geese than typical ducks. It was these ducks, Tamara remembered, that were recently shown on TV - how they flew over the frosty five-thousandth Himalayan passes on the way to China.
Cinders are not as simple as they seem. Buddhists in Tibet and Mongolia consider them sacred. They are the same in Slavic mythology. They were credited with many miraculous properties. After all, the veneration of waterfowl among all our peoples goes back to ancient times. And in the first place among them is the “white swan” - as a symbol of purity and purity. And what girl, spinning in front of the mirror, trying on a wedding dress and craning her neck, doesn’t feel like a swan?
We have different legends about ducks - both Ukrainians and Maris used to believe that the duck was the mother of the world. And she actually appears in their legends about the creation of the world. In Russian fairy tales, ducks, geese and swans almost always play a positive role - they predict the future of the hero, save children from evil forces and find brides.
Unfortunately, if most of our hunters still have in their souls a moral prohibition on killing swans, then in relation to this type of ducks, it is absent, and wild cinders, rare in our nature, are a source of pride for the hunting industry.
Finally we landed on the left bank, on which the Royal Chitwan National Park is located. The canoe trip is over. Kesav sent the boatman on his way back, and we began a walking safari through the Nepalese jungle.
Walking Safari in Chitwan Getting off the boat and going up to the shore, on the opposite shore about a hundred meters from us, we saw a lone rhinoceros dragging algae out of the water. This was probably the most delicious and juicy food for him today. On the shore, the grass is dry and trampled in places.
After standing and chewing, the rhinoceros suddenly plopped into the water and, raising all four paws up, began scratching his back on the bottom of the river. By the time I turned on the camera, he was already on his feet again and turned his rough butt towards us. The photo shows that he has some wounds and scuffs on his back left leg. Well, okay – maybe we’ll see someone else. So, number one is there! And this is already wonderful.
Kesav invited us to follow him, and we entered the jungle. Remembering the jungles of Uganda in search of gorillas or the Amazon tributary of Peru in search of anacondas, we prepared for the worst. But the Nepalese jungle of Chitwan turned out to be a good and clean deciduous forest, somewhat reminiscent of our mixed beech, oak and birch groves with low copses and bushes.
The ground was covered with a carpet of fallen leaves that had already turned brown. It's our autumn! The small undergrowth still made it impossible to see the area far. But there was no complete impenetrability of the jungle, through which you need to wade through with a machete. Kesav asked us not to talk or step on dry branches so that they would not crack, and led us onto a barely visible path. Here, as elsewhere on safari, the rule should apply: “The more you are silent, the more you see”!
He looked around carefully and slowly moved forward. Ten, twenty minutes passed. No one. Suddenly he perked up and pointed with his hand - get out! Look! Something pockmarked dived into the bushes.
- This is Wild chicken! – he said importantly in a whisper.
- Ahh - wild chicken.
After standing quietly and not moving for a couple of minutes, we saw a handsome rooster cautiously emerge from behind the bushes. He crowed loudly. But - with some kind of Nepalese accent. And it was also a small sprout, Nepalese. Our family members are twice as big. Where are his hazel grouse? They weren't visible anywhere. Having taken a couple more steps and, apparently sensing us, the rooster rushed headlong into the bushes again.
After walking about a kilometer, Kesav stopped again and pointed to the side - there were small fallow deer! And indeed, about 50 meters away, among the green foliage, light brown bodies of animals were slowly moving. Suddenly, as if on command, they broke away and disappeared.
“It was probably the tiger that scared them away,” Kesav said knowingly.
The animals are no longer visible. I understand that it is getting hot and we are unlikely to see others - they have all laid down until the evening. Seeing our fallen mood, Kesav begins to talk about the animals that are still found in the park.
- There are more than 600 rhinoceroses, and 173 tigers! - he says, as if reading from a book. There are also leopards and wild elephants! And there are also bears!
- Where does such accuracy come from? And how can one generally determine the number of certain animals here?
- It is not difficult. There are scientific methods for counting animals by area, as well as photographic recording of their passage along certain paths.
- So what - they are recognized by their muzzles and faces?
- Some – yes. And then - most animals live in families and live in their specific habitat. And therefore, experts know who and how many offspring appeared.
Realizing that we would not see any more of the animals, Kesav began to show us their tracks. He easily saw many things that we missed without attention - animal tracks on the ground. And in fact, looking closely, it was clear that there were a lot of them. Animal droppings and piles of manure are also traces. And they are all different. This huge pile is really an elephant, and these black peas of different sizes are wild goats and gazelles. And by their appearance you can understand when they passed here - a long time ago or just recently.
Coming out onto a clayey area, Kesav shows us: these are the traces of a wild pig. And this is a doe. But this big one is already a rhinoceros. And we, too, can already see that they all went early in the morning to the river for a watering hole, and then returned back to the forest. How simple and clear everything became! And it’s even easier on the soul - there are still a lot of animals in the park.
Kesav is well versed in more than just tracks on the ground. Even a broken tree branch tells him a lot - who walked here and who did it - an elephant, a wild boar or a rhinoceros. And, indeed, having looked closely, I can already see that the nature of the fractures and breaks in the branches, their height and the degree of freshness of the leaves on them are different. It was precisely this large branch that the elephant broke as he walked forward. But this one - lower - was chewed and then trampled by a boar.
But the various scratches on trees are especially interesting - they are found both along and across tree trunks. Kesav showed how a rhinoceros scratches a tree, and how a bear scratches. The difference was indeed clearly visible.
A rhinoceros scratches from bottom to top, and a bear scratches from top to bottom. With the whole paw and deep enough. The Himalayan bear has strongly curved short and sharp claws.
This means that there are animals here after all, I finally believed.
- This is the tree that the elephant likes to scratch its sides on. And this is a rhinoceros. - Kesav pointed to the worn-out bark at different heights of large trees.
And, indeed, in these places, different in height, the bark was erased to the ground by such scratching.
What is interesting about these marks and scratches on trees for us tourists, and what are they talking about? For curious people - about a lot. They talk about behavior, habits, degree of hunger and many other aspects of animal life. And whoever cares about this is interested.
On the other hand, such a walk through a clean, sunny forest has never been detrimental to anyone’s health.
Coming out to one of the river channels, we saw several elephants with riders on their backs crossing over to our side. This was an elephant excursion heading our way - Elephant Safari. What and who will they see?
Having passed along this channel to the left, we saw a thin and long log lying on the other bank. And a little further away, some two women were doing something in the tall grass. Suddenly the log moved. Yes, it's a crocodile!
“Yes, indeed, this is a crocodile,” Kesav confirmed. - But he only likes fish...
It is now late morning, the sun has risen high and it has become hot. Usually at this time all the animals try to hide in the shadows and lie there rather than search for food. Kesav turned towards the river and led us almost straight to our village. A canoe came up and we crossed to our shore.
There was already a regular performance before the tourists' lunch - elephants bathing. The mahouts invited those who wished to climb onto the backs of the elephants, and they, having collected water with their trunks, then doused their riders with it. The fun was in full swing.
But we still need to have time to drink at least a cup of coffee - in an hour we have the next excursion - a jeep safari!
Chitwan Jeep Safari Jeeps intended for the excursion are already waiting for us on the other side of the river. Apparently, these are some old army vehicles - they have a body behind the cab with two benches on the sides - like for paratroopers.
We sit down on these benches, and our new guide, a young boy Dinesh, gives the command to set off. The car, going deeper into the park, moves west. Ten minutes pass - no one. From the new information that Dinesh gave us, we realized that in addition to rhinoceroses, several rare species of primates, Indian pangolins and porcupines can also be found in the park.
- And there are about 450 species of birds here. If we're lucky, Dinesh said carefully, we might even meet a giant hornbill, and maybe a tiger.
Suddenly the car stops and we see a nest with a couple of marabou right above us. They sit and gently clean each other's feathers. And although they belong to the stork family, they have a much more powerful beak. Marabou are omnivores and feed on both carrion and fresh food - frogs, insects and rodents. They do not disdain food waste either. Along some of the dirty streets of Nairobi and other African cities, all the roadside trees are dotted with them and they work there as kind of free cleaners. Even vultures feasting on carrion are afraid of their large beaks. And, seeing the marabou flying up, they wisely step aside.
The area through which our car is moving is covered with sparse trees and tall, withered grass. In some places it is scorched. It can be seen that the foliage of the trees was also damaged.
“These are planned grass burnings,” says Dinesh, “but they are controlled by rangers. And in place of the burned dry grass, fresh green grass quickly grows.
Another stop and another surprise - monkeys are jumping from branch to branch right above us.
“This is Hanuman langur,” says Dinesh. - They are revered and protected by Indians as sacred animals, for in India langurs live in almost every temple.
There are many lakes and small rivers in this part of the park and, stopping at one small lake, we saw both a crocodile and a gorgeous peacock on the other bank. And on another lake we met a rhinoceros submerged in the water, patting the water with its long ears. From a distance they looked like the wings of some large bird about to take off.
After a couple of hours of leisurely driving, we reached the western point of our safari and headed in the opposite direction. Time slowly passed towards evening, the heat subsided and the activity of the animals should have increased. And, indeed, the driver noticed several wild boars in the bushes, but they were hard to see and they, flashing among the bushes, quickly ran away. And there a flock of antelope ran in the distance.
Suddenly an unexpected surprise - a rhinoceros came out onto the road right in front of us and stared at us - to attack or not? Wisely deciding that it was not worth it, he turned back into the bushes.
The Chitwan or Indian rhinoceros is significantly different in appearance from the African one. The African ones have smooth skin, while the Chitvan ones have some kind of large folds, reminiscent of the armor of medieval warriors. Scientists call it “shell rhinoceros”. Our driver said that for killing a rhinoceros you can get a prison term of 20 years - exactly the same as for killing a person. And the park is now protected from poachers by army units.
A little later we met another rhinoceros, who was leisurely crossing our path. The rhinos are already too much - this is the fourth one of the day. By African standards, this is a lot for such a short journey that we covered in a day. In Masai Mara, for example, seeing only its horned face among the bushes is considered lucky.
The sun was inexorably rolling towards the horizon and we were almost approaching the river crossing, when the driver suddenly stopped abruptly - a black Himalayan bear jumped out of the bushes onto the road in front of us!
Everyone was taken aback, and he, noticing our car, also got scared and, rushing across the road, quickly disappeared into the tall, withered grass. We were the only ones who saw him! I only managed to make a very short video and pull out a poor photo from it.
Well, that’s where our jeep safari ended. We drove 45 kilometers in 4 hours and saw everything that was described above. Is it a lot or a little? Let everyone judge for themselves and decide whether Chitwan Park is good or not.
But the sunsets are undoubtedly good here. At this time, all tourists gather to see the luminary on the river bank. The mahouts come here again with their elephants. And everyone is trying to capture a unique picture for them, which they have been missing for years at home - the sunset. But here, in Chitwan, you can still put an elephant in the frame of this picture and then everyone gets a masterpiece photo - a sunset, a quiet river and elephants.
This is Chitwan.
Some conclusions from Chitwan Of course, Chitwan NP is fundamentally different from other parks we have visited. For example, African ones. But there are completely different living conditions for animals - large open spaces where everything is clearly visible. And most African animals, especially predators, are not afraid of people who travel only in cars. They let him get very close to them, because they take the machine for an equal being. You can watch them there for hours, sometimes even at arm's length.
This is not possible in Chitwan. Animals live in the forest, and for generations they have been frightened by deadly encounters with a human killer, and therefore, when they see us, they quickly run away. And you need to understand this and not be offended by the park that you were deceived if you did not see what the advertising brochures promised you.
Chitwan is good for those who want not just to see animals in their natural habitat, but also to observe how and where they live, what they eat, what their habits are and what they like to do.
Maybe with a tour on the back of an elephant we would have seen more? After all, they say that the smell of an elephant, and the noise it creates as it moves through the forest, does not scare away the animals and they calmly go about their business.
Who knows? We no longer had time for this trip.
It would be interesting to compare the quality of the Chitwan elephant safari with the walking and jeep safaris we conducted.
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Chitwan is Nepal's first national park. More than 40 years ago, its territories were declared protected areas and hunting rhinoceroses and tigers is strictly prohibited. But first things first.
The park is located in the province of the same name, Chitwan, with the central city of Bharatpur, the fifth largest in the country. The park occupies about half the area of the region, and the sale of tickets to enter the national park and to various shows is the main source of income, so be prepared for special attention to yourself as a tourist.
The distance of the reserve from Kathmandu and Pokhara is almost identical - 150 and 130 km, respectively, so there is practically no difference in which city to choose as your departure point. You can get to Chitwan Nepal by land by buses and minibuses from all major cities. From Kathmandu and Pokhara, the travel time to Bharatpur will be 4.5 – 6 hours, depending on the quality of the car, traffic and the driver’s skill in driving along crazy serpentines.
Bharatpur Airport, the fourth largest in the country, is connected by regular flights to the main cities - Kathmandu and Pokhara, so if you want to reduce travel time, then purchase an air ticket. From Pokhara, only Tara Air flies here, tickets for which can be purchased at the offices on Lakeside, while there are many more flights from Kathmandu - Buddha Air, Yeti Airlines, Gorkha Airlines and Tara Air. There are regular buses and taxis from Bharatpur to the village of Sauraha, the main location of hotels and guesthouses for visitors to Chitwan National Park.
In the village, which is already overgrown with many hotels, internet cafes and restaurants, there is a wide choice of accommodation, from 20 to 2000 dollars per night. Here are a few hotels that we liked and have proven themselves among travelers: Green Park Chitwan ($30-50), Sapana Village lodge ($60-80), Rhino lodge&hotel ($20-50). We stayed in Reno - a very nice place, close to the central entrance to the park and free Wi-Fi.
The park itself receives hundreds of visitors every day, so try to start exploring the park early in the morning. Typically, tourists buy a package tour that includes elephant riding, a jungle walk, a jeep safari or kayaking. Tours and time can be varied, the price will depend on this, a standard tour will cost 30-50 dollars per person.
If you don’t want to pay for entrance fees and tourist excursions in the park, then you can try a walk through one of the buffer zones, there are three in total - entry is free, and wild animals, just like in the national park, move freely through the jungle. There are few established trails here, so an experienced guide will be needed, which can be found in Sauraha or Ratnanagar.
The province also has the famous place Bish Hazari - “twenty thousand lakes”. Here, in the marshy area, there are a large number of small lakes and ponds, where hundreds of species of birds live. It is located 5 km southeast of Bharatpur. The lake will appeal to ornithologists, bird lovers and photographers. Hire a taxi for the whole day, take a TV and hit the road - you are guaranteed wonderful photos.
Not to say that Chitwan is the main attraction of Nepal and everyone should visit it, but if you love animals, nature and beautiful landscapes, be sure to visit here!
Have questions about Chitwan?
The Royal Chitwan National Park is one of the most interesting places after the valley and the Himalayan mountains. The park is located in the southern part of Nepal. Chitwan Nature Reserve is relatively young. The nature of the park is diverse and colorful, and so is its landscape. There are tropical forests and bushes, meadows and fields, and tall grass savannas. There are many bodies of water around: mountain rivers, deep ponds and creeks, and swamps.
Creation
Until 1950, Chitwan National Park was the hunting ground of kings. For many years, the monarchs of Nepal hunted big game - rhinoceroses, elephants and tigers. In 1973, there were only 100 rhinoceroses and 20 tigers in Chitwan. Hunting was prohibited, and then the first National Park in Nepal, Royal Chitwan, was founded. Today, the Royal Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its biodiversity.
What to see?
This mysterious Nepalese region is home to a huge variety of wildlife:
- 40 species of mammals;
- 45 species of reptiles and amphibians;
- 450 species of birds.
The best way to get to know the inhabitants of the jungle is from the back of an elephant. It’s an indescribable feeling to look at everything from the height of a huge animal, swaying slowly and measuredly to the rhythm of its step. The elephant smell overpowers the human smell, so predators and herbivores continue to behave as if nothing had happened.
In Chitwan, you will see families of rhinoceroses taking mud baths or peacefully chewing grass, and buffaloes while bathing. If you're lucky, you might even come across a Royal Bengal tiger. You can also see a more bloodthirsty sight - a crocodile attacking a fawn that has lost its vigilance. There are many birds around - peacocks and kingfishers.
Things to do?
The most interesting activities in Chitwan Park:
Helpful information
Tourist costs in Chitwan are as follows:
- Rhino Lodge is located in the center of the village - $20 per room.
- Entry fee is 1500 rupees (just under $15).
- along the river by canoe (40 minutes) and a walk for 3 hours - 800 rupees (or $8), the same for the whole day - 2 times more expensive.
- Jeep safari (4 hours) – 1200 rupees ($12); all day with lunch on the way for two – 16,000 rupees ($155).
- Elephant ride (2 hours) – 1300 rupees ($13).
- Excursion to the “kindergarten” of elephants – 400 rupees ($4).
How to get there?
The best time to visit Chitwan National Park is March-May or September-December. A park near the capital of the country. You can get to Chitwan either independently, using a public one, or with an excursion from the capital or. The road from Kathmandu to Chitwan is paved and can be reached in 6-8 hours by tourist buses. The distance is about 150-200 km. Although it is small, part of the road runs along a mountain serpentine, so traffic jams are not uncommon here.
There are two types of buses in Nepal - Local Bus and Tourist Bus. The first stops at every request and wave of the hand, so tourists mostly choose the Tourist Bus, the fare is 500 rupees ($5).
Chitwan National Park in Nepal can probably be considered the third most popular among tourists after mountain trekking routes in Nepal and the Kathmandu Valley.
Animals and plants in Chitwan
Chitwan is located on a plain bordering India and is considered one of the best national parks in Asia. It remains one of the rare places where there is still the opportunity to see the Indian rhinoceros and Bengal tiger in the wild. In addition to these animals, Chitwan is unique in its biodiversity - it is home to more than 50 species of mammals, including wild boars, antelopes, deer, bears, monkeys and over 400 species of birds. Chitwan is a unique destination for ornithologists and bird watchers. Seeing a Bengal tiger with your own eyes is a rare and great treat for visitors to Chitwan.
In addition to the rich flora and fauna of the park, it is also interesting to get acquainted with the culture of the local Tharu tribe.
The entrance ticket to the park is 1695 rupees ($14) - 2016 price.
Where to stay in Chitwan
Budget hotels are located next to the national park, in the village of Saurakha. A night in a budget hotel will cost 1200 rupees ($10) for a double room, but such places are quite dirty, we recommend staying in higher class hotels. In the village itself you can enjoy an excellent spectacle - elephants bathing in the river. You can pay to sit on a bathing elephant. Be prepared for dousing and the fact that you may end up in the water yourself ;). Very often, rhinoceroses and crocodiles can be seen directly from the village embankment. They come out of the forest to cool off in the river and are not at all afraid of people.
Expensive cottages are located directly on the territory of Chitwan Park
Popular tours in Chitwan
Elephant ride— 1400 rupees ($12), one and a half hours
Elephant ride into the jungle. Elephant tours are held twice a day - in the morning and at four o'clock in the afternoon. During the height of the tourist season, it is natural to have long queues. There are cheaper excursions outside the national park, but you are unlikely to see wild animals there.
Jeep Safari
The journey takes approximately four hours and covers remote areas of Chitwan. We strongly do not recommend going into the forest in a jeep. Wild animals rarely come close to the road and the likelihood of seeing the most interesting inhabitants of the park is quite small.
Canoe on the Rapti River
A unique opportunity to observe marsh crocodiles and gharials. If you are a bird lover, this excursion is not to be missed. Tourists travel by canoe for about an hour down the river and return on foot with a guide.
When is the best time to visit Chitwan?
The best time is from October to March. From April to early June there is sizzling heat exceeding +40C. Monsoon season is from June to mid-September.
How to get to Chitwan
There are daily regular flights from Kathmandu to Bharatpur (25 km from the park). The flight takes about half an hour.
By bus from Kathmandu or Pokhara. The trip lasts approximately 7 hours from Kathmandu, 6 hours from Pokhara.
You can book a raft cruise to the park from travel agencies in Kathmandu (on Thamel Street). This trip along the Trisuli River usually begins in the city of Mugling, located 110 km from Kathmandu, and lasts two to three days.
Trek the Annapurna Circuit and visit Chitwan with our group.
I visited the national park and decided to write a review, a mini guide to Chitwan for independent travelers. My favorite genre in which I have become proficient lately. The review will contain useful information, tips and an example of visiting the park.
But first, a little introduction to the park.
The park was founded in 1973 and was taken under the care of UNESCO in 1984. The park covers an area of 932 sq.m. And is located in the southern part of Nepal, closer to the border with India. About 43 species of mammals live here. Bengal tiger, king among tigers. Leopards, Rhinoceroses, Bears, Hyenas, Boars...
With around 543 species of birds, Chaitavan is a great destination for bird watchers.
As well as reptiles, insects and river inhabitants. Among them are king cobras and crocodiles and many many other living organisms, of which there are about 700 species in total. There is someone to look at.
Many guidebooks initially warn you that visiting a national park poses real dangers. And the guides can tell you a couple of interesting stories about meeting a tiger or a wild rhinoceros. The guide with whom I walked through the jungle said that he considers the angry elephant to be the most dangerous among animals. Since this animal cannot be scared or stopped.
And as a fan of exaggerating, I’ll also add that when visiting Chitwan you should get mosquito spray, as Malaria is also common here.
When to visit?
Is it worth visiting Chitwan then if everything looks so dangerous? Of course it’s worth putting your life in danger and getting real pleasure from being in a really wild place, and not in a zoo! And it’s better to do it in March! The most pleasant weather. The wind is blowing from the mountains, the temperature is about +30. The grass is not so tall and the animals are clearly visible.
I visited in July. It’s very stuffy, outside + 45, the grass is tall and you can’t see anything, the animals are hiding. And in the off-season, according to our guide, not only people go wild from the heat, but also animals. Therefore, the summer months are not the best time to visit. Unless you're looking for real adventure.
Where to stay?
Travel agencies in Pokhara and Kathmandu offer tours to Chitwan - 3 days two nights. Tours include food, transportation to the national park, and activities in the park itself. Most often these tours include elephant riding, river rafting, elephant bathing and jungle walking.
All this costs about $100 for three days. And if you take such a tour, then the problem of finding accommodation and transport immediately disappears. Not a bad option for relaxing after a good trekking.
I decided to go on my own. If you like it, stay longer; if not, leave early. Having booked one night in advance on booking.com, which had never failed before. But it turned out that it is better to look for housing locally, especially during the low season - the summer months.
I bought a bus ticket at the nearest agency; the journey from Pokhara and Kathmandu takes about 6 hours, and the ticket costs around 600 rupees.
What happened:
Upon arrival in Chitwan, surprisingly, there were no taxis at the bus station, and I arrived at lunchtime, not that I was upset about the upcoming walk to the hotel, I just didn’t know where to go.
And those who took a tour package at this time were met by hotel representatives. Okay, I thought and got to my place in half an hour. Along the way, like a prayer, repeating the phrase at the sight of everyone you meet: ‘Where is this hotel, where is this hotel, where is this hotel? ’
…
When I got to the hotel, its quality was depressing. And subsequent reconnaissance showed that you can find hotels cheaper than the cost on booking sites and of better quality.
In general, if you eat on your own and in low season, then book a hotel upon arrival on your own. It will be cheaper and more reliable. As I understand it, hotel booking systems have not yet reached such remote places as Chitwan.
What to do and how much will it cost?
The Tourist Menu in Chitwan is as follows:
– Elephant riding, about 1300 rupees;
– Jeep Safari, about 2000 rupees;
– Half-day walk through the jungle with a guide, about 900 rupees;
– Multi-day walk through the jungle, I don’t know the cost;
– Bird watching, I don’t know the cost;
– Visiting 20,000 lakes by bike with a guide, about 700 rupees;
– Canoe trip along the river, about 400 rupees;
– Elephant bathing is free, you just need to come to the right place at the right time. Locals will tell you where and when, it’s not far.
But that's not all in terms of expenses, to visit the park you need to get a permit, it costs 1500 rupees per day.
What and how did I visit?
Since it was damn hot, I decided to stay in Chitwan for only one full day.
The result was: Half a day (on the day of arrival), two nights, one full day and departure the next morning.
On the very first day upon arrival, I did some reconnaissance, found out what and where it costs, going through several tour bureaus. I planned my next day and went to enjoy the delights of Nepalese cuisine. Fortunately, it is not so expensive in Chitwan.
As it turned out, the prices are almost the same everywhere, except for hotels, where the cost of the same programs is much higher than everywhere else.
One day I decided to do a jungle walk, a boat ride on the river and a jeep safari in the national park. In terms of time, everything easily fit into a day. And taking into account the cost of permission to visit the national park, the cost came out to 4,200 rupees for a very busy day with the menu listed above. All the photos are from there.
The schedule turned out like this:
6:30 a.m. boat ride on the river – 1 hour;
8:00 walking tour through the jungle – 3 hours;
11:00 – 12:30 lunch at the hotel;
12:30 jeep safari – 5 hours;
Oddly enough, we saw the most animals while walking in a jeep. Why do I say we, because I was traveling in a jeep with a group of 7 people. We saw a lot of rhinoceroses, wild boar, and deer. But I won’t show you photographs of deer and wild boar; they quickly disappeared into the jungle. Many different birds, among which were peacocks. We saw crocodiles, monkeys, elephants. Either unfortunately or fortunately, we did not meet tigers, although we wanted to see them. The most dangerous of all those listed were rhinoceroses with cubs. When a female rhinoceros with a calf, she behaves very aggressively in order to protect the offspring.
Thank you for attention. Ask your questions, if you have any, I’m always happy to answer.