Royal Chitwan National Park Tour

Chitwan lies in the lowlands or Inner Terai of southern central Nepal on the international border with India. The park's boundaries extend from the Dauney Hills on the west bank of the Narayani River eastward 78km to Hasta and Dhoram rivers. The park is bounded to the north by the Narayani and Rapti rivers and to the south by the Panchnad and Reu rivers and a forest road. Parsa Wildlife Reserve is contiguous to the eastern boundary of the park and extends as far eastwards as the Bheraha and Bagali rivers.

Chitwan lies in the lowlands or Inner Terai of southern central Nepal on the international border with India. The park's boundaries extend from the Dauney Hills on the west bank of the Narayani River eastward 78km to Hasta and Dhoram rivers. The park is bounded to the north by the Narayani and Rapti rivers and to the south by the Panchnad and Reu rivers and a forest road. Parsa Wildlife Reserve is contiguous to the eastern boundary of the park and extends as far eastwards as the Bheraha and Bagali rivers.

Chitwan was declared a national park in 1973, following approval by the late King Mahendra in December 1970. Substantial additions were made to the park in 1977 and the adjacent Parsa Wildlife Reserve was estab lished in 1984. The habitat had been well protected as a royal hunting reserve from 1846 to 1951 during the Rana regime. An area south of the Rapti River was first proposed as a rhinoceros sanctuary in 1958, demarcated in 1963 and later incorporated into the national park. Chitwan was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1984.

Flora and Fauna

The Chitwan valley is characterized by tropical to subtropical forest. 70% of park vegetation is predominantly Sal ( Shorea robusta ) forest, a moist deciduous climax vegetation type of the Terai region. The remaining vegetation types include grassland (20%), riverine forest (7%) and Sal with Chirpine ( Pinus roxburghii ) (3%), the latter occurring at the top of the Churia range. The riverine forests mainly consists of khair, sissoo and simal. The simal is with spiny bark when young and develops buttress at the bottom in older stage. The grasslands form a diverse and complex community with over 50 species. The Sacchrum species, often called elephant-grass can reach 8 m in height. The shorter grasses such as Imperata are useful for thatch roofs.

Over 40 species of mammals have been recorded. Prior to its re-introduction to Royal Bardia National Park in 1986, the park contained the last Nepalese population of the Indian rhinoceros Rhinoceros unicornis . Tiger Panthera tigris (E) is present and has been the subject of a long-term study begun in 1974. Leopard Panthera pardus (T) is widespread and other threatened mammal species include wild dog Cuon alpinus, sloth bear Melursus ursinus, Ganges river dolphin Platanista gangetica, and gaur Bos gaurus. Hispid hare Caprolagus hispidus is also present (Oliver, 1985). Wild elephant Elephas maximus occasionally pass through the Churia Hills. Other mammals include rhesus macaque Macaca mulatta and common langur Presbytis entellus, smooth-coated otter Lutra perspicillata, yellow-throated marten Martes flavigula, ratel Mellivora capensis, spotted linsang Prionodon pardicolor, large Indian civet Viverra zibetha, small Indian civet Viverricula indica, common palm civet Paradoxurus hermaphroditus, Himalayan palm civet Paguma larvata, mongoose Herpestes spp., fishing cat Felis viverrina, leopard cat F. bengalensis, jungle cat F. chaus, jackal Canis aureus, striped hyena Hyaena hyaena, Indian fox Vulpes bengalensis (I), sambar Cervus unicolor, hog deer C. porcinus, spotted deer C. axis, Indian muntjac Muntiacus muntjak, wild boar Sus scrofa, Chinese pangolin Manis pentadactyla, five-striped palm squirrel Funambulus pennanti, Indian porcupine Hystrix indica and Indian hare Lepus nigricollis. Most mammals found in the park also occurs in Parsa Wildlife Reserve with the exception of hog deer. Four-horned antelope Tetracerus quadricornis occurs in Parsa, on the southern slopes of the Churia Hills, and the reserve contains Nepal's only reproducing herd of about 21 elephants.

Larger number of bird species has been recorded in Chitwan (489 in total) than in any other protected area in Nepal. There are ten breeding species for which Nepal may hold internationally significant populations including Bengal florican Houbaropsis bengalensis and rufous-necked laughing-thrush Garrulax ruficollis. It is the only locality in the country for striped buttonquail Turnix sylvatica, bristled grass warbler Chaetornis striatus andslender-billed babbler Turdoides longirostris. In addition, Chitwan is the only protected area where the following species considered to be at risk in Nepal have been found: yellow bittern Ixobrychus sinensis, black baza Aviceda leuphotes, laggar falcon Falco jugger, blue-breasted quail Coturnix chinensis, thick-billed green pigeon Treron curvirostra, mountain imperial pigeon Ducula badia, vernal hanging parrot Loriculus vernalis, red-winged crested cuckoo Clamator coromandus, banded bay cuckoo Cacomantis sonneratii, tawny fish owl Ketupa flavipes, white-vented needletail Hirundapus cochinchinensis, deep blue kingfisher Alcedo meninting, white-browed piculet Sasia ochracea, long-tailed broadbill Psarisomus dalhousiae, hooded pitta Pitta sordida, white-throated bulbul Criniger flaveolus, lesser necklaced laughing-thrush Garrulax monileger, greater necklaced laughing-thrush G. pectoralis, ruby-cheeked sunbird Anthreptes singalensis and little spiderhunter Arachnothera longirostra. Chitwan is very important for wintering birds (about 160 in total), both winter visitors from outside Nepal and many altitudinal migrants which descend to the lowlands outside the breeding season, as well as a valuable staging point for numerous passage migrant species (Inskipp, 1989).

Some 19 species of snake occur in the park including king cobra Ophiophagus hannah, green pit viper Trimeresurus albolabris, common krait Bungarus caeruleus and Indian python Python molurus. Other notable reptiles are mugger Crocodylus palustris (V) (declining from at least 200 in 1978 to 70 in 1986/1988), gharial Gavialis gangeticus (E), Indian starred tortoise Geochelone elongata and monitor lizards Varanus spp.

Some 113 species of fish have been recorded, including Barilius spp., Tor tor, T. putitora and Puntius spp.

How to Get There:

By Surface:
It is a pleasant scenic 5-6 hours drive by a tourist coach or a private vehicle from Kathmandu on the Prithivi Highway along the banks of the Trisuli River. En route you drive past several traditional Tharu villages and eventually reach the pickup point at fringe of national park from where you will be escorted by a Safari Jeep to your Safari Lodge.

By Air:
It is a 20-minute pleasant flight from Kathmandu to Bharatpur airport (near Royal Chitwan National Park). Up on arrival at Bharatpur air strip, a representative from the Safari Lodge you are booked in will escort you on a Safari Jeep to Chitwan National Park.

By Raft:
World Vision Travels organizes a day rafting trip to three on 2-4 class Trishuli River. You can combine rafting trip and Chitwan Wildlife tours. After concluding rafting trip near Chitwan National park border it is further 2 hrs (approx) drive to the park.

Park Facilities:

Display Center, Kasara
Library at Kasara Sauraha
Visitor Center, Sauraha
Machans (View tower)

Enrty fees into Chitwan National Park:

National Park entry fee per person per day:
For Nepali Nationals Rs 20
For SAARC NAtionals Rs 200
For Foreign Nationals Rs 500
Children under 10 years Free
Elephant ride for about 2 hrs. - Rs 550 - (Nepali's Rs 100)
Fishing permits - Rs 300 - (Nepali's Rs 20)
Camping per night per person - Rs 300 - (Nepali's Rs 20)
Guided jungle walk - Rs 250/400 for half day/full day - (Nepali's Rs 20)
Canoeing - Rs 230 per person
4WD safari - Rs 650 per person
Gharial crocodile breeding centre - included in the park entrance fee
Elephant breeding centre - included in the park entrance fee

Activities at Chitwan National Park:

Canoe Trip:
You can enjoy canoe trip on either The Rapti River or The Budhi Rapti River which border the National Park. You can see two types of crocodiles, the Gharial and Mugger basking on the river bank.

Bird Watching:
For the bird watchers, it is Paradise Island with over 450 species of exotic birds of domestic as well as migratory birds. Many are threatened, e.g. the Great pied hornbill, Bengal Florican, Peregrine falcon, lesser adjutant storks, etc. A bird watching trip will be a memorable experience.

Jungle Drive:
A tour by four wheel drive in the less distributed areas of the park to track the rarer species. You will visit Ox-bow Lake and museum of historic interest relating to the park. However during this period we will visit 20,000 areas which afford a varied experience of birds and mammals.

Nature Walk:
Our experienced naturalists will accompany you to the more specialized habitats. This is the ideal opportunity to explore and experience at closer quarters and beauty of the flora and fauna. The authority of the naturalist must be closely observed to obviate any risks from wildlife attacks.

Elephant Breeding Centre:

This is the first Elephant breeding centre in Asia. You can see baby elephants socializing with their parents and other babies. This centre is government owned and its purpose is to raise the young elephants, and to train them to convey tourist around the region.

Village tour:
Excursion in Tharu village will grant you an exhilarating experience. Tharus are the indigenous inhabitant of the Terai. We offer guided cultural tours to meet the people and experience their traditional self-sufficient way of life.

Cultural Program:
In the evening you will get an opportunity to be a part of Tharu folk dance. The drummers and symbolic stick dancers perform traditional movements and invite guests to join them in this rhythmic display. Such cultural shows performed by Tharus will be an unforgettable experience. The Tharus in traditional colorful costumes, unique in their disparity with the common mode of dress all over Nepal, are sure to captivate you.

Elephant safari:
On elephant back you can view the wild life of the area in their natural habitat.

Elephant Bathing:
Your guide will take you to the specific place where you can observe elephant bathing.

Crocodile Walk:
One more option is to go for crocodile walk. It goes through grassland and forest along the bank of Rapti / Narayani river.

Accommodation:
The choices are of a wide range but, as usual, they fall in two general categories: luxury and budget. The luxury hotels in Chitwan are inside the Park itself. They provide you quite an exquisite experience. Swimming pool, cocktail bars, safari ambience, organized game spotting trips, orientation by trained naturalists, and all. These luxury hotels generally package the whole tour for their price, including transportation to and from Kathmandu, meals, park entry fees, daily activities, etc.

The budget hotels in Chitwan are all located just outside the northern border of Chitwan National Park, in a village called Sauraha. Sauraha, in the past few years, is quickly turning into another Thamel or Lakeside.