This very popular wildlife park is 120km southwest of Kathmandu, in the center of Nepal. This is one of the best wildlife parks to visit in Asia. It is a great experience going on an elephant safari in this first-class park. It is relatively easy to get to and can be visited cheaply. It is a popular park to visit so can get crowded. If you want seclusion you may want to visit Bardia National Park or Sukla Phanta, which are much less crowded.

There are many wild animals in this park, which include one-horned rhinoceros, tigers, leopards, wild boars, sloth bears, wild buffalo and crocodiles. These animals can all be seen on the back of an elephant. It is unlikely to see a tiger, but you can be almost certain to see a rhino, monkeys, different species of deer, and many species of birds.

During their visit in 1911, King George V and his son the Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII), during their hunting expedition 39 tigers and 18 rhinos were killed. In 1973, when Chitwan became a national park, the amount of rhinos was down to 100 and the tigers were just 20.
At the present time the park has around 460 rhinos, 80 tigers, over 50 other species of animals, and over 450 species of birds.

From Kathmandu it takes a day to get to Chitwan and a day to get back to Kathmandu, so you need at least three days for this trip. For most people two full days at the park is enough. As it is a pleasant place many people will want to stay longer. You can also do a river raft trip there, spending three days on the river Trisuli or Seti Khola.

The best time to visit the park is from October to May. There is a wide assortment of birds in the park. The best time to view migratory species is from December to March.

The park can easily be visited from either Kathmandu or Pokhara. If you are traveling between Kathmandu and Sunauli, it is a short trip of the route to the park. If you are going between Kathmandu and Pokhara and the Indian border town of Birganj, you pass Chitwan.

There are many places to stay here ranging from Rs 100 up to $350 per night.

A Quick Overview of the Biology of Chitwan

Royal Chitwan National Park (RCNP) is situated in Chitwan Dun (‘dun’ means ‘a valley in the lowlands) on the boundary between the Siwalik Hills and the flat Terai regions of southern Nepal. The climate is subtropical monsoon, characterized by intense rains and extremely hot temperatures in the summer (from mid-June to late September) followed by dry cool fall, winter, and spring.
Chitwan includes many habitat zones ranging from jungle forests to grasslands. The four major vegetation types are Sal forest, riverine forest, khair-sissoo forest and tall grassland:
"Sal forest, dominated by sal (Shorea robusta), grows on the slopes of Churia hill (in the south of the park) and nearby foothills."
"Riverine forests extend along watercourses with species like Trewia nudiflora, Bombax cieba Lisea monopatela, Dalbergia sissoo, Acacia catechu and Bahunia spp. Forming the canopy layer."
"Khair-sissoo forest is more common in relatively old islands of (the) Narayani river system with Dalbergia sissoo and Acacia catechu as dominant tree species."
"Tall grasslands are stretched along (the) Rapti, Reu and Narayani river systems. Saccharum spontaneum, S. bengalensis, Narenga porphyrocoma, Phragmites karka and Themeda arundinacia are common graminoides (grasses) found in the tall grasslands." Jnawali (1999).
In additional to the above 4 vegetative types, 3 different forest and 5 different minor grassland types have been recognized. Within the park, 3 gymnosperms, 13 pteridophytes, 424 dicotyledons, 137 monocots, and have been recognized.
In addition to the great diversity in plant species, RCNP has a profound number of birds (526 species), mammals (over 50 species), reptiles (over 50 species of reptiles and amphibians) and fish (over 120 species), including:

Geography Top
Chitwan is 932 sq km and the adjacent Parsa Wildlife Reserve is 499 sq km.

Chitwan is in Chitwan in an area known as the Inner Terai. It is surrounded by the Someshwar Hills. The north park of the park is a narrow strip of flat land running along the Rapti and Narayani rivers. It is the most visited part of the park. The east part of the park is connected to Parsa Wildlife Reserve, which is not usually visited, but this is valuable land for the wildlife. The Someshwar Hill going up to 735m are in the south section of the park. Visitors do not usually come here.

There are several lakes in the park, which are good for bird watching. A lake is known as a “tal.” The best lakes are Devi Tal near Tiger Tops, Bis Hajaar Tal (20,000 lakes), and Lami Tal near Kasara

Conservation in Chitwan

Chitwan has been one of the most important research and ecosystem "proving grounds" in Asia. While it shows significant gains in big game populations (rhinos have risen to nearly 500 – one quarter of the World’s population and tigers number over 100 individuals), Chitwan is under continual attack from Nepal’s growing population and industry. It is bounded on the north by the Rapti River, on the south by the Reu River and on the west by the Narayani River, all of which show signs of increasing pollution. The result of degraded water quality has been a total extinction of the spectacular Gangetic dolphin in the Narayani River and decreased populations elsewhere. The Gharial Crocodile are hanging on by a thread, with populations massively supplemented by farm raised crocodiles. The ever-growing human populations in the Chitwan valley are threatening the sanctity of the Park as well as leading to increased and usually deleterious interactions between far ranging animals, such as wild elephants, outside the Park.

Tharu Villages and Tharu Stick Dance
Originally the people of this area were Tharus and there are Tharu villages in the area that can be visited. The nearest Tharu village is Bachauli, east of Sauraha. Some hotels arrange village tours. There are two-hour guided walks through the Tharu Village for Rs 75 per person.

Tharu stick dances are worth seeing and several hotels have performances nightly during the high season (Rs 50 for non-guest). During a dance, performers slap their sticks together. You lodge should know where a performance is taking place.
Tharu Cultural Program Hall, north end of Sauraha, has a nightly cultural show with traditional music and dance (Rs 50).