Chitwan National Park

Introducing Chitwan National Park

Chitwan National Park has long been regarded as Nepal's third biggest attraction after trekking and the Kathmandu Valley. This huge and beautiful nature reserve protects 932 sq km of sal forest, water marshes and rippling grassland. The park is one of the last refuges of the endangered one-horned Indian rhino and there are sizeable populations of tigers, leopards and rare Gangetic dolphins.

Before the Maoist insurgency, Chitwan was visited by an impressive 92% of all visitors to Nepal, but tourist numbers have plummeted since 2001. The upmarket lodges inside the park still attract decent numbers of visitors, but several budget resorts in Sauraha have closed and others have dropped their rates significantly.

On one level, the wildlife has probably benefited from the reduced visitor numbers - it's a lot easier to hunt when you don't have an elephant-load of tourists shouting and scaring off your prey. However, poaching has increased significantly since the Nepali army stopped patrolling the park, and the rhino population has been hit particularly badly.

Many people visit Chitwan on package tours arranged through travel agents in Kathmandu, Pokhara or overseas. This is by far the easiest approach if you plan to stay at one of the upmarket lodges inside the park.

If you can't afford one of the expensive lodges deep inside the park, the nearby town of Sauraha is an excellent alternative. A small but lively tourist centre has grown up along the river bank about 6km south of Sauraha Chowk (Tandi Bazaar) on the Mahendra Hwy, with hotels, restaurants, bars, moneychangers, travel agents, Internet cafés and dozens of shops selling the full range of Nepali souvenirs, from pirate CDs to tiger pugmark ashtrays.

Careless development has undermined some of the safari atmosphere at Sauraha, but the setting is impressive - perched beside a wide, slow-flowing river with a wall of dense jungle looming tantalisingly on the far bank. An incredible range of jungle activities can be arranged and the surrounding countryside is a peaceful patchwork of rice fields and Tharu villages. In fact, there's probably more to do here than at the big, expensive lodges inside the park.

When planning a visit to Chitwan, try to give yourself enough time for several safaris. The wildlife is unpredictable and you can't rely on sightings every time. Two whole days in the park is really the minimum for wildlife spotting. Be aware that the popular four-day, three-night packages to Chitwan include a day of travel at either end.

Last updated: Sep 30, 2009