|
 Nepals first and the
most famous national park, Chitwan National Park offers a
wilderness of rich ecosystem that includes mammals, birds,
reptiles and water animals of several kinds. It is little
surprising therefore that this is one of the most popular and
most frequented parts of the country. Owing to its rich
adornment of nature the park was declared UNESCO Natural
Heritage Site in 1979. The park that includes in its area a part
of the Shivalik Hills is covered with deciduous forests
overlooking the flood plains of Narayani, Rapti and Reu rivers.
There are around 600 plant species, 50 mammals, 526 birds and 49
amphibians, reptiles found in the park. The highlights, of
course, are the 500 Asian one-horned Rhinoceros and some 100
nocturnal Royal Bengali Tigers that live in the dense forests of
the park. Sharing home with these are other animals like rhesus
monkey, grey languor, deer, leopards, white stocking gaur, wild
boar, wild dogs and wild cats. Among reptiles are different
kinds of snakes including the python, while the river areas
breed amphibians like the endangered shouted gharial popularly
known as Genetic Crocodile and marsh crocodiles?
The forest is alive during summer with the arrival of migrant
birds paradise flycatcher, Indian pitta and parakeets, while
winter birds include waterfowl, Brahminy ducks, pintails,
bar-headed geese, cormorants and migratory birds from Siberia.
Other bird varieties are woodpeckers, hornbills, peacocks,
peahens, floricans and redheaded trogons. A rare attraction of
the park is the worlds fresh water dolphin variety sometimes
seen in River Narayani. Another factor adding a distinct touch
to the Chitwan experience is the colourful Tharu culture. There
are also sites of religious and historical importance at Devghat,
Pandavnagar, Balmiki Ashram and Kabilaspur. Chitwan can be
visited in all seasons, but best time to visit is September to
March. Chitwan is easy to reach from Kathmandu and from other
parts of the country. Daily flights to Meghauli and Bharatpur
are available from Kathmandu. It is also connected by road to
the capital and other major cities in the country.
Chitwan is one of the 75 districts of Nepal. Because of its
strategic geographical location with respect to the other parts
of the country, and also because of the diversity of the origin
and culture of the people currently living there, this is
sometimes also referred to as the seventy-sixth district of
Nepal. People from almost all parts of the country have moved to
this place permanently soon after this part of a dense
wilderness in Terai (also commonly known as Chaar-Koshe Jhaadi
was opened for new settlements in about 1950s. At the foot of
the Himalayas, Chitwan is one of the few remaining undisturbed
vestiges of the Chaar-Koshe Jhaadi of theTerai region, which
formerly extended over the foothills of Nepal. It has a
particularly rich flora and fauna. One of the last populations
of single-horned Indian Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis),
Panthers /Leopards, Gharial crocodiles, pythons, and several
kinds of dears live (in addition to several other known and
unknown species of animals, reptiles, birds) in the Chitwan
National Park, which is also one of the last refuges of the
Bengal tiger. There are also elephants that reside in the
National Park.
Jungle Drives:
 Boarded on a four-wheel drive safari jeep, you will drive
through the jungle where you can see hundreds of wild animals in
their natural setting including the rare and endangered species
of Royal Bengal Tiger, One-horned Rhino etc. As you visit the
Ox-bow Lake and 20,000 lakes, you can see various mammals and
birds that come their to drink water.
Canoe Riding :
 You can boat on the Rapti river on a typical hand-made canoe
dug-out of wood. As you canoe, you can see Gharials and
Crocodiles basking in the sun and enjoy watching many colorful
birds.
Bird Watching:
 Chitwan National Park is hometo about 500 species of residential
and migratory birds including the endangered species like Great
pied hornbill, Bengal Florican and Peregrine falcon. The park is
an excellent site for bird watchers.
Tharu Cultural Village tour:
 Tharus are the indigenous ethnic tribe of Terai of Nepal. Safari
Wildlife Lodge offers guided cultural tours to the Tharu
villages where you can interact and see the Tharus and their
culture. On the way you will also visit the recently opened
Tharu cultural museum, where you can explore and learn about the
artifacts, tradition and living culture of Tharus.
Elephant Breeding Center:
 We will take you to the first Elephant Breeding center of Asia,
where you can see baby elephants socializing with their parents
and other babies. The center lies at a convenient location from
our camp.
Tharu Stick Dance:
 We arrange a Tharu Stick dance, a typical cultural dance of
Tharus, every evening at the camp. The drummers and stick
dancers perform traditional movements and invite guests to join
them maiming rhythmically.
Elephant Safari:
 Riding an elephant is the safest mode to enter the jungle. In
the Safari you can have close up views of the wild animals and
their activities safely from the elephant back. Many tourists
have described this program as one of the unforgettable moments
of their life.
Elephant Bathing:
 If you are interested to have more fun, you can enjoy the exotic
elephant bath in the fresh running water of Rapti. You can bathe
together along with elephant (s) in the clean water of Rapti
where well-trained domestic elephants will shower and caress you
with their trunks and you can do your bit to the elephant if you
are interested.
Jungle walk:
 If you want more adventure and intimacy with nature, you can
walk through the jungle accompanied by a well-trained nature
guide. This is a very enjoyable program that allows you to have
a close watch and learn about the flora and fauna of the park.
The nature guide will explain give you a detailed information
about the plants and animals there. From the Machans (watch
towers), perched at various places inside the jungle by the
National park, you can observe wild animals walking around,
grazing, drinking water or sleeping in the bushes as you safely
rest in the wilderness. |
