NEPAL

Rare Rhinos in Chitwan National Park

Chitwan National Park is one of the country’s jewels and especially interesting for nature lovers and wildlife enthusiasts.

Located in the mid-south Terai area of Nepal, it takes about five to six hours driving time from Kathmandu to reach Nepal’s first national park. It protects more than 932 square kilometres of forest and was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1984.

The reserve is home to the famous one-horned rhinoceros, the Royal Bengal tiger, deer, leopard, wild elephant, sloth bear, monkeys and more than 500 species of birds.

Chitwan National Park offers some truly spectacular activities, such as jeep safaris, jungle treks, bathing with elephants, canoe trips and numerous activities for wildlife watching.

There is an Elephant Breeding Center near Sauraha, on the opposite side of the Bhude Rapti River. Here, visitors can enjoy the sight of mother elephants bonding with their adorable babies, drinking from nearby streams and simply going about their everyday lives.

A few hundred metres past the park headquarters in Kasara there is a crocodile breeding project, where you can see both gharials and marsh muggers up close. The decade-long programme has been a great success in releasing both endangered species back into the wild.