Things to do in Chitwan National Park, Nepal

Things to do in Chitwan National Park:

We took a bus from the Pokhara bus park to reach Chitwan, at around 2PM. We reached Chitwan at 9PM. We checked into the hotel we had pre-booked at Chitwan and retired for the night.

While there are many things to do in Chitwan, we chose to do Jeep Safari  and Canoeing.

Chitwan has two main squares – The Haathi Chowk and the Rhino Chowk. Around both these Chowks there are many tour operators, who arrange Jeep Safaris.

At Haathi Chowk

Chitwan Jeep Safari: After a lot of bargaining, we got a deal for 1600Rs for 2 people in the Jeep Safari. They take you inside the forest around 22kms, till the Crocodile breeding centre, and then bring you back. The trip starts with a short river crossing in a canoe. There are alligators lined at the banks of the rivers! The round trip is around 45kms, with a 30 minute halt in the Crocodile Breeding Centre. We spotted Rhinos, Deers, and Alligators along the way. There were innumerable birds of different species( There was a guide in our jeep, who was identifying them, and many of them were migratory, is what we were told)

Canoeing to cross the river!

Crocodile Spotting

 

At the Alligator Breeding Center

And Finally spotted the Rhino!!!

On our way, we saw people doing Jungle walks as well. The hiking trail is along the motor pathway itself, and we were told that Jungle walk is more fun than the Safari!

We returned at 6PM, after the safari, and roamed around the place. There are lot of souvenir shops lined in Chitwan. There is a Tharu cultural show at 7PM, portraying the local culture. It is 200Rs per person for foreigners. Do watch this show! There are many cafes lined up in the road between Haathi Chowk and Rhino Chowk. We explored few of them.

Next day was pack-up for us. We took a bus from Chitwan to Bharatpur, and then to Sunauli/Bhairawa. From Sunauli, we took a bus to Gorakhpur, to catch our train to Delhi.