Chitwan National Park was the first National Park established in Nepal in 1973. Since its inception, it has garnered world wide attention for its grasslands and subtropical deciduous forests. Its main claim to fame is of course the One-Horned Indian Rhinoceros which has its largest Nepalese population here in this park.
……………………………………………………………….
A great place to stay here that rests in a perfect location in Chitwan Tiger Camp. It sits right on the confluence of two rivers and is the starting point for a small jungle trek, large jungle trek, canoeing down the river as well as Jeep 4X4. The food here is some of the best I have ever had in my life as well as great service from the waiter as well as guides. I will not forget this place…..
We did mostly jungle treks here as with the monsoon season, the roads were to muddy and most were closed. I was fine with the jungle trek safari as it went through very dense green brush. I ran across a few leeches attached to me a few times as it had just rained so they were out in groves. Whenever we went out it was hot and humid, perhaps the worst humidity I ever ran into as within five minutes in the shade or sun, you would already be drenched in sweat.
Besides Tigers (who are hard to spot in the monsoon season because of the thick grass, the main attraction here is the famous one horned Indian Rinoceros which is an endangered species just like its African counterpart.
We were able to see at least five or six different rhinos on our trip here, including 5 on the first day. We even got to hear and see two males battling for territory running after each other across the river, but they were too fast for any good pictures from the point I was at.
The main attraction which we followed around for the two days at different points in the park was the baby rhino. It seems that during a flood, it had lost its mom so it was seen roaming around different parts of the river or on the banks grazing. I was ablet to snap off some fabulous pictures of this great beast going about feeding or sunning most of the time…
During one of our jungle walks, we ran across a scene that looks like it is from a post apocolyptic movie. The abandoned hotel or Gaida Wildlife Camp was once a sprawling destination inside the park for people to start their safaris. However 8 years ago the Nepalese government banned any hotels or camps from operating inside the park, so this place was left to fade away into the jungle as mother nature has definitely retaken it. I was able to get some great pictures inside the bar and reception area which would make for a good scene in the walking dead if it was to take place in a jungle…
The landscape here was amazing with the jungle and the sunset and the rivers. No wonder why this place attracts people from all over the world….
Walking out to one of our jungle treks we noticed they were filming a movie (possibly a photo shoot) and snapped a few pictures of the people in the sweltering heat…
If you do not like bugs or spiders, then the jungle treks are not for you as we ran across many different types of bugs including beautifully woven spider webs…
Small Frogs were out in droves and I managed to get a few snaps of some before they jumped away, as I did of a snake which I am still trying to identify before he slithered into a pile of dead leaves and branches
There are two types of Crocodiles here- The Common Crocodile and the Gharial, which has a longer snout and only feeds on fish. They were often seem swimming by or sunning themselves on the banks of the river…
The types of birds in this National park is countless as we ran into storks, kingfishers, swallows, and herons plus countless more….
You cannot go on a Safari without seeing monkeys. The shy Rhesus Macaques were seen in trees jumping around on our 4X4 safari, with a cute baby away from his mom learning how to forage for food himself…
