Chitwan: What You Can Really See

Chitwan is Nepal first national park and its most popular wildlife destination, and it is worth being honest about what a visit actually delivers before you book anything.

The rhinos are reliably seen

The greater one-horned rhinoceros is the park great success story. Poaching has been brought close to zero by a combination of army patrols and community programmes, and the population has grown substantially since the 1990s. On a half-day jeep safari out of Sauraha, a rhino sighting is likelier than not.

They are large, calm and often encountered at close range on the grasslands beside the river. Follow your guide instructions about distance: a rhino with a calf is not calm.

Chitwan National Park, Nepal

Tigers are rare, whatever you are told

Chitwan holds a significant tiger population, and tourists do see tigers. It is also a forest of tall grass and dense sal woodland in which an animal can be eight metres away and entirely invisible.

A realistic chance of a tiger sighting on a two- or three-day visit is low — well under one in ten on most trips. Any operator guaranteeing a tiger is either misinforming you or planning to drive you somewhere irresponsible. Treat the guarantee as the warning it is.

Any operator who promises a tiger has already told you what kind of operator they are.

Walks, canoes and jeeps

Three ways in, and they are not equivalent. A jungle walk, with two guides and no more than four people, is the best way to see birds, tracks and smaller mammals — and the most vulnerable if something goes wrong, so ask about guide numbers. A canoe trip on the Rapti at dawn brings gharial and marsh mugger crocodiles, kingfishers and river birds. A jeep safari covers ground and is the only realistic route to the park deeper zones; book a park-registered vehicle with a licensed guide.

Choosing an operator

Sauraha, on the park northern edge, is where most visitors stay and where the operators are. Ask, before booking: how many guests per guide on a walk, whether the guide is government-licensed, and whether the package includes the park entry fee separately. The good ones include it and say so.

Avoid any package offering elephant-back safaris. Riding is no longer legal for park entry, and the camps that still advertise it should be avoided on animal-welfare grounds as well as legal ones.

When to go

October to March is comfortable and clear. February to April is hot and brings the tall grass down, improving visibility considerably — the trade-off is that it is nearly April-hot by the end. The monsoon closes much of the park and floods the roads.

Stay two or three nights. One night in Chitwan is a wasted journey.