Chitwan National Park Tour

Things to see inside Chitwan National Park

Animals

1. Bengal tigers,
2. Indian rhinoceros,
3. Asian elephants,
4. various species of deer
5. leopards,
6. sloth bears,
7. gharial crocodiles

Birds within Chitwan National Park

1. Kalij Pheasant,
2. Great Hornbill,
3. Woodpeckers, Blue peafowl
4. Black-necked Stork,
5. Wooly-necked Stork,
6. Deep-blue Kingfisher,
7. Stork-Billed Kingfisher,
8. Bar-headed Goose
9. Black-crested Bulbul bird
10. Red-vented Bulbul
11. Grey-headed Fish Eagle
12. White-eyed Buzzard
13. Red-breasted Parakeet bird

Vegetation

Mix of grasslands, deciduous forests, and wetlands

How to get from Kathmandu to Chitwan?

Chitwan is about 4-5 hours of road distance and 15 mins of areal distance from Chitwan National Park. There are four options to get from Kathmandu to Chitwan National Park.

Fly to Bharatpur Airport: You can fly from the domestic terminal of Kathmandu airport to Chitwan. This is a 15-minute short flight and costs about $100 for foreigners. From the airport, you can take a private taxi to Saraha which costs about $20.

Check our most famous Manaslu Circuit trek. 

Drive in a private vehicle: You can hire a private car directly from Kathmandu to Sauraha and a taxi can cost you about $70 to $90 depending upon your bargaining skills.

Drive in a tourist bus: You can get a tourist bus/van from Thamel, Buspark, or Kalanki to the bus park of Chitwan. From there, the drive to Sauraha is about 45 minutes and you can again take a private taxi. The fare of a tourist bus is about $15 from Kathmandu to Chitwan. This bus usually leaves Kathmandu in the morning and it’s recommended to book your trip in advance.

Drive in a local bus: Many local buses or microbikes leave Kathmandu and take you to Chitwan every day. While these local buses are crowded and not as comfortable as tourist vans, you can find many local buses throughout the day. The best place to find a local bus leaving for Chitwan is from Kalanki and you don’t need to book in advance. The price for the local bus to Chitwan is $5 to $7 and from Chitwan bus park, you can take another local bus to Sauraha that costs about $1. But again, the local buses are very dirty, crowded, and noisy.

Things to do in Chitwan National Park

Elephant rides

There are elephant-rearing units inside the Chitwan National Park and one can ride on the back of the Elephant by paying a certain charge. You will be accompanied by a local guide or Elephant masters who take care of your safety throughout the ride. In about 30 minutes of the ride, the Elephant takes you around the forest and along the river bank where you can see many other animals bathing and enjoying the sun. It’s time to capture one of such beautiful pictures.

Jeep Safari

On the outskirts of Chitwan National Park, we can hire a jeep for the rides. Option for private rides and group joining are available depending on the season and the time we go there. In about 4 hours, we dive deep into the thickest of forests to spot some of the rare wild life in the woods. The naturalist guide will explain to you all the animals and unique flora you see along the ride.

Conoe

Now, this is an exciting activity of riding on a small wooden boat into Rapt River. You will have a boat driver to lead the boat as you see some Crocodiles basking in the sun. It’s of course a thrilling ride as you see crocodiles swimming alongside you. This is also a great time to spot some beautiful and unique birds.

Tharu cultural tour and dances

Tharu are the indigenous group of people who still live in the forest of Chitwan. Their nomadic lifestyle takes you back to the last century when you can observe humans living in harmony with nature. Their way of life, tools, foods, and houses reflect the very old traditions of Nepal. Despite being close to Chitwan, the commercial capital of Nepal, they lead a very poor and basic lifestyle.

Also, Tharu foods and dances are getting very popular in Nepal. The young ladies shall perform their cultural dance the Tharu dress and obviously, you can join them to learn a few moves.

Elephant Breeding Centre and Museum visit

In the outer circle of Chitwan National Park, you get to visit a small museum with a display of animals inside the park. Some organs of the rear animals as horns, skins, teeth, etc are displayed along with the information card of all the animals.

Then, we visit the breeding center of Elephant. Since the government has planned to increase the number of Asia elephants on this premises, the adult Elephant is given assistance to mate and give birth while the younger children are given extensive care. You can see many elephant babies of different sizes and ages during the visit.

Bird watching in Chitwan

Chitwan National Park trip is the best spot to watch some of the rare migratory birds. If possible, we provide you with binoculars for a close-up view of the birds and the naturalist guide will explain to you about their origin.

Sunset Viewing

The Sunset of the Terai area is very beautiful, especially when you observe it from the river shore. When you are tired from the numerous activities throughout the day, a beautiful sunset is the best possible way to end the Royal Chitwan National Park tour now.

What is the possible extension to Chitwan Jungle Safari?

Chitwan NP almost lies in the centre of Nepal and many other nearby areas are accessible from Chitwan. You can drive to Pokhara, the city of lakes and caves about 3 hours from Chitwan. Or, you can get to Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha about 7 hours from Chitwan. Within Chitwan, you can visit water parks, temples, the local market, Devghat, and also go rafting or Cruising in the Narayani River.

Check our All Nepal tour packages