(Chitwan National Park)
One of a best National park of Nepal is a Chitwan National Park in Southern Nepal well planned and most intelligently developed tourist areas. There are facility of not only for a wide variety of resorts and lodges; it is also easy to visit by traveling by bus and by airplane. Regular flights are scheduled by Nepal Airlines and other airlines to Meghauli, Simara and Bharatpur. Many resorts provide coach service to charm new comer tourist. Local buses offer a choice between a night ride and a day ride. Chitwan National Park is perhaps the best park in Nepal for seeing animals in the wild. In the earlier part of the century, when rapid deforestation was devastating Nepal's southern Terai belt, Government of Nepal intervened and proclaimed the Chitwan area a national park. The Government of Nepal declared the Chitwan region as a national park, outlawed settlement and deforestation within its boundaries, and a campaign to save the animals life. Many National and International Projects carried out with the help of friendly nations have revived the animals that remained. Though the Terai is certainly not what it once was, the preserved portion within the Chitwan National Park is still a treat for animal lovers. Bengal tigers roam the region; one-horned rhinos can be seen charging through the underbrush, feeding and even courting. The Rapti River has been flowering dammed to form a man-made lake called Lamital where water-birds and marsh mugger peckers and many other birds are found in plenty in these forests. Elephant grass, five to six feet tall, provides excellent camouflage for animals. This Green grass serves as food for the gaur (a local bison), rhino and other herbivores. Once a year, local people are allowed into the park area to cut grass. The grass is dried, and used to thatch roofs or stored for food for the domestic animals during the dry season. Access : Chitwan is easily accessible from Kathmandu, being well connected by a national highway to Bhadrapur and Sauraha. There are daily flights to Meghauli airstrip just outside the park boundry. Accomodation : Resorts and lodges are available to suit one's travel budget; most include elephant safaris, jungle walks, canoeing and a variety of cultural activities in their programs. Reservations for accommodations can be made at the Kathmandu offices of Chitwan resorts and lodges, with selections ranging from the most luxurious to those with simple food and shelter. On a village tour, you can observe the culture of the Tharu people. Tharu dance and song performances are included in most resort and lodge entertainment. A visit to Chitwan is a visit filled to the brim with activities, whether you stay two days or a week.
Besides that, Chitwan National Park is home to the great one horned rhinoceros, sloth bear, wild boar, gaur (bison), 4 species of deer, 2 species of monkeys, 2 species of crocodiles, leopard the elusive Bengal Tiger and over 450 species of birds and various other reptiles. It is listed in the world heritage site. Apart from jungle safari, there are many places which are quite interesting to visit: Elephant Breeding Centre, Crocodile Farm etc.
More than that, Jungle Safari is one of the most interesting traveling to have through jungle. We can go for a jungle safari on elephant back so that s/he can go through deep into the jungle for viewing and photographing wildlife or for a jungle walk to experience the plentiful bird-life and the flora and fauna of the Park. If you are lucky, you may see the elusive Bengal Tiger.
Bird watching: The Chitwan National Park is a World Heritage Site that protects 932 square kilometers of dry deciduous forest, tropical evergreen forest and riverine grasslands. A larger number of bird species (over 480) has been recorded here than in any other part of Nepal due to Chitwan diverse habitats and tropical lowland situation.
Boat tour: to watch a Gharial: Take a drive through the jungles followed by a boat ride down the Narayani river where there are excellent chances of viewing the gharial crocodiles as well as mugger crocodiles, fresh water dolphins, otters and varieties of water birds, or go on a nature walk.
All national and international tourists who miss to visit the chitwan national park will miss the natural beauty of heaven. So, I think it is in the lap of natural beauty and don’t miss to be a lucky person to have a visit there.
