Royal Chitwan National Park is a must see and do on anyone’s Nepal itinerary. Before the Maoist rebellion, 92% of tourists came to the park, but numbers have been greatly reduced since 2001. It’s really unfortunate because the park is incredible. You can stay in a lodge inside the the huge 900km sq. park, but most cost over $200 a night per person. The fanciness and atmosphere within the gorgeous park were tempting, but there is a small town called Sauraha on the Rapti river across from the park with nice places to stay for cheap. Plus the river is lined with restaurants with gorgeous views, and it’s there you can watch the festive elephant baths each afternoon.

We came to the park mainly to see wildlife so we went on safari three times. It’s really common for people to go on jungle walks with a guide, but several people have been attacked by tigers, leopards and rhinos over the years. A nice Danish couple said they did it years ago, but not anymore because all the guide has is a stick to fight off attacks. Not very reassuring. So we played it safe went on a jeep safari for four hours our first day out. You can cover a lot of ground that way through the jungle and grassland, and it was pretty exciting to see so many rhinos, crocodiles, peacocks, birds, and langurs (a furry gray monkey with a black face).

A quieter and more fun way to explore the wilderness is by elephant safari. Up to four people can sit in a riding platform tied to its back, while a driver controls the elephant in front. The same driver trains and tends to an elephant over the course of its entire life. These guys are crazy - they’re so comfortable walking around the elephants barefoot and sometimes climb up the front of its head. What an awesome job!

Our second safari was on a private elephant through a buffer zone outside the park, which pretty much has the same animals and environment. The government lets people go through the park itself on its own elephants, but they only have two and they don’t go everyday. We were lucky enough to get one on the last day, though, which was pretty fantastic. It’s just crazy hanging onto the platform going up and down with your legs dangling. I sort of felt like I was on one of those little kid plastic plane or animal rides at the grocery store where you put a quarter in and it jiggles you around. Sitting at the front is much better than the back because you can see where you are going, and it’s a LOT less smelly (oh my god).

Near the park the government runs an Elephant Breeding Center where you can feed big crackers to the babies, who are ridiculously cute. Inside the park there’s a crocodile breeding center with large caged pools separated by their birth year. As we passed the signs that say 2002, 1998, 2006, I couldn’t help thinking they were like aged bottles of wine. Near there is an orphaned tiger whose mother was a man-eater and fed them to her kittens, who had developed a taste for humans. It was sad to see such a huge beautiful cat pacing behind a smallish wooden fence. I know it’s better than her being let loose to stalk and hunt local villagers, but still.

A few days on safari and hanging out by the river were an excellent end to our time in Nepal. Although the reduced tourist impact on wildlife has helped the animal populations, the Maoist rebellion has led to an increase in poaching. Apparently the tiger and rhino numbers have been reduced by a quarter, their coats and horns selling at high prices to middlemen in China. It’s so infuriating! I really hope as the government is changing rapidly there, they will start caring more about such a huge problem.  Sadly though right before we visited the park we read in an English newspaper that there had been more poaching recently.  The current government has given amnesty to several repeat offenders, leading many to wonder if they are indeed committed to the protection of the rhino.  It also appears that the Maoists might either be complicit or just turn a blind eye to the poaching.  Hopefully all that will change soon.