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Published: December 15th 2009
Photo 24
Bath time for the elephantsAfter the brief stop back in Pokhara, I board a tourist bus for Chitwan National Park. Ever since seeing a wild tiger at Ranthambhore in India, I'd wanted a chance to experience the same thing again, so deciding to skip the Jim Corbett Reserve in Uttaranchal for the sake of a swift exit to Nepal, I booked myself in for a few safaris at Royal Chitwan, another bastion of the Royal Bengal Tiger despite recent poaching for Chinese medicine. However, knowing how difficult these animals are to spot, I didn't really hold out much hope of seeing one, so for me Chitwan was more about seeing the rare one-horned rhino, as well as getting up close and personal with the park's population of elephants.
We arrived at Sauraha, the nearest town to the park, early afternoon, then set off on a guided walk of the town. Sauraha is pretty much built around the tourist trade, and it has one main road lined with guesthouses, safari lodges and tourist-related shops. Up until recently it was possible to stay at a lucury resort in the park ityself, however a number of guests decided to bring guns and try their hand at poaching,
Photo 8
Riding through the jungle in style so the resorts are currently closed. The main purpose of our walk was to visit the elephant breeding centre, where domestic elephants used for safaris are housed. Elephants are amazingly characterful, so it was great to stand and watch them dust themselves down with clumps of straw or scratch themselves on the wooden posts.
The next day started with a ride on the Rapti River in a canoe to spot birds and, possibly, some of the resident crocodiles. Sadly, the river is shrouded in a thick mist every morning, so it was a slightly fruitless journey, but we did manage to spot some kingfishers and storks as the mist cleared. The more exciting part of the tour began when we got out of the canoe to walk back to the lodge through the park. Our guide began by telling us what to do if we were confronted by a rhino or sloth bear, which apparently attack without provocation. I have to say I was a bit skeptical that either animal would walk along the same tracks used by the frequent groups of tourists, but a jeep safari the following day was set to prove me wrong! We walked through
Photo 16
The eyes say it all dense fields of elephant grass - in some places 7 metres tall, which hugely reduces visibility but makes for a very atmospheric experience. The walk was uneventful but gave us a great chance to see the vegetation and insect-life of Chitwan at close range. The walk was followed by a jeep safari, which took us deeper into the park and gave us a chance to see the three very different types of vegetation that exist here... grassland, mixed forest and Sal forest, which is dominated by the huge Sal trees, wrapped in gnarly vines and creepers. It's a beautiful and vivid place, but wildlife is extremely difficult to see amongst all the undergrowth. We spotted some wild boar, a few crocodiles lazing by the lakes and some darting deer, before arriving at the breeding centre for the rare Gharial, a type of crocodile with a long, tooth-packed snout. These are amazing-looking creatures, but for me the star of the visit was a solitary Bengal tiger in the neighbouring animal care centre. A 5-year old female whose mother was killed for being a maneater, the poor tiger now spends her time in a wooden enclosure, where she is peered at by
Photo 13
Lunchtime for Shrek the groups of tourists arriving to see the gharials. Looking up at us, she locked eyes and emitted a few weak growls, before blinking and turning her head away in frustration. Such a beautiful and powerful creature shouldn't be caged like this, and seeing her like this (even though, thankfully, she was very well looked-after) was a very solemn experience. On our way back to town, we spotted a mother and baby rhino in the long grass by a lake, but it was only a fleeting glimpse.
My final day in the park started with an elephant-back safari, which was a great way to experience the forest in a different way. I climbed aboard the rear - thus spending the entire time being whipped by our elephant's tail, then sat back as wew lumbered our way around, stalking deer and boar, and trampling pretty much any vegetation that was in our way! Despite giving me a great view of the forest, riding an elephant like this wasn't what I was most looking forward to at Chitwan... it was the chance to join the elephants for bath time in the Rapti River. So, donning my togs and leaving mt camera
behind, I went down to the river and asked one of the mahoots if I could climb aboard for the daily tourist-dunking. I sat on the elephant's neck as she waded slowly into the water... then she rolled over on her side and wriggled from side to side at the mahoot's direction. I was repeatedly thrown off and had to climb back aboard... first at the rear and then by holding on to both ears and walking up the trunk - such a cool way to mount an elephant! It only lasted for about 5 minutes, but it was bloody good fun, and even the elephant seemed to enjoy it (especially whenever she sucked water up into her trunk and sprayed it liberally onto my face!).
The afternoon was time for a second and last jeep safari. Within 10 minutes, we were amazed as a sloth bear bounded out of the grass to our right, then disappeared to our left... along the same track I'd walked the previous day! So it does happen! The rest of the safari was just as eventful, as we spotted a snake, several marsh muggers and then, in full view, an adult rhino, happily
chomping on some bushes. But sadly the only tiger to be seen was the unfortunate female, inside the national park but unable to enjoy the huge territories of her free cousins. Let's hope she doesn't have to spend her entire life being gawped at by people like me... but I suppose she is at least protected from the poachers who still prey on these amazing creatures.
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Oilerguy
Ryan T
Absolutely stunning shots! I am also planning on visiting Nepal next year, and was just wondering how far away this park is from Kathmandu? Also, what type of lens are you using for these photos...I need to pick up something other than my kit lens for my Nikon DSLR and would love to hear your recomendations. Thanks!