Royal
Chitwan National Park:
The
Royal Chitwan National Park is situated
in the southern lowlands (the Terai) in
Nepal. Chitwan (meaning 'heart of the
jungle') is one of the finest wildlife
reserves in Asia. It is home to more than
700 species of birds and over 70 species
of wild creatures including the endangered
Royal Bengal Tiger, elephants, one-horned
white rhinos, sloths and garial crocodiles,
for example.
The
park is easily reached from Kathmandu
and Pokhara (the two main tourist centres
in Nepal). Visitors can travel by air,
overland or combine an overland journey
with rafting part of the way.
The local
people belong to the Tharu tribe and there
are opportunities to visit Tharu villages
and to enjoy programmes of Tharu culture
- as well as elephant safaris and canoe
trips. The scenery is a mixture of dense
jungle forest, savannah and open plains
with some riverine wetlands. |
