Tigers and Elephants in Chitwan

Brendan and Marisol trying out local transportation.

We went to Chitwan for three days at it was just incredible. We visited Sauraha village, which is populated by the Thara people. This ethnic group has a natural resistance to malaria so until the 1950’s they exclusively lived in the area. The next day we did an elephant safari. It was the most exciting part of our trip. There were four of us sitting on the elephant as it trudged through the forest. For the first 20 minutes we sat in silence, listening to the forest sounds and looking intently for any movement. Our guide’s voice interrupted the peacefulness as he pointed out two rhinos hiding beneath the foliage. It was both a scary and exciting moment as they looked so powerful but were clearly very timid. The rest of the safari we were greeted by many monkeys, some spotted deer and many bugs, inducing screams from the girls.

That same afternoon we went for a canoe ride down the river. We were being watched intermittently as we went down the river by pairs of beady eyes just rising above the water’s surface.  The eyes looked very menacing but it was even scarier when they sunk below the surface not knowing where they are.

After canoeing we walked through the monsoon rains to the elephant-breeding center where baby elephants ran around in front of us seeking attention from their mothers. So cute.

Chitwan is a must do for any traveller looking for the natural beauty of Nepal. It is vastly different to the imposing Himalayas and the bustling foothills.

-Marisol and Brendan, July 2012

Tigers and Elephants in Chitwan