Chitwan
Trip Start
May 01, 2006
1
87
91
Trip End
Apr 30, 2007
Chitwan, Nepal
Friday, March 9, 2007
Although I didn't see any wild tigers, I was completely blown away by Chitwan. Its one of those few places that big wildlife is somehow managing to cling on to existence, despite a lot of threats. Animal numbers have dropped in recent years since the Nepali Army stopped guarding the park. This has allowed poachers to increase their efforts. Fortunately though, most of the people of the area are very protective of their wildlife - they are well aware that it is in the interests of their livelihoods to keep wildlife numbers up.
There are a lot of ways to explore the park. We chose a trek on foot, a jeep safari and the unbeatable elephant trek. We saw monkeys, wild boar, deer, gharials, marsh muggers, hornbills and several one-horned rhinos, including a mother and baby. We also saw the elephant breeding centre, which is doing excellent work to breed and train working elephants, which are used for trekking within the park.
Definitely one of the best places I have visited on my travels!
