Escape to Chitwan Nature Reserve

We arrived at the resort hotel in Chitwan Nature Reserve and were greeted by the friendly hotel guide who brought us refreshments and took us to our delightful bungalow rooms.

We ate in the restaurant and were excited to find pasta, cheese and meats and lots of different foods we haven’t seen since we left the UK. Cake and good coffee put everyone in a good mood.

We thought it was just down time in a nice hotel…no, there was a full programme of events for us for the 2 days we were here.

In the late afternoon we went for a village walk. The villagers were from the Tharu community who arrived in the area from Rajasthan in the 1600’s. They had been persecuted by the majority Muslim rulers so left and settled on the Nepali plains. They live simply, in harmony with their surroundings and their Nepalese neighbours.

They rear chickens, goats, buffalo and ducks which they sell to the local community.

There is an elephant centre in Chitwan, lots of baby elephants..so cute

The next morning we went down to the river for a trip in a dugout canoe to see the 2 types of crocodiles and other wildlife along the river. It was a bit wobbly.

The big ones were lounging on the river banks looking menacing. As we travelled down the river we saw the crocs which only ate fish not tourists!

Next up a jungle walk. We only saw wild boar and samba deer. No tigers or rhinos, Trish was very disappointed. The guide pointed out plants used for medicine by the villagers and there were many different smells of decaying plant life and flowers along with the chirruping of insects and birdsong. It was an enjoyable walk

In the afternoon we had a jeep safari which was a bit like whacky races, lots of jeeps full of Indian and Nepalese tourists just wanting Instagram pictures rushing around.

We saw 5 rhino’s, dart birds, hog and samba deer and elephants.

We were all amused as we got back to the entrance that a rhino was there after everyone spent hours looking for them.

We were sad to leave the next day the guide, staff, food and accommodation was excellent and we would have liked more time here.

There is a vibrant bustling town within the park which has everything you could want and more and we would like to come back. Now back to Kathmandu.