Established in 1973, Chitwan National Park is the first national park of Nepal. Formerly, the park used to be known as the “Royal Chitwan National Park.” It was designated as the World Heritage Site in the year 1984. The park is spread in the area of 952.63 km2. It is located in the subtropical Inner Terai lowlands of south-central Nepal covering the area of the district of Chitwan, Nawalparasi, Parsa, and Makwanpur. The altitude of the park ranges from about 100 meters/330 feet in the river valley to the height of 815 meters/2,674 feet in the Churia Hills.

In the north and west side of the Chitwan National Park, the Narayani-Rapti River system forms a natural boundary to human settlements. The park is adjacent to Parsa National Park in the east and in the south lies the Indian Tiger Reserve, Valmiki National Park. Altogether, the three protected area is of 2,075 km2, and they represent the Tiger Conservation Unit (TCU) Chitwan-Parsa-Valmiki.

Climate and Vegetation of Chitwan National Park

The climate of Chitwan is characterized by tropical monsoon with high humidity throughout the year. Located in the central climatic zone of the Himalayas, the monsoon starts in the mid-June and ends in the late September. Then after the mid-October, the monsoon clouds go away, humidity drops off, and the temperature gradually falls to a moderate level.

The vegetation of Chitwan National Park is of the Inner Terai which is a Himalayan subtropical broadleaf forest with predominantly sal trees covering about 70% area of the park. In the southern side of the Churia Hills sal, the vegetation is interspersed with chir pine. The northern slope sal associates with smaller flowering trees and shrub species. Because of the natural causes like bushfires, flooding, and erosion, there is an ever-changing mosaic of riverine forest and grasslands along the river banks. About 20% of the park area is covered by Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands.

Wildlife and Plants of Chitwan National Park

With the availability of a wide range of vegetation, the park is inhabited by many wildlife. The protected area has more than 700 species of wildlife, and the butterfly, moth, and insects are yet to be surveyed. There are 68 species of mammals which includes Bengal tigers, one-horned rhinoceros, and leopards. There are 17 species of snakes, starred tortoise and monitor lizards without counting king cobra and rock python. There are 113 recorded species of fish and mugger crocodiles. Also, as per the survey in 2006, there are 543 species of birds in the park. Apart from the resident birds of the park, about 160 migrating and vagrant species arrive in Chitwan in the autumn season.

Rosewood, axlewood, rhino apple trees, catechu, kapok, elephant apple grey downy balsam, gooseberry, velvety beautyberry are some of the plants in the Chitwan National Park. In the park, there are some of the world’s tallest grasses like elephant grass called Saccharum ravennae, giant cane, khagra reed and several species of true grasses.

Things to do in Chitwan National Park

Jungle Safari

Chitwan National Park is the popular destination for national as well as international tourist. And, with the wide range of flora and fauna, jungle safari is a very popular activity. Jungle Safari done by almost all who have been to the Chitwan National Park, as it is a fun and adventurous which lets you explore and experience things on your own.

There are some choices in how you are willing to take over this adventure. You can do the Jungle Safari by walking. Most of the tourist who loves nature go for safari by walking as nature walk will give you the best opportunity to observe the wildlife and vegetation from a closer distance. However, guides are mandatory for jungle safari. But, if you are not a walking type of person then, there is an option for you as well, you can go for jeep safari. In jeep safari, you can set at the back of the jeep comfortably and enjoy the view of wildlife you encounter on your way. One of the essential tools to carry in jungle safari is binoculars, so do not forget to take it.

Bird Watching

As there are 543 species of birds in the park, which is much more than any other protected area of Nepal, you can enjoy the bird watching as well. And during the autumn season, even more, species of birds can be seen as they migrate from different regions. Bengal florican, swamp francolin, grey-crowned prinia, kingfishers, bitterns, storks, egrets, black-chinned yuhina are some of the birds which can be found in the park.

Canoeing

Canoeing is one of the popular activities of Chitwan National Park. Canoeing is done in the river of Narayani and Rapti to watch the crocodiles and birds living in the bank of the river. You can see the mugger crocodiles and gharial crocodile in the river banks. Other wildlife come to the river to drink the water, so you might as well have a sight of them. The rivers of Rapti and Narayani has the most crocodile in Nepal.

Visiting Elephant and Crocodile breeding center

In Chitwan National Park, there is Elephant and Crocodile breeding center as well. They were established with the aim of increasing their population seeing the rate of their decreasing amount. The crocodile breeding center breeds the alligators and gharial crocodiles and documents their growth from an egg to the full-grown crocodile. In the elephant breeding center, you can see the baby elephants, and there is a small museum as well. It was established in the year 1985 for the captive breeding of domesticated elephant trapping for domestication.

Visit Tharu village and see the Cultural dance as well

Tharus have been living in this protected area for centuries. They have restricted themselves from the outer world which has helped to keep their culture and tradition intact. They live in small houses built from the local materials like clay, mud, dung, and grass. They have decorated rice containers, colorfully painted verandahs and outer walls of their homes. For living they plant rice, corn, lentils, and mustard. They also collect wild fruits, vegetables and medicinal plants from the forest. They hunt animals like deer, rabbit and wild boar and go for fishing as well. In the modern world of today, the primitive lifestyle of Tharus attracts many tourists.

Another interesting part of the Tharu community is their dances. You can witness the dance by them while visiting the park. They perform the dances like Danda Nach (Stick Dance), Ago Nach (Fire Dance) and Mayur Nach (Peacock Dance). The dance program starts from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm or as per the demand.