Royal
Chitwan National Park (‘Chitwan’ means "in the heart of the jungle’)
covers 932 sq. km. in the flat lowland region of southern Nepal. It is one of
the most important sub-tropical parks on the Indian subcontinent with populations
of the endangered Royal Bengal tiger, Greater One-horned rhinoceros, Gangetic
dolphin (Platanista gangetica), Wild Asian elephant, Gaur, Golden Monitor lizard,
Gharial crocodile and many more.
The Chitwan region has had a long history of conservation. For many years it
was the Royal hunting grounds for the Kings and dignitaries of Nepal and therefore
was not hunted by the general public. It did however become a favorite spot
for big game safari hunters in the late nineteenth and early to mid-twentieth
centuries. This was coupled with a surge in local human populations following
the development of anti-malaria medicines in the mid-twentieth century. The
long-term effect was a drastic decrease in jungle habitat and animal populations
in the Chitwan valley as jungles were converted to farmland and big game were
hunted and poached to dangerously low numbers. The falling rhino (less than
200) and tiger (less than 30) populations in the present park region, focused
attention on the Chitwan region and in 1963 the southern two-thirds of the park
were declared rhino sanctuary. With sanctuary status came the relocation of
22,000 people from the Chitwan valley and a moratorium on hunting. Since 1963
wildlife populations and ecosystems have been rebounding. In 1973 Chitwan became
Nepal’s first National Park. The relatively pristine state of the modern
park and its unique ecosystems prompted UNESCO to declare the park a World Heritage
site in 1984.
How to Get there
Air : There are daily flights from Kathmandu to Bharatpur.
Road : Chitwan is easily accessible from Kathmandu being well connected by national
highway to Bharatpur and Saurana.
Click
Here For Reservation/Booking
SUGGESTED TOURS
Tiger
Tour with Best of India
Duration: 14 nights/ 15 days
Places to Visit: Delhi - Jaipur - Ranthmabhore - Bharatpur - Agra -
Bandhavgarh - Khajuraho - Varanasi - Delhi
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Royal Chitwan National Park