"Chitwan - Nepal's premier jungle area " a Royal Chitwan Travel Page by Saagar

"Jangal" means dense forest or undergrowth. The British who pushed the retreating Gorkha armies back to approximately Nepal's current borders by 1814 picked up this word and corrupted it. Hence, "jungle", is the name of the original forest along the banks of the Rapti River.

Chitwan is the largest of the remaining areas of lowland jungle in Nepal, and has a high density of flora and fauna. Even if you are not particularily interested in the ecological aspects of a visit to Chitwan, you could come for the thrill of watching rhinos from the elephant back or just simply seeing how different life is here in lowlands Nepal.

For the bona-fide tourist there are four main areas of the park which you can choose from. There are resorts and lodges in the far western part, near Kasaurah, Sauraha and further east along the Rapti river (Machan resort area). Budget travellers will most likely visit lodges in Sauraha. Upmarket tourists will choose the central areas out of Kasauraha with Tiger Tops resort as the main resort, and the oldest one, too. Middle - to high spenders will choose camps and resorts in the west and east. The areas have a slightly different emphasis (more or less of this or that animal and biotope etc.), but the total picture of Chitwan will be a good and impressive one whichever place you choose. In this sense, Chitwan is democratic...

You may have come here for the forest, animals and sounds of calling jungle birds, but just as interesting is the ethnic mix and the populations who live near the park. It is also interesting to get to know how they cope with all the intruding animals from the park and generally their socio-economic situation. The latter is rather tragic. But go and see for yourself. I hope my travel tips may assist you in addition to much literature and VT tips available for Chitwan. Raamro sanga jaanos, Chitwan maa!