Full-day jeep safari for rhino and tiger
We leave the lodge at first light, when animals are active and the air is cool, and enter the park through the western gate with a licensed naturalist and a park guide. The tracks run through tall grassland, along the Rapti and Narayani rivers, and into forests of sal and silk-cotton trees. A half-day safari lasts 4 hours. A full day, with a packed lunch at a forest clearing or watchtower, covers far more ground and reaches pools and grasslands deep in the park.
Rhinos are the reliable sighting. In the dry season you are likely to see several, grazing in the open, wading in pools or resting in mud wallows. Spotted, hog, barking and sambar deer are common, wild boar and rhesus macaques frequent, and gaur graze on the forest edges. Tigers are present but secretive, and only a small share of visitors see one; leopards and sloth bears are seen less often still. Our naturalist reads tracks, alarm calls and fresh scrapes to give you the best chance.
Visibility improves sharply after the annual grass-cutting in January and February, when local people are allowed into the park to harvest thatch and the grasslands open up. March and April are warm but excellent for wildlife, as animals gather at the remaining water. The park fee for foreigners is charged per day, about NPR 2,000, plus vehicle permits; check current status before you travel. Bring binoculars, a long lens, a hat and sun cream, and a light layer for the early start.
Questions travellers ask
Good to know
How likely are we to see a tiger in Chitwan?
Possible, but not likely. Chitwan has a healthy tiger population, yet the dense grass and forest make sightings rare, and most visitors do not see one. Your chances improve with full-day safaris, more days, and travel from February to April, when grass is cut and animals gather at water. Rhino sightings, by contrast, are very likely on a two-day stay.
Is a half-day or full-day jeep safari better in Chitwan?
For keen wildlife watchers a full day is better. It reaches the remote waterholes and grasslands that half-day trips cannot, and spends the hot midday hours resting at a watchtower where animals may come to drink. Families with young children often prefer two half-day safaris, morning and late afternoon, with a rest at the lodge between.
What are the park fees in Chitwan?
Foreign visitors pay a daily park entry fee, about NPR 2,000 per person per day, with lower rates for SAARC and Nepali nationals, plus permits for vehicles and canoes. Fees are usually included in our lodge packages and paid by the lodge. Rates are revised from time to time, so check current status before you travel.
Also in Chitwan
More hours to plan around
