Before coming to Nepal, I had no idea that there were in fact jungles. Chitwan National Park, formerly called "Royal Chitwan," was established in 1973 and become a World Heritage Site in 1984. The park is very big, and contains more than 500 species of birds, including many varieties of Kingfisher, as well the rare Hornbill. For all of you out there that aren't really fussed by birds (although it is said to be the best place on Earth for birdwatching), there are also some big mammals. The park has 43 species of mammals, including the Bengal Tiger, the One-Horned Rhino, plenty of monkeys and Sloth Bears. The park was also the hunting ground for the Nepalese Royal Family, and even King George came to hunt here - they would shoot anything that moved, hunting from the back of elephants, including tigers, rhino, birds, everything, and in large numbers too. Only recently has the rhino and tiger populations recovered - rhinos are now numbered at just over 500 individuals.
The Himalayas from the jungle.
One of the many birds in Chitwan.
Goodbye canoe - now we face the jungle!
My first trip into the jungle was a short canoe ride followed by a half-day walk. Since We had been living pretty much on the edge of the jungle, it had been calling me, and that call had to be answered. I started down the river from the tourist town Sauraha. The boat didn't instill much confidence in me - I was sure it would tip at the slightest movement, and getting into a slim canoe isn't a slight movement usually. It was fine, and before long coasting down the river. It was a pleasant ride, and at the slow pace I was able to see so many animals. There were plenty of crocodiles, of both species. The Mugger is the carnivorous variety, which has been known to have a go at humans, and can grow up to 4m. The Gharial is the fish-eating crocodile, and looks quite different with its elongated snout, and can grow up to 6m, but is harmless for people. There were also plenty of Ruddy Shelducks, which are a migratory bird from Sibera. They come here for the summer to breed. I still don't know why you would go back to Siberia after holidaying in warm Nepal - a bit like living in England and going to Spain for a month's sun every year I guess.
A Gharial crocodile sunning itself on the riverbank.
Being stared down by a rhino.
Our guide watching the rhino.
You never forget the first time you see a Rhino. We had just got out of the canoe and walked less than 100m, when our guide called us to stop. The Rhino was in some water, happily munching away at the grasses. We moved around to the side, to get a better view - we got to 20m from the big male rhino, up on a slight ridge, and although he knew we were there (as he gave us a good old looking at!), he was too busy eating to care. A wonderful moment! We were very lucky that day - we saw a second rhino. Before we saw it, we found 5 Nepalese tourists hiding up a tree. If you see a rhino, you can a few things to avoid harm - 1. climb a tree (at leat 6ft in height to avoid its horn) 2. hide behind a tree and hope its poor eyesight saves you, or 3. if there are no trees, run in a zig-zag pattern. We did neither, and tried to get a better look at this animal that had scared the locals into the tree. Just after passing a watering hole, I heard it. We all turned around, and were stared down by the big creature. Armour plated front, back and sides, and weighing 2 tonne, the rhino is not something you want to mess with - they have very good hearing, sense of smell and can run at 40km/hr. It sniffed a bit, looked at us, then finished it's drink and left.
A Ruddy Shelduck in flight on the river.
Mum and baby rhino in the wild.
Playing with a baby elephant.
The following day, we took a relaxing, although somewhat bumpy, elephant ride into the park. I wasn't expecting to see anything from the back of an elephant, and contented myself with the experience of just being on an elephant. I was surprised. We saw many animals, including deer, the rare Hornill bird, wild boar (a whole family sleeping under the bushes), monkeys and a rhino mum and baby. It was an amazing sight 0 the rhinos were completely at peace, and not scared, mainly due to the fact of the elephants. Great to just sit there, 3 meters up, and enjoy seeing a rhino and it's baby out in the open.
Elephant safari into the jungle.
coming up for air.
After I had got a taste of the jungle, it was time to step up and hit it big time with 3 days. We caught a canoe and went further down the river, again seeing wonderful bird life, crocs, people washing clothes on the river, and water buffalo enjoying a dip. As soon as we got out of the canoe, our guide gave us the 'do's and don'ts' of the jungle. Silence is very important, and we used hand signals and short whistles to warn or point out something. What to do if you see a tiger, bear and rhino - all of which are different. A tiger you have to freeze, never run, and stare it in the eyes.... yeah I know. Bears you have to get together to make it look like you are 1 animal, raise your arms and make yourself look bigger, and make a lot of noise - never run or climb a tree. If you see a wild elephant (which there are in this part of the jungle), you pray and then kiss your ass goodbye.
Staring down a 2-tonne armoured rhino... armed with only a stick and cajones!
munch munch munch!
A stalk on the river.
The jungle was amazing - 3 days of near slince, loads of animals, plants and beautiful scenery. We never saw a tiger, but 5 mins walking from the river the guide stopped us - "tiger," he said in a very quiet whisper. He smelled the tiger, and we waited a full 5 minutes in complete silence. Then I heard a very quiet growl and it moved off. Scary stuff, but exciting! We also came across wet tiger paw prints, not 3 minutes old, after crossing a river, territorial markings from its claws, fresh tiger piss (the smell of a house cat TIMES TEN!), and very fresh Sloth Bear poo (complete with termite left-overs - which is kind of like when you eat corn, and the next day...). No elephants thank god! Plenty of rhinos but they are fairly safe, and great to watch. One time we saw a rhino, he was out in the open, and we were able to get a good look at him. We sat down beside the road and watched him. Some tourists on a jeep looked at us as if we were mad, took some photos and left, and then probably prayed for us. It was completely under control - when the rhino saw us, we stood behind a tree (all 4 of us and the same tree), and our main guide waited. When the rhino came within 15 meters of us and let out a load threatening noise, the guide stepped out and banged his stick on the ground and yelled at it. I was ready to run for my life, but the rhino got scared and backed off. We backed off as well, so that the rhino could smell our bags that we had left on the ground - he didn't like the smell (of day old human sweat) and left. Wow!
A beautiful butterfly in the jungle.
Tiger prints.
Buddhist robes drying in the sun.
We spend the 2 nights in a small village on the edge of the hills and jungle. We took a bus to get there, which travelled on the national highway to India - this road was completely unpaved, littered with rocks, and just big enough for a car and a bus side-by-side. So yes, bumpy, dusty and dangerous. I rode on the roof, and had a great time! The bus stopped at around 7pm in the complete darkness, and we had to get off - yes, our stop was in the middle of nowhere! It was beautiful, and I had to admire to mist sitting at tree level, and the stars and the moon so clear - turns out that we had to cross 2 rivers barefoot by these stars the the moon only... not a pleasant thing if thought about too much, as we were told to stick to the path because of snakes. The village was great - lovely people, and the best food I've had in all my time here in Nepal! Spiced goat meat, crispy-cooked river fish and of course homemade Raksi! Raksi is a traditional 'rice-wine' spirit made here in Nepal. It tastes very similar to Japanese Sake, and like Sake, it is particularly nice hot. I loved the village, and slept well, and ate well. Only on the day that we left did we hear tales of how dangerous it is. A tiger frequently raids the next village for cattle, and several people a year get attacked and killed by wild elephants. Um, time to leave
The village where we stayed, right in the heart of the jungle.
Made it back from the jungle, although the last day was a lot of walking - due to election in Nepal, the local buses were on strike. One bus tried running in this place during the strike, and was set alight. We walked an extra 11kms on the 'highway' on top of everything else to get back to where started from - 30kms away. After getting back to town, everything seemed so noisy and dirty and unnecessary! I just wanted to go back... but I guess the 'concrete jungle' is tougher than the green variety sometimes...
All in all, a wonderful trip, something I would recommend to anyone! Didn't even realise Nepal had a jungle, and here I am spending days in it seeing rhinos! Next big adventure in Nepal - The Annapurna Mountains!
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