I eventually decided to go exploring the Nepal jungle, the Chitwuan national park to be more precise, which is situated in the south, in the Terai region, just at the Indian border..
This immense park which is classified as Unesco heritage, has so much greenery, flowers, fauna and flora, in spite of the poaching which continues to cause damage to this protected site..
So I was rather impatient to see the different species that we so rarely see in the wild, such as the 1 horned rhinoceros, Bengal tigers, crocodiles, and other lovely creatures…
Let’s go south..
Upon leaving Kathmandu, you need to allow between 6 and 7 hours by bus to arrive at Sauraha, the village situated at the entrance to the National park. In my experience, and from what I heard from the other passengers also, travelling by bus is really quite chaotic, and uncomfortable, the “best” company to opt for, for long journeys in Nepal is the “Mountain Overland “.. It is slightly more expensive than others, but I really have no complaints, and it gets you where you want to be. Remember to brings blankets, as the air conditioning is always on high, and also your Sea-Bands anti travel sickness, as the mountain roads are a nightmare for those of you who do suffer from travel sickness. Do a spot of research and compare tariffs before booking, as some companies double the fares.
Once in Chitwan, I decided to settle down just outside of the village, in the Sapana lodge, which means “dream” in Nepalese. A name which fits perfectly this peaceful place, in the middle of nature, that I chose in fact for its natural setting, its view of the Himalayas, and its adorable wooden bedrooms, decorated traditionally, and especially for the two elephants which we can interact with in the morning as they take their bath in the river just in front of the lodge.
An absolutely sublime place, that we do not ever want to leave, with its view of the impressive mountains, and where all you feel like doing is lying in a hammock, or one of the comfortable sofas in front of the river, or simply on the grass, watching the elephants..
Paradise on earth, literally, with an extra surprise, as when I went there was a baby elephant, only 8 months old that I had the pleasure of meeting, so cute, and already a little cheeky chap, with his own personality. He stole my flip flops, backpack, and charged at me, before charging another tourist, and picking him up and playing with him as if he was a toy (yes cute, but dangerous because this “baby” already weighs the same as a car, and when he charges, he moves very fast!!).
After this episode, we were no longer allowed to play with this boisterous baby boy, but I still took full advantage of watching him, and of course, he did make me laugh after all 😉
For the excursions in the Chitwan National park, there is a licence + an entrance fee to be paid, and to obtain this you need to go through the hotel, tourist office, or experienced guides. You are not allowed to enter alone, as it is far too dangerous. Naturally it is difficult to meet the animals alone, and without any experience. I eventually decided upon going with a guide, and I went with a small group of tourists from the lodge, and we set off in search of rhinos, crocs, tigers and bears…
The guides advice and recommendations.. If we come across a Bengal tiger, do not move, he will certainly be more afraid than us (in theory), but for rhinos,it is much more dangerous.. If it charges at you, try to climb a tree, and if there is no tree, run in a zigzag, as rhinos charge in a straight line. And if you do not know how to climb trees? Ah shame .. whatever happens good luck;)
The day schedule, starting at dawn : Hike in the forest, tracking animals, canoeing, bird watching.. And after many rather fruitless hours of walking under the wet and intolerable heat, we came by chance face to face with a Bengal tiger.. He was just there, in front of us .. Sublime .. we all held our breath in front of this unexpected and rare appearance.. He looked at us for a few minutes, before disappearing into the undergrowth .. We did not see him again, but we could follow his footprints for a while afterwards.
We went back up the river by canoe which allowed us to see the beautiful birds, numerous monkeys, and specifically the alligators who did not seem to be very nice.. and it was only at sunset that the rhinos finally made an appearance .. absolutely majestic …
We all returned to the lodge with stars in our eyes, and eaten to death by mosquitoes and leeches yes leeches .. I took the whole day removing them from my clothes and body.. They get everywhere, and in the evening I even found one on my stomach .. she had made a nice little hole in my skin… yuk !
But my most beautiful encounter remains one that I made a few days later, while walking along the river in the village.. I came face to face with a one horned rhino having a bath. He was just there, peaceful, right in front of me, and I stayed for hours, just watching him, without moving, and by approaching gradually so as not to disturb or irritate him (because I do not know how to climb trees:-)
After several days in this small paradise filled with excursions in the jungle, rests, massages and reading, I returned to Kathmandu to celebrate Diwali … Will tell you everything about this in the next post 😉
Namasté <3
More post about Nepal here :
Translation @Natalya Paupa & Pics by me (iPhone 6 )
