After a couple of days’ stay in Narayangadh, I decided to go to Chitwan National Park (CNP), the first national park in Nepal, with one of my friends who is a true lover of nature. We took the bus from Narayangadh, and after a brief ride, we reached a place known as Sauraha whose natural beauty made me forget my tiredness and exhaustion. A few minutes’ walk from Sauraha, we bought two tickets each, one for boating and the other for riding an elephant around CNP.    

We started our trip at midday in a canoe, observing the soul captivating fauna and flora on the way to CNP.

At that time, my mind began to soar high into dreamland. In addition, the chirping of birds delighted me a lot. When my friend’s dusty cap fell into the river, we burst out in laughter. Thereafter, silence reigned over the whole jungle. A rough calculation went zooming through my head regarding the specialties of CNP. After about one hour of boating, we reached CNP and travelled around it on elephants for several hours and gained a new experience.

In fact, making a trip to CNP in a wooden boat is undoubtedly pleasant because one will have the opportunity to see breathtaking scenes of the Rapti River and aquatic animals such as the Gangetic dolphin and two species of crocodiles which are rare in other countries. CNP, which covers an area of 932 square kilometres, possesses many rhinoceroses which are becoming rare in other countries. According to an unimpeachable source, some rhinoceroses were translocated to Bardia National Park in western Nepal for breeding and also for special care. Apart from rhinoceroses, CNP houses leopards, wild buffaloes and spotted deer.

Of the 850 species of birds found in Nepal, more than 400 can be found in CNP. Hornbills, storks, kingfishers, peacocks and woodpeckers are some of them. In addition, different kinds of snakes, butterflies, dragonflies and fireflies, which are rapidly disappearing in other countries, are found here. Due to the presence of scarce wildlife, CNP has been drawing more tourists each year, both from home and abroad. However, the number of tourists has not increased as expected because of lack of wide publicity by the concerned sectors.

Time and again, the people residing near CNP are harassed by the existing birds and animals who damage the crops on their farms. Sometimes, animals such as rhinoceroses, tigers and leopards even kill local people. Despite this, CNP has created a positive trend towards securing wildlife which is dwindling day by day alarmingly in this world due to the destruction of their habitats by human beings. Nowadays, both national and international tourists flock to CNP daily to see wildlife and the charming beauty of nature. Like others, I also marvelled at the majestic beauty of CNP.