Things to do
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Chitwan National Park
Sal forest, grassland and river channels on the Terai plain hold a large population of greater one horned rhino, along with sloth bear, gaur, mugger crocodile and resident tigers. Jeep safaris, canoe trips and guided walks all start from the riverbank at Sauraha. Grass stands tall until the winter cut, which is why sightings improve from December onward.
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Sauraha Elephant Breeding Center
Government run stables a short ride from the village hold breeding females and calves, and explain the shift away from riding towards observation and welfare work. Mornings before the herd goes out to graze are the time to come. Visits are short, and a bicycle or jeep covers the track through the fields, which floods after heavy rain.
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Bis Hazari Tal
Oxbow lakes and marsh north of the park form a Ramsar wetland whose name counts twenty thousand lakes, a birding site for storks, kingfishers and wintering waterfowl, with rhino and deer using the same water. A trail and a watchtower run from the road at Tikauli. Dawn brings the birds down to the water, and a guide is worth having for the forest track.
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Tharu Cultural Museum
A small museum in a village compound sets out the tools, fishing traps, dress and mud walled building methods of the Tharu, the indigenous community of the Terai who lived with malaria here long before the land was cleared. Displays are plain and the labelling is brief. Half an hour is enough, and it pairs with an evening stick dance performance in the village.
