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Royal Chitwan National Park
Situated on the banks of the Rapti, the
544 sq. km ( 210 sq miles) of forest,
flowers, butterflies, birds, monkeys and
wildlife are over looked by the
snowcapped peaks of Annapurna, Ganesh
Himal and Himal Chuli. This is Chitwan,
one of the most exciting wildlife
reserves in the world. The world for the
great Indian One -Horned Rhinoceros is
Gaida', and at Sauraha, in the northwest
corner of the park, are gathered many of
Nepal's 300 strong population of the
species. From the lofty perch of the
howdah, atop an elephant used for
safaris, can be seen four species of
deer, a multitude of monkeys, wild boar,
leopard, hyenas bears and many others,
including, if one is lucky, the reticent
Bengal tiger the king of the jungle. One
of the most famous valleys of Nepal,
renowned in Asia for its wildlife, the
Chitwan valley was, till just over three
decades ago, covered with tall elephant
grass and dense forest, and there were
only a few scattered settlements of
Tharu aboriginal in an area of nearly
2,565 sq kilometer (1,000 sq miles).
The settlements had been literally
carved, out of the jungle. The Rana
Prime Ministers still held away and used
the Chitwan as their special hunting
preserve where great hunts were
organized for the viceroy and visiting
royalty from Europe. It was not till
1962, after the visit of Her Majesty
Queen Elizabeth of England and Prince
Philip (who is President of the wildlife
preservation society), that all hunting
was banned and the portion of the valley
south of the Rapti river was set aside
as a sanctuary. An armed force called
the " Rhino Patrol " was created to
guard against poaching and agriculture
encroachment. Later the sanctuary was
declared the Royal Chitwan National Park
and full co-operation was extended by
the United Nations Development Project
and the World Wildlife Fund.
Besides the Royal Bengal Tiger and the
Great Indian One-horned Rhinoceros, the
park is also famous for the Gaur and the
Leopard. Every afternoon, buffalo valves
are staked out at three regular spots,
overloaded by a blind or hide out about
60 yards from the bait. Guests and
visitors are taken to the palace to try
and watch the tiger in the kill.
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Royal Bardia National Park
The royal Bardia National Park, mid- far
Western region, is the largest and and
most unspoiled. Wilderness area in the
Terai, covering an area of 968sq. km.
the park, a subtropical jungle, is
thickly forested by Sal trees and
carpeted with grass, savannah and
riverine vegetation. The churia hill
range borders the North, the Karnali
River the west, while the Bardi River
cuts its course almost through the
middle of the park. on the southern
fringes are the villages of the
indigenous and unique Tharu people of
western Nepal. Considered as one of the
most picturesque national parks in Asia,
the Royal National Park teems with rice
and diverse flora and fauna. The park is
home to more than 30 different mammals,
including the langur, rhesus monkeys,
civets, hyenas, wild dogs, sloth bear,
otters, blue bull, deer and wild boar.
It is a regenerated habitat for
endangered animals like thee tiger,
rhinoceros, wild elephant (the park
harboursthe biggest wild tusker in Asia
) and blackbuck. Gharial and marsh
mugger crocodiles, the great game fish -
masher and the Genetic dolphin cavort in
the river waters. The more than 350
species of birds include, cormorants,
egret, stork, geese, jungle fowl,
kingfisher and endangered species such
as the Bengal florican, lesser florican,
silver eared mesia and the saurus crane,
making the park a true bird watchers
paradise. Within the park are several
open grasslands (phantas) where game
viewing is excellent. Many of the forest
tracks throughout the park also offer
excellent game viewing. When you can
take in the sights and sounds of the
wild without having to give up on the
creature comforts, what more could ask
for? At Rhino Lodge Bardia, we do just
that. We give you a comfortable home in
the jungle. |
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