Chitwan National Park

Chitwan National Park

The Chitwan National Park lies south-west of Kathmandu close to the Indian frontier and is included in the UNESCO list of world cultural heritage sites. Protected within the park are remnants of the jungle which once covered the Indian sub-continent from the Indus in Pakistan to the Burmese border. Chitwan is located in the Rapti Valley, largest of the flat "dun" valleys of the inner Tarai separating the Siwalik hills in the south from the mountains of the Mahabharat chain to the north.

The northern section of the park takes in the floodplains of the rivers Reu, Rapti and Narayani, a flat region of grassland, swamps and lakes 150 m (500 ft) above sea level. To the south Chitwan extends into the hills of the Siwalik range (600 m (1970 ft)).

The Chitwan National Park covers some 932 sq. km (360 sq. mi.), forming, with the adjacent Parsa Game Reserve, a conservation area 1431 sq. km (552 sq. mi.) in extent. More than 70 per cent is sal forest, its thick undergrowth providing a habitat for many species of animal.

Until the 1950s the Tarai was a feared malaria area settled only by the Tharu, a tribe apparently immune to the disease. The jungle and malaria together formed an effective natural barrier on Nepal's southern flank. The Ranas however had another reason for protecting the forests. They used Chitwan as a private hunting preserve, in which neither settlement nor any exploitation of resources was allowed.

Despite excessive hunting it was not this that drastically reduced the animal numbers. It took modern ideas of progress to achieve that. In 1955 a large-scale operation using DDT rid the Tarai of malaria.

Under a project funded by major international development agencies, the Rapti Valley became a model of land utilization. Hundreds of farmers left the mountains for the plain and by the early 1960s almost two-thirds of the once-forested region had given way to the plough.

The loss of jungle led to a rapid decline in animal numbers. As early as 1962 creation of a rhino reserve was being contemplated, an undertaking which required the relocation of 22,000 Nepalese. By 1973 the number of rhinos had fallen to 100 and only 20 Bengal tigers survived.

The Royal Chitwan National Park was founded the same year. Other reserves followed. But within a decade or so almost all the jungle had disappeared from the Tarai apart from these few green "islands". Nepal's largest agricultural and industrial area had been born.

The autumn season, especially attractive on account of the clear weather, starts in September. Early on however the rivers remain swollen with the monsoon rains and can only be crossed on elephant back. The best time to visit Chitwan is from October to February. Average temperatures hover about 25°C (77°F), although the mornings can be quite cool.

In April thunderstorms bring a foretaste of monsoon storms to come. From March to June, the pre-monsoon period, temperatures in the shade can be as high as 43°C (109°F). The monsoon rains are particularly heavy in the Tarai; the ground becomes swampy, the rivers swell and crossing becomes difficult. The leech population also multiplies. Most resorts remain closed this time of the year. While the vegetation is especially luxuriant immediately after the monsoon, most trees flower later during the winter months.