The Chitwan National Park is situated in the southern lowlands (the Terai) in Nepal. Chitwan (meaning 'heart of the jungle') is one of the finest wildlife reserves in Asia. It is home to more than 700 species of birds and over 70 species of wild creatures including the endangered Royal Bengal Tiger, elephants, one-horned white rhinos, sloths and garial crocodiles, for example.
The park is easily reached from Kathmandu and Pokhara (the two main tourist centres in Nepal). Visitors can travel by air, overland or combine an overland journey with rafting part of the way.
The local people belong to the Tharu tribe and there are opportunities to visit Tharu villages and to enjoy programmes of Tharu culture - as well as elephant safaris and canoe trips. The scenery is a mixture of dense jungle forest, savannah and open plains with some riverine wetlands.
