This is Day 7 of Nepal Travelogue (May 19, 2013)
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Chitwan's Flagship One-Horned Rhinoceros is the Largest of Rhino Species |
Today we
woke up early enough in the morning to make it for the Elephant Safari in the
adjacent community reserve forest. The USP of Chitwan, this fascinating way of
exploring the jungle is probably the main reason why tourists, especially from the
neighboring India, visit Chitwan in flocks.
We reached
the starting point, through the transport included in the package, just in time
where elephants, in a bunch of 4-5, were emerging from the jungle carrying tourists
whom had to be dislodged and replaced with fresh ones queued up near the high
platform. It was supposedly their last round of the day! Lazy us!
Experience was
unmatched, even better than the Jeep Safari, we did yesterday. Tusker’s high
back provided better and wider views and since the animal was not bound to
follow a particular jeep trek it could sneak closer to animals without disturbing
them much. Highlight of the day was again rhinoceros, this time a family, having
bath in one of the ponds.
Unlike the poor
elephants we met the previous day at the river these ones appeared kept well
also.
Among all
available methods of jungle exploring I would rate this Elephant Safari the
highest; so much so that I would retake the ride, maybe at a different location,
forgoing the jeep trip altogether
Post lunch,
we made a round of the Sauhara town: did window shopping of souvenir shops,
bought a few bottles of arguably pure jungle honey, watched a cricket match,
visited a laundry shop, and met a Nepali Muslim.
So it was
our last day in Chitwan; tomorrow we would travel back to Kathmandu but with a
little twist; a detour to Manakmana temple through a high rising cable car.
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Kids Duo is Ready for the Excursion |
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Elephants Coming out of the Community Jungle |
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Tourists Queuing up for the Ride |
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Getting Aboard |
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Opposite Directions! |
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Ticket Counter |
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Happy Go Lucky |
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In the Deep Jungle |
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We Spotted a Peacock There |
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Rhino Family Having Chilling Around |
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Salami or Namaste |
Walking Around the Sauhara Town
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Walking Around Sauhara Town |
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Omnipresent Elephants |
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Buffalo Taxi? |
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Cattle on the Road |
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Some Engines Too |
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Rip-off Souvenir Shops |
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A Wooden Model of Rhinoceros |
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A Modern Umbrella! |
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Bicycles Available for Rent |
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Politics |
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Weird |
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Salesperson |
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"Pure" Honey |
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Hair-Cutting in the Jungle! |
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Under Construction |
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Cricket in Nepal |
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Laundry Bill |
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KC: The Finest Restaurant in Town |
Today’s Bills – in Nepali Rupees
120 |
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Sight Seeing |
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Elephant Tip |
550 |
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Food |
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Dinner KC |
500 |
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Gift |
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Honey |
200 |
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Food |
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Milk, etc |
770 |
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Food |
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Chitwan Hotel Food
Bill |
1500 |
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Sight Seeing |
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Jungle Activities -
Balance Amount |
2100 |
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Accommodation |
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Hotel Room Charges |
5740 |
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Total for May 19,
2013 |
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|
22620 |
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Total as of Today |
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Traveler's Tip # 14: Chitwan
Excursions
In Chitwan,
jungle tour is the main activity which can be done either by joining a
guided walking tour or through a jeep ride or on the back of an elephant. Other
activities include canoe ride, Tharu cultural show, and visiting breeding
centers, etc.
Although
Chitwan excursion packages can be booked in advance, either in Kathmandu or
through internet, but it is convenient and a lot cheaper to buy one once you
are there. We negotiated the package with the hotel manager. The package included
entrance ticket (NPR 1500 for foreigners and 750 for SAARC nationals), jeep
safari (NPKR 1500), and the elephant safari (NPR 1000): Total 6500 for the whole family. These rates are reasonable
because I compared the Elephant ride rate with a Nepali tourist who paid 850.
We watched the
cultural show (NPR 100) separately and missed the canoe ride as we would be
doing that anyway to cross the river for the jeep safari. We paid only partially
in advance. No charge for children and for watching the elephant bathing,
however, mahouts expect tips based on what you do.
Bypassing
the agent, or hotel manager in our case, was not practical as buying each activity
directly could not only be time consuming but also almost impossible because of
the weak bargaining power of tourists. However, make sure you include activities
of your interest only as the agent will try to include as many activities as
possible.
National
Park Entrance ticket is also arranged by the agent which is supposedly valid
for one day, however, we were told that it can be used for an additional day at
the community reserve for elephant safari.
We also
tried the Elephant Safari run by the government but the guy at the tourist
facility center was too discouraging, don’t know why!
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Chitwan National Park Entrance Ticket |
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This is What You Can Do in Chitwan |
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Good for Nothing - Government Visitor Center |
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The Canoe Venue |
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There You Go! |
Traveler's Tip # 15: Useful Links for Independent Traveling in Chitwan·
http://www.dnpwc.gov.np/protected-areas/national-parks/8-chitwan-national-park
http://www.thelongestwayhome.com/travel-guides/nepal/guide-to-chitwan-national-park-nepal.html
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