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The best and worst aspects of CHITWAN NATIONAL PARK are that it can be done on the cheap and it's relatively easy to get to. In recent years the park has risen meteorically on the list of Things to Do in Nepal, so that these days, unless you go during the steamy season, you'll have to share your experience with a lot of other people. If you want to avoid crowds, go to Bardia or Sukla Phanta.
The telephone code for Sauraha and Chitwan District is 056.
You're forgiven if you thought Sauraha is the only place for budget tourists to stay in Chitwan. For all intents and purposes, it is. In the late 1970s some genius had the idea of setting up a little thatched-roof lodge just outside the Sauraha park entrance, and the place has basically had a monopoly ever since. But package trips have taken a lot of the spontaneity out of Sauraha, and in autumn, with the inhabitants of forty-odd lodges all converging on the same finite patch of park, the area can get uncomfortably crowded. If you don't mind roughing it a little, try Ghatgain or Meghauli instead. Or, if you've got the money - usually at least $100 a night per person, all-in - go for pampered seclusion at any one of half a dozen luxury lodges and tented camps inside the park . Promises of "safari adventure" at Chitwan are misleading. While the park's wildlife is astoundingly concentrated, remember that the dense vegetation doesn't allow the easy sightings you get in the savannahs of Africa (especially in autumn, when the grass is high). But go with realistic expectations, don't buy into the package-tour mentality, and it's still possible to enjoy yourself. Elephant rides , jeep tours , canoe trips and just plain walks each give a different slant on the luxuriant, teeming forest. Park entry permits are valid for two consecutive days, which tends to dictate the length of most travellers' stays. Rushed as it is, this can work out quite reasonably, but don't be led into thinking that you can "do" Chitwan in two nights and three days. Keep flexible or you might regret not being able to stay longer.
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