Brief
Royal Chitwan National Park (‘Chitwan’ means "in the heart of the jungle’)
covers 932 sq. km. in the flat lowland region of southern Nepal. It is one of
the most important sub-tropical parks on the Indian subcontinent with
populations of the endangered Royal Bengal tiger, Greater One-horned rhinoceros,
Gangetic dolphin (Platanista gangetica), Wild Asian elephant, Gaur, Golden
Monitor lizard, Gharial crocodile and many more. Royal Chitwan National Park
stands today as a successful testimony of nature conservation in South Asia.
This is the first national park of Nepal established in 1973 to preserve a
unique ecosystem significantly valuable to the whole world. The park covering a
pristine area of 932 sq. km is situated in the subtropical inner Terai lowlands
of southern central part of Nepal. The park has gained much wider recognition in
the world when UNESCO included this area on the list of World Heritage Site in
1984.
Reasons to visit We welcome you to the most exciting tourist attractions and travel destinations which are given below. We take into notice each and every details about recreation, entertainment, adventure and relaxation. By looking at the things to do in a city one can see if that spot offers romance, family fun, sightseeing or adventure. Drill down into the tourist attractions below to find out more about each place and see how the local customs create a unique atmosphere.
Flora & Fauna
The Chitwan valley is characterized by tropical to
subtropical forest. 70% of park vegetation is predominantly Sal ( Shorea robusta
) forest, a moist deciduous climax vegetation type of the Terai region. The
remaining vegetation types include grassland (20%), riverine forest (7%) and Sal
with Chirpine ( Pinus roxburghii ) (3%), the latter occurring at the top of the
Churia range. The riverine forests mainly consists of khair, sissoo and simal.
There are more than 43 species of mammals in the park. The park is specially
renowned for the protection of the endangered one-horned rhinoceros, tiger,
gharial crocodile along with many other common species of wild animals. The
estimated population of endangered species of animals such as gaur, wild
elephant, four horned antelope, striped hyena, pangolin, gangetic dolphin,
monitor lizard and python, etc. There are over 450 species of birds in the park.
Among the endangered birds found in the park are Bengal florican, giant
hornbill, lesser florican, black stork and white stork, Few of the common birds
seen are peafowl, red jungle fowl, and different species of egrets, herons,
kingfishers, flycatchers and woodpeckers. The best time for bird watching is
March and December.
Physical
Features
Within the park lie the Churia hills, ox-bow lakes, and
the flood plains of Rapti, Reu and Narayani Rivers. The Churia hills rise
gradually towards the east from 150m. to over 800m. elevation. The lower but
more rugged Someshwor hills occupy most of the western portion of the park. The
flood plains of Chitwan contain rich alluvial soils. The park boundaries have
been delineated by the Narayani and Rapti Rivers in the north and west, and the
Reu river and Someshwor hills in the south and south-west. It shares its eastern
border with the Parsa Wildlife Reserve.
Seasons
The park is under the tropical monsoon climate with
relatively high humidity. The winter, spring and monsoon are the three main
seasons. The cool winter season occurs from October to February. The spring
begins in March and is soon followed by summer that ends in early June. The
summer days are typically hot with 30 C on average day temperature. The monsoon
usually begins at the end of June and continues until September. The mean annual
rainfall is about 2150 mm and during this time of the year rivers are flooded
and most of the roads are virtually closed.
Excursions One
can enjoy Elephant ride Canoeing,Guided jungle walk,Terai culture Wildlife
breeding projects,4WD safaris there also.
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