Royal Chitwan National Park
	The Royal Chitwan National Park is located in the south of Nepal, around 9 hours by car or an hour by air to Bharatpur from Kathmandu. Chitwan is the most popular destination for wildlife safaris and jungle tours in Nepal. Home of the Tharu people, Chitwan boasts an elephant breeding station, a gharial hatchery, one-horned white rhino and royal bengal tigers - as well as marshlands, jungle forests and plains of elephant grass.
	Most tours to Chitwan last between 2 and 3 days. Most accommodation is basic but adequate, the main choice being whether to stay inside or outside the park boundaries. Staying outside is less expensive but tours including rooms outside the park also tend to exclude other items such as elephant safaris, cultural programmes and so on. Besides safaris through jungle and elephant grass on foot or or elephant, there are excursions to the elephant breeding station, canoe trips, guided walks and landrover safaris.
	Chitwan was once swamp land but over the centuries it developed to become the favourite resort of the Nepali royal family who hunted and brought parties of guests to the park. Malaria was once present in the area and although it is now thought to have been wiped out, most beds have mosquito netting and as a precaution, it is advisable to take malaria tablets and use anti-mosquito burners, creams or wristbands.
	Elephants carrying tourists and working elephants are found throughout the park. Although there are thought to be some 100 Royal Bengal Tigers at Chitwan, this creature is extremely shy, solitary and nocturnal. If you are determined - and get up very early - an experienced guide might be able to get you a glimpse of this rare creature. There are numerous pairs of white one horned rhino and if you're on elephant back, you can get within 20 feet of the rhinos because they regard elephants as part of the scene.