Outdoor Nepal

(Himalayan Travel)

Whatever Diane had seen quickly faded further into the bush. Our driver urged the elephant onward. Suddenly a massive head raised up. Its mouth let loose a nasty snarl from within its gut, then the creature leaped into the air clearing the grass. We caught a glimpse of its whiskered face and striped back. Quicker than a blink, the tiger bounded into the forest, setting the monkeys chattering crazily. The driver pounded furiously on the elephant's brow. The animal lumbered ahead at full speed, but it was no match for the lightning reflexes of the cat.

That moment was the dramatic thrill of a few days at Karnali - Royal Bardia National Park - but far from the only highlight. Several hours floating the Karnali River brought an abundance of birds - white egrets, osprey, harrier, black ibis, parakeets, and a yellow-bodied, black-winged oriole. Black Buck antelope and spotted deer roamed the open fields, monkeys leaped constantly from tree to tree. In an early morning drive, a moose-colored Samba buck posed with his mighty rack held high and the shadowy spots of a leopard slunk across the road just before dawn.

Go! You will be rewarded not only with outstanding wildlife but with the special hospitality of a Nepali camp. - Bill Greer

They burn them every year after the thatching harvest -- have for centuries. The sal trees remain standing and alive, but the undergrowth vanishes and you can see without the dense veils of underbrush. Soon new growth sprouts, soft and green, and the herbivores return to graze: the rhinos, the deer, the wild boar. The predators follow: the Bengal tiger, the sloth bear, the python. The animals display themselves, and all you can do is stop and stare. The jungle is amazing.

Royal Chitwan and Royal Bardia National Parks are both located in the Terai of Nepal. The terai is the lowland band along the long southwestern edge of the country, part of the plain of the River Ganges. Until the 1950s, most of this region was uninhabited -- too malarial. But then the Nepali government started spraying DDT to reduce the swarms of mosquitoes, and hill people moved down into the lowlands and cleared away the forest to farm. Uncontrolled poaching also erupted. Within ten years, more than half of the forest had disappeared to make room for agricultural fields. Between 1950 and 1960, the human population had risen from 36,000 to 100,000 in the region, and the rhino population had fallen from at least 800 (maybe even as much as 2000) to a mere 100.

In 1973, the Chitwan National Park was created to reverse some of this devastation. 22,000 residents were expelled from its 360 square miles, and a special contingent of the Royal Nepalese Army was deployed to prevent rhino poaching. Since Royal Bardia National Park, 374 square miles, is mostly hill country, and was not as useful for farmland, its creation in 1976 was not as violently traumatic. Both parks now preserve the magnificent flora and fauna of the subtropical woodlands of the Indian subcontinent that have been so tragically depleted by human population pressures. Royal Chitwan is world famous and relatively well-developed. Royal Bardia is the lesser known treasure beckoning to those who don't mind a longer excursion if it means they'll have a better chance of actually seeing a tiger.

Royal Chitwan had always been a hunting preserve, the special domain of the Nepali Rana rulers. A couple of times per decade the Rana would organize hunting parties, inviting both native and foreign royalty. Hundreds of beaters would move through the forest, herding animals in front of the comfortably ensconced dignitaries, who would fire at will. In 1911, King George V and his party which included his son, the prince, killed 39 tigers and 11 rhinos. The last big Chitwan hunt was in 1939. A party that included the British Viceroy killed 120 tigers, 38 rhinos, 27 leopards, and 15 sloth bears. More adult tigers were killed on this hunt than are currently are alive at Chitwan, now a precious 50 breeding pairs. And the current Asian rhino population of Chitwan is about 400, which is a quarter of the worlds' total. A photo taken after a 1935 hunt shows a well-heeled man posing in front of a wide, 3-tiered rack displaying dozens of tiger and leopard pelts.

Whatever you might think about the royal hunting parties, its remarkable that these parties could happen on a regular basis over a long period of time, perhaps centuries. Ultimately, the reduction of habitat is the greatest threat to the survival of wildlife. In fact, setting aside land for hunting can be a boon for environmental preservation. Trophy hunting no longer occurs at Royal Chitwan and Royal Bardia. But both parks are magnificent examples of how preserving environments on the grand scale that was once the privilege of only the very powerful can have social and environmental benefits that last far into the future.

You may go to Chitwan or Bardia simply to ride an elephant and see a rhino. But you'll return with an appreciation for the parks' sheer sub-tropical richness -- the sounds of the forest birds and insects, the powerful girth of the hardwood trees, the rampant vines.

The Sal Forest

Both Royal Chitwan and Royal Bardia lie in the jungley Gangetic Plain. Before the 1950's, Nepalese kings depended on the jungles as sort of Great Walls, southern version. Instead of vertical stone keeping out the Mongols, malaria kept out the British. The dominant tree of the region is the sal (Shorea robustia), a tropical hardwood which has some value as lumber. Teak also grows in the area, but the next most common big tree is the saj. The ecosystem associated with the sal forest is extremely rich. Many vines and creepers spring up from the forest floor. The trees branches and upper reaches are host to many different epiphytes, including several orchids.

The parks are a birdwatcher's paradise. It's easily possible to see over a hundred different birds in a single day. Over 440 different birds have been recorded at Chitwan, including the Indian peafowl, the tuneful blackheaded oriole, the openbill stork -- and, well, 437 others.

The sal forest stops at the lowest, floodplain regions of the parks, giving way to grasslands and riverine forests. At Chitwan, the floodplain also takes in several lakes, which are the preferred habitat of the rhino, as well as many different marsh birds. Pythons can mostly be found near the larger bodies of water, so when the deer come to drink. . . In the water itself are some unusual fish-eating crocodiles, called gharial, playful smooth-coated otters, and if you're lucky, you may see Gangetic dolphin, a freshwater mammal that chomps on fish and crustaceans.

The "big game" unfairly gets bigger billing over the parks other mammals. As usual, its the character actors who give the more interesting performances. Unknown to most westerners is the mighty gaur, a hoofed beast that come down to the grasslands after the burns. Four different deer live in the park: -- the barking deer, the hog deer, the sambar deer, the spotted deer. You'll probably see a gray langur monkey, but you probably won't see a rhesus macaque -- but you might.

Bardia is hillier and drier than Chitwan. It has many of the same species as Chitwan, minus a significant rhino population, which has only recently been reintroduced into the park. A river gorge cuts through one corner of the park, and in the winter, wall creeper, a winter bird, fly up and down the face of the gorge.

Wildlife Spotting

The point of traveling to both Chitwan and Bardia is to be on the lookout for wildlife. How you see it can very greatly. The classic thing to do at Chitwan is to take an elephant ride, something that makes the park accessible to families as well as the trekker. This involves engaging a pahit, who looks after the elephants and rides behind the elephant's ears. You'll either be in a howdah, a little platform on the elephant's back, or, if you're traveling economy, on the elephant's back.

Even though riding an elephant is a must do, you'll have a more intimate experience of nature if you hike. You'll want to hire a guide, at least for you're first excursion, both to be safe (rhinos do charge - and I don't mean money) and to increase your chances of seeing more interesting things. You can also take boat rides on the Rapti river, which is a good way to see water birds and animals.

Some people consider Royal Bardia a more interesting park to hike in. The hilly terrain offers more diversity and interesting views. The Karnali River, which bounds the park's western edge, drains the region and is one of the main tributaries of the Ganges. At the park's northwest corner, the Karnali cuts through a gorge. Follow it to the end and you come out at a stunning view of the floodplain. A centuries-old trading route, cut directly into the stone of the hills, runs along the western bank of the Karnali. The Karnali is also a world-class river for paddle sports. You can plan a trek that starts upriver from Bardia, and spend a few days paddling down to it. The Geruwa River is another whitewater challenge that runs through the park.

When to Go

The most likely time to see wildlife is after the February burns and before the monsoons start up again in May. Both parks close in May, and reopen at the end of September. October can be hot and lush, November less so, December and January are (comparatively) cold.

Sleeping & Eating

At Chitwan, you can stay inside the park at a variety lodges, from multi-starred to basic but comfortable. There are no campgrounds for rustic campers inside the park. Budget travelers stay at Sauraha, a nearby village that has some higher end accommodations as well. Meals are provided either by the lodges, or you can cadge something at restaurant.

Bardia does offer campgrounds for your own tent, as well as luxury lodge accommodations. However, there are no food markets in the park, so unless you stay at one of the lodges, you'll have to pack in your own.