In the Jungle, the Mighty Jungle, the Rhino Sleeps Tonight

Luke Weber
Dec 11, 2023
19 min read

It was a 7.5 hour bus journey to Sauraha, the town we would be based in while exploring Chitwan National Park. We were surprised at the bus stop on the other end to be greeted by Raj from ‘Rhino Land’ who was there to give us a ride to his hotel! We had resigned ourselves to a 30-minute walk (or an annoying negotiation with a tuk tuk driver), and we were grateful he was there to give us a ride in the back of his jeep.

Once we arrived at Rhino Land Hotel, we met a really cool British couple who had just arrived in Sauraha via kayaking through the rapids of the Seti river for 3 days from Pokhara! We were slightly jealous - it sounded a lot more fun than our bus ride. We compared travel stories, and learnt they had been on the road for 10 months and were in their final 2 weeks here in Nepal before moving to New Zealand to work as engineers on the Picton port upgrade project. It’s a small world! It was neat to talk with like-minded travellers and we were excited for their next adventure in Aotearoa!

Raj took us into town for sunset to get our bearings. Immediately after arriving at the riverbank, we came across a rhino bathing in the river! The first of many we would experience during our time here. Chitwan is home to the Asian One-Horned Rhinoceros, characterized by armour-like skin folds, giving it an armour-plated appearance. They are enormous creatures so we were happy to view from afar.

After hearing a loud noise, we looked across the riverbank to see a group of tourists running away from 2 rhinos having a fight and chasing each other. It was eye-opening to see how quickly these huge, heavy creatures could run, and we took note not to get too close during any future encounters!

We had arranged a 3 day tour with United Jungle Guide Services, a co-operative of local guides who had created their own organisation as equal shareholders, sick of hotels exploiting tour guides and paying less than minimum wage. We had a chilled morning exploring the town, and went on a bit of a ‘pub crawl’ through coffee shops in the town. It was significantly warmer down here, and we didn’t feel like walking too far. The riverfront bars were so well located, it felt like a beach bar except instead of a beach, we overlooked a crocodile-infested river with dangerous animals on the other side like rhinos and tigers.

We popped down to the UJGS office to get an overview of our upcoming tour, and met one of our guides, who was also called Raj! This Raj was an indigenous Tharu man, born in his village inside the national park before the government relocated them outside of the national park boundaries.

Raj took us bird-watching at dusk, and it was beautiful walking through the quiet trails hearing and spotting the birds around us. We came across another rhino and several crocodiles bathing in the sun - just a taste of what was to come when we entered the park the next day! Birds we spotted included bulbuls, several types of kingfisher, different types of herons and many others we can’t remember the names of. We learned there are around 540 species of birds in the park with more being discovered every year. There are also currently around 150 tigers and 700 rhinos in the national park. Raj shared a frightening number of stories about rhinos and tigers that had killed people in recent years - mostly local farmers or illegal fisherman, but also some tourists. We spotted another rhino bathing in the water from a distance and Jelley managed to snap a photo through the binoculars.

We then went to visit several Tharu indigenous houses to learn about their construction and farming methods, before a traditional meal and performance with music and dancing. It was really quiet when we arrived, then soon became a full house. The performers were really talented, we were very impressed. We were profoundly moved by the shared threads and commonalities evident in the cultures of indigenous civilizations across diverse regions of the world. Notable examples include the Wayu people of Colombia, Native Americans in the U.S., and the Māori in New Zealand. Despite their geographical separation and limited means of cultural exchange, these communities expressed striking similarities in their perspectives on the world, as well as in their art, music, dance, language, and other aspects of their unique cultural heritage.

Raj had so many interesting stories of his childhood growing up in the jungle - how he walked over an hour each day through rivers and past rhinos to go to school, how the basic traditional houses constructed of rice straw and coated in mud and dung mixed with water would disintegrate in the monsoon rains, and snakes, scorpions and bugs would come inside, and how tough life was before modern inventions arrived. Raj’s parents died when he was young of a snake bite and disease, and there was no healthcare available nearby. There was also a large-scale malaria outbreak in the region in 1960 and many people suffered and died due to the only hospital access being in Kathmandu, over 150km away. Raj much preferred life outside of the village in a slightly more structurally sound house and more comfortable bed. Raj had been a guide in Chitwan National Park since 1994! He was super knowledgeable, and had seen the national park and neighbouring towns develop and change significantly over the decades.

Covid had been was especially tough for the region, as everyone was out of work. The Terai area has traditionally been a very poor region of Nepal, until the recent rise in tourism, which was then decimated with both the 2015 earthquake then pandemic border closures. There was no such thing as a government wage subsidy or support over here. Most of the locals went illegally into the national park to gather mushrooms, plants, & fish in the crocodile-infested rivers just to survive. Several locals ended their lives over this time as they had no means to feed their families. It was tragic to hear.

Chitwan National Park was established in 1973, but experienced tumultuous times during the Maoist insurgency of late 1990s and early 2000s. Simultaneously, the park suffered from royal exploitation, serving as a private hunting ground for Nepal's elite. The royal family's controversial activities raised ethical concerns and drew criticism. However, post-insurgency and through heightened environmental awareness, the park underwent a transformation. The abolition of royal hunting privileges marked a turning point, ushering in a new era of conservation. There are now concerted policing efforts done by park rangers throughout the park to thwart various illegal poaching, logging, fishing activities in the park. While not perfect, Chitwan National Park stands as a symbol of Nepal's commitment to improving environmental preservation.

The next morning, we were picked up before sunrise to start our 2 day walking safari through Chitwan National Park and the neighbouring community forest. We met our second guide, Prakash, who was filled with fun facts about the region. Prakash was also born in what is now the national park, with his village being the most recent to be relocated in around 2001. He had more fond memories of growing up in the jungle than Raj. There is a strict rule that no one (expect rangers) are allowed to sleep inside the national park, and there are no villages within the 958 square kilometre national park now.

Some of the facts we noted about Chitwan National Park include:

Over 68 types of mammals inside the park - used to be only 56 but now more
Chitwan National Park has been successful in its conservation efforts, particularly in protecting the greater one-horned rhinoceros, which has also seen in an increase in population.
32 types of snakes including pythons, king cobra and vipers
Over 650 species of birds, plus migratory birds

As we were entering the backyard of many animals greater than us in the food chain, we had a bit of a safety briefing of what to do in case of a close tiger, sloth bear or rhino encounter. For the tiger, it was important to maintain eye contact and walk away slowly, for a bear to group together and make a lot of noise, and for a rhino if it was charging at you, to climb a tree. We started frantically assessing the stability and accessibility of trees around every corner. Apparently in Bangladesh where there is also a high population of tigers, people wear full head masks with faces painted on the back so it always looks like they are maintaining eye contact with the tigers. We were starting to feel a little bit anxious over choosing a walking safari over a jeep safari in the park! There is a reason two guides are now needed for every group of tourists instead of just one.

Our entry into the national park was via a dug-out canoe at sunrise, where we engaged in more bird and crocodile watching. We met Raj upstream, and felt like we were in safe hands between these 2 local, experienced guides, complete with big sticks for protection.

Immediately after we started walking, we saw fresh tiger poo, paw prints and scratches in a tree. Prakash and Raj were immediately excited that we might be in the close presence of a tiger, and our first stop was waiting on the riverbank quietly with our binoculars, looking for a potential tiger crossing the river. We were out of luck, and didn’t get to see the tiger (although maybe he saw us) and continued with our walk.

Raj and Prakash were extremely familiar with the trails, and we were impressed they never seemed to get lost! We walked amongst different landscapes, including different types of trees, and some of the longest grass in the world. It can grow up to 7 metres high! Not ideal for wildlife spotting. It was about halfway through the day that we decided we would actually be totally happy with not seeing a tiger here - we felt a little bit vulnerable against this apex predator!

We spent lunch in a viewing tower, happy to have some shelter in the heat of the day, but kept our binoculars close to us just in case! Trekking through the jungle was challenging and hot work. We crossed the jeep road, then took an alternative trail that our guides said hadn’t been used by anyone since before covid, so they were busy cutting back overgrown plants along the way. In this section, we saw 2 types of deer (including 1 carcass which had been attacked by a tiger...), 2 types of crocodiles, and the 2 types of monkey which live in the park. The Terai Grey Langur monkeys looked like lemurs from the movie Madagascar!

Toward the end of the day, we finally came across a rhino - it was charging across the jeep road at speed and the noise that really gave us a fright! After that, we were statled by every small noise we heard. At one stage, Prakash reassured us by saying ‘oh don’t worry, that noise is only a snake!’.

The sun was setting, and it was time to exit the park. We emerged from the jungle to the riverside, around 20 kilometres upstream from Sauraha. The local lodge owner met us with a dugout canoe to ferry us across the river to our home for the night in Ghatgain. It was neat to spend the night in another part of the region, and we continued wildlife spotting after dark. We saw one more rhino, a group of spotted deer grazing, and then several jackals coming into town for the night. The jackals looked and sounded like coyotes, and are nocturnal creatures.

There was a group of 8 French tourists staying at the same lodge who had also spent the day trekking in the national park - but they were unlucky to have not spotted any wildlife! One of the girls wasn’t keen to continue for the next 2 days with the group so she decided to join us to walk back in the direction of Sauraha.

Our second day of our walking safari was on the other side of the national park’s river boundary, through the buffer zone, also known as the community forest. Before national parks were created throughout Nepal, local people used to live, hunt and gather food and wood from these lands. The community forests were created to surround the national parks and enable locals to still be able to gather plants and wood (with restrictions) and also to create an income stream from the parks. It was interesting to learn more about this model as we explored the buffer zone today by foot. While humans understand the concept of a park boundary, wildlife does not and the chances of seeing some interesting animals were high.

The landscape was totally different from just across the river, with different varieties of trees and plants. It was still beautiful and lush, and we really enjoyed the relaxed environment. Like our day in the national park the day before, we did not encounter any other tourists and just came across the odd park ranger and some tiger footprints along the way.

We saw huge termite mounds, which the sloth bears enjoy consuming, along with a variety of mushrooms, including those that grow out of the nutrients of elephant poo! Prakash picked up a couple of psychadelic 'magic mushrooms', but wouldn’t let us get too close, as he recounted a story of some tourists who grabbed them and immediately consumed them while inside the national park. Prakash once had a tough day in the office as the tourists insisted on trying to jump in the crocodile & leech infested rivers every chance they could.

We stopped at a community viewing tower for an extended lunch stop at a great vantage point by the river. We observed 14 crocodiles in front of us, and enjoyed relaxing during he hottest part of the day after a huge day of walking in the heat the day prior. The Parisian who had joined us for the day had her first experience with leeches when she discovered her leg was covered in blood. Prakash & Raj didn't offer up much sympathy when they told her to consider it a "donation to National Park" haha.

Monkeys and deer were plentiful today, along with spiders, lizards and leeches. The binoculars had a decent workout, but no tigers were to be seen. We felt really satisfied with the wildlife we had seen over the past 3 days, but the trip wasn’t over just yet! We came across 3 rhinos bathing amongst mangroves in the water. We had a great (and safe!) viewing point from higher up on the bank, and observed in silence as the rhinos cooled off, and one-by-one left the pool. Rhinos are solitary, territorial creatures, but apparently don’t mind being close to each other when in water. If they happened to be too close on dry land though, that’s when the aggressive fights would start. We often heard these in the distance during our walk! We loved this experience to see the rhinos a little closer.

We dropped our Parisian friend off at a bridge to head back into town, and continued through the buffer zone forest to find the community tower we would be sleeping in for the night. Raj spotted a leopard en route - a rare sighting! We stayed super still, hoping for a glimpse of the giant cat, and although Luke thinks he spotted the ears, Jelley didn’t see anything. Still room for improvement in our wildlife spotting skills!

We were apparently only 30 minutes from the tower, and suddenly Raj and Jelley both heard and saw a rhino at the same time - just 10 metres to our right! Way too close for comfort, we retreated immediately back up the trail and the guides discussed what to do. As sunset was approaching, we couldn’t wait it out, so they decided the best course of action was to use their sticks to create noise and convince the rhino to walk in the other direction. We were glad this strategy worked, as there weren’t any climbable trees nearby.

We continued on at pace, thinking we must be close. With the excitement of the leopard and then the rhino, it transpired we had taken a wrong turn and missed the path! We had to retrace our steps, back towards where we had encountered the rhino. After some bush-bashing through dense scrub, we found the trail again and soon after, our home for the night.

There are multiple community towers throughout the forest, with the profits being distributed amongst the 6 surrounding buffer zone communities. They are off-grid, but with solar power for lighting, and surprisingly nice facilities! The tower we stayed in was completed shortly before the pandemic, and so modern that we had a private attached Western toilet and comfortable bed on the top floor! It was far more comfortable than a lot of places we had stayed in Nepal so far. A ranger sleeps in the tower with 6-10 guests and guides, and there is a trapdoor closing off the first floor from the stairs, so that wildlife can’t find their way in!

It was a super unique experience, and during sunset we observed herds of deer grazing, wild peacocks and of course another rhino in the surrounding area. We were sharing the tower with Israeli travellers who seemed not older than 18 (we later learned they were 22 and on the classic break after their military training). They were not travelling together, but had met a couple of days earlier. One of the girls said we were welcome to ask any questions we had about the current war between Israel & Hamas, which felt really mature given the circumstances and we appreciated the opportunity to further our education on the matter, around 2 weeks into the war. After Luke asked how she was feeling and how her family was, the other girl started crying and said she couldn’t hold the conversation. We felt for them, they were a long way from home, and not sure what home would be like when they eventually returned.

We woke to sunrise for a final session of brief wildlife spotting, before a short walk out of the buffer zone and back into the town of Sauraha. The Rugby World Cup final had happened overnight, and after immediately seeing the disappointed face of Sam Cane, we guessed the unfortunate result! It was time to return to Rhino Land and farewell our guides. We felt really grateful to have had both Raj & Prakash sharing their backyard and knowledge with us over the past couple of days, with no limit to the number of questions we could ask them! It was a super valuable experience, and while we were sad to bid farewell, we were really looking forward to a hot shower and a nap!

After freshening up, we decided to share a tuktuk with a younger German couple from Rhino Land to go to the outskirts of town and visit Stand-Up 4 Elephants - a nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of captive elephants in Chitwan. We had met one of the founders, Mike, at his cafe in Sauraha a couple of days earlier, and were interested to learn more about the project. One of the apprehensions we had about visiting Chitwan in the first place was the ongoing blatant elephant cruelty by both the government and private agencies. Just this morning as we were exiting the park, we came across oblivious tourists riding on the backs of elephants through the river and also observed the ‘Elephant Breeding Centre’ which was a sad state of affairs.

We arrived at the Stand Up for Elephants facility which was a short drive from Sauraha and Mike gave a 30 minute lecture on their work as well as a brief overview of Asian Elephants.

Some fun facts of Asian Elephants:

They live from the Indian subcontinent through Southeast Asia to parts of Sumatra and Borneo.
Asian elephants are classified as an endangered species due to habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, and poaching for their ivory and other body parts.
Asian elephants are smaller than African elephants. Their ears are smaller and straighter at the edges compared to the larger, fan-shaped ears of African elephants.
Asian elephants are known for their intelligence and ability to learn complex tasks. Becuase of this, they have been used by humans in various capacities, such as logging, ceremonial events, and transportation (including for Safaris in Chitwan).
Their trunk is a highly versatile and sensitive tool and containing 40,000 to 150,000 muscle bundles. These muscle bundles are arranged in complex layers and run in various directions, allowing the trunk to have extraordinary strength, flexibility, and dexterity.
Asian elephants have large, flat, padded feet with toenails (just like humans!) and a unique, dome-shaped bone structure that acts as a shock absorber, aiding in weight distribution and minimizing pressure on the ground.

Fun Facts! Anyways, Asian elephants in Nepal face severe mistreatment, prompting Standup 4 Elephants (SU4E), led by a Mike and his co-founder/zoologist from France, to purchase two elephants, establishing a sanctuary as an educational model for humane treatment. We got to witness their daily "grooming" ritual where they fed them and cut/clean their toenails (Elephant pedicures, go figure!). Mike had such a trusting and loving connection with the elephants that he could crawl underneath them and rub their underbellies - a technique they visibly relished.

We were super impressed and inspired by the mission of SU4E and work that they are doing. While it's still a small operation, they seem like their are tactful in their approach to improving the quality of life for elephants in Nepal. It seemed like a delicate balance with the pushing the boundaries of cultural norms while also ensuring their visas don't get revoked.

It was time to leave the Terai region and return back to where our journey in Nepal had begun, the chaos of Kathmandu. Sophie & Jacob were also on our bus, and it was great to compare our safari experiences (they took a jeep safari and saw a tiger!!), and continue our chat about their imminent move to New Zealand. It also made the tiresome bus journey a little more enjoyable, as the route connected back to the horrific Pokhara-Kathmandu roadworks-strewn ‘highway’. The bus dropped us off in a different part of the city on the hectic ring road, and we were immediately harassed by taxi drivers. Too tired and overwhelmed, we decided to instead walk the 45 minutes to our next hotel.

It wasn’t necessarily good to be back, but it felt like a long time since we were last in Kathmandu. We weren’t completely satisfied with our first accommodation, so booked a slightly nicer place than last time on the other side of Thamel. It was on a much quieter side street but still just a short walk to the sights (that we didn’t see on our previous visit!) & restaurants. The staff were super helpful, when they weren’t busy they would be watching the Cricket World Cup on TV in the reception. They were supporting "anyone but India" in a classic case of neighbouring country rivalry, but of course pledged allegiance to the Black Caps after hearing we were travelling from NZ. They proudly shared that Nepal had recently qualified for the next T20 World Cup.

It was also significantly cooler than when we first landed in the city in September, and we were happy with our choice to hold off on too many touristy sights until this time. We had 4 days here to get organised and do some life admin from Jelley’s long to-do list - laundry, packing, buying a trekking map & snacks, planning our route, figuring out buses, watching the Golden Bachelor, downloading podcasts & music, eating non- Nepalese food, job interviews, catching up with friends & family, generally trying to prepare for 3 weeks potentially without internet.

After recovering from our Annapurna Circuit trek, we had decided our next adventure would be in the Everest region and our longest yet - 3-4 weeks! Before heading into the remote mountains again though, we had to make the most of eating different foods, like more woodfired pizza! There was also an incredible naan & curry shop on the corner of our street which served naan rolled and fired up in front of us. Two curries, two naans and rice was a very affordable 500 Nepalaese Rupees (US$3.80), and we ate here more than once.

As we hadn’t done a lot of sightseeing on our first visit to the city, we decided to tick off a couple of the popular spots while here. The first stop was the Royal Palace, now a museum. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take any belongings inside, including mobile phones to take photos, so you’ll just have to visit yourself one day if you’re interested in seeing it! It was fascinating to visit a royal home frozen in time from the early 2000s. We learnt more about the crazy story of how the prince massacred his entire family in 2001, including shooting himself, being crowned King while in a coma for 3 days before dying from his injuries. The bullet holes still remain on some walls of buildings where the tragedy occurred. There are also numerous conspiracies about this event, including that the USA and India may have been involved. The heavily-guarded US embassy is just across the road from the palace. After what we heard about the American involvement in Chile, we wouldn’t be entirely surprised if there was some truth to this, but I guess we’ll never know.

The palace gardens were extensive and were also home to a huge colony of bats, which added to the spookiness of the experience. Another interesting part of our visit here was the collection of automobiles owned by the former royal family on display. These were amongst the first automobiles in Nepal, including a Mercedes Benz gifted to the King at the time by Adolf Hitler, and a golden carriage gifted by Queen Elizabeth II.

We spotted a cool cafe across the road called Himalayan Java, a Nepalese take on Starbucks. It had an incredible view of the palace and the mountains beyond, along with very good coffee made from Nepalese coffee beans, and solid wifi. It became a regular spot to visit for travel planning and blog writing over the coming days.

The next spot on our ‘Tour de Thamel’ was Kathmandu’s Durbar Square. Kathmandu Valley is actually made up of 3 traditional cities, Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur, which each used to be ruled by their respective kingdoms, and each of these has their own Durbar Square. Kathmandu was the first we visited, and eventually we did make it to the other 2 before leaving Nepal.

While evidence of the impact of the 2015 earthquakes was clear, the 50 temples were remarkably well preserved (or restored), and it was like going back in time wandering around this UNESCO world heritage site. It was really busy, with guides constantly in our faces as we bought our entry tickets and figured out the best route to explore this historic centre. We visited an interesting museum which gave an excellent overview of the history of Nepal right through to its unification and development of the present-day constitution in 2015.

Some other fun facts about Durbur Square:

The square is adorned with ancient temples and structures, including the Taleju Temple, Jagannath Temple, and Kasthamandap. These structures showcase intricate wood carvings, pagoda-style architecture, and artistic details that reflect the skill of the Newari craftsmen.
Also known as Hanuman Dhoka Square, is the historic seat of the Malla kings and later the Shah dynasty. The square is surrounded by historic palaces, courtyards, and temples, showcasing the rich cultural and architectural heritage of Nepal.
The Square is a hub for various cultural festivals and events. Indra Jatra, the festival of Indra, is one of the major celebrations held in the square. During this festival, a massive wooden pole known as the Yosin is erected and hundreds of locals come to witness.

We then went over to the Kumari Temple, where the Kumari lives and makes an appearancre around 11am daily. We’re all for traditions and experiencing different cultures, but this one potentially crosses a moreal line for us westerners. The Kumari is believed to be a ‘living goddess’, and is selected as a very young toddler from a specific caste of Nepalese girls. Potential Kumari candidates are subjected to what can be compared to a hazing ceremony where they are put in a room with masked figures running around trying to scare them. The one who is least scared by this is selected for the honour of being the Kumari. She then must stay indoors in the Kumari Temple until she gets her first period, when the next Kumari is selected through a similar process. After she finishes being the Kumari, she goes back to being a regular human which is a tough adjustment after around 10 years living inside a temple, showing her face once a day to curious onlookers and leaving just for certain festivals to be paraded around the streets several times a year.

For obvious reasons, this tradition has come under international scrutiny. At least some progress has been made, and the current Kumari has access to a private tutor and education. It’s difficult to see how this tradition will continue to survive in modern times, and we felt the whole thing was cruel and somewhat disturbing as no toddler can consent to this Rapunzel-eque lifestyle.

Our final tourist activity was a much more relaxed one - a trip to the Garden of Dreams. This garden was an oasis in the heart of the chaos of the city, and felt like we were a world away from Kathmandu. Created in 1920 by Kaiser S. Humsher, the son of then-Prime Minister Chandra Shumsher, the garden was built in Edwardian style with pavilions, fountains and lush floral gardens. Kaiser Shumsher had studied in the UK and brought this style over with him - unfortunately only one of the original pavilions is still intact, with more being restored. The gardens also hosted a lovely cafe, which was the perfect place to relax and enjoy the serenity.

Our time in Kathmandu was complete, for now at least, and we packed up our trekking gear and set a very early alarm once more for the next journey - a bus to the town of Jiri, where Sir Edmund Hillary himself had started many a mission in the Everest region. We were itching to get back into the mountains, and excited for the adventures ahead.

Until then,