Chitwan

The Royal Chitwan National Park is the most popular destination for tourists wanting to have a good experience of wildlife. It was declared a National Park in 1973. In 1984, UNESCO designated it as a Natural World Heritage Site. The park is spread over an area of 932 sq km. The Royal Chitwan National Park is located in south central of Nepal. It consists of forests and grasslands. Approximately 70% of the Park vegetation is Sal Forest. The remaining vegetation types include grassland (20%) riverine forest (7%) and Sal with Chirpine 3% the later occurring at the top of the Churiya range. The park offers protection to 56 species of mammals including one horned rhinoceros, Bengal Tiger, Leopard, Crocodiles, dolphins, cobras, Kraits and pythons are found here. There are an estimated 470 species of mammals, just over 500 species of birds, 126 species of fish, 150 species of butterflies and 47 species of reptiles in the park. The park is actively engaged in the scientific studies of several species of wild fauna and flora. Chitwan National park is 146km far from Kathmandu and 131 km far from Pokhara. The best time to visit Chitwan is from October through February, when the temperature averages 25 degrees Celsius.