We happened to arrive at the village next to the park, Sauraha, in the off season. I guess this meant that it was hotter and there would be less visible animals in the jungle but to us it only meant that it was quiet. The little town seemed deserted by tourists in comparison to the many guesthouses and restaurants build throughout the town. This certainly did not stop us from having a great time as well as meeting some other great tourists.
We were recommended a guesthouse from a friend but when we arrive we decided the price was too high for the quality and we moved on. With a little recommendation from our friend, Lonely Planet, Randy went in search of a place called Chilax guesthouse. On his walk, a man on a motorcycle asked him where he was going. It turned out he worked at Chilax so Randy jumped on the back and quickly we found a new home.
The room was alright and clean but the real draw was the people that worked there. Immediately, like most other people in the town, they brought up the topic of a jungle walk. There was something about them that seemed honest and trusting so we decided to use them as our guides. There names were Deepech and Anil. We had a great time with these guys and I remember them fondly.
We started out with a canoe ride along the river which is the boundary to the park. The canoe was a hollowed out tree trunk and was propelled by the owner using his long staff to push on the bottom of the river. This part was not that exciting except for the few crocodiles that we saw swimming around. We departed the bought 45 minutes after we started and immediately started our walk seemingly in a random spot. Obviously, our guides, one in the front and one behind, knew where we were and where we were going. We walked through many different paths, stopping suddenly when one of the guides, usually Deepech, heard something. At the beginning, it was deer and birds.
The goal of many tourists in the jungle is to see the infamous and graceful Bengal Tiger. From talking to many people, our chances were slim to none so we had few expectations to see one. The closest we came was a fresh footprint in the mud. That was still pretty cool.
It was hot and humid so we took regular stops every hour or so at these wooden lookout points scattered throughout the park. These allowed us to see over the tall elephant grass that we spent a lot of time walking through. This was not the only terrain and we soon found ourselves in bush moving through overgrown paths.
This is where we saw the highlight of the day. Deepech stopped us with excited eyes and informed us that there were probably a few rhinoceroses in front of us. We crept forward and after climbing a few trees and sneaking closer, we discovered it was a group of maybe 10 rhinos all together staying cool in the river beside us. Supposedly, it is very rare to see so many together as they tend to fight amongst themselves. Also, you are never supposed to get too close to a rhino as they are unpredictable and might charge. Randy and I climbed a tree to get a better look at the rhinos. Then we ate lunch maybe 80 metres away from where they sat.
The day continued with some more deer, monkey, and bird sightings. We also saw Pumba. By that I mean, we saw a few wild boar and one with its little piglets next to it. It was a long day of walking, maybe 8 or 9 hours in the jungle. We spent the night in another village in a different part of the park right next to the river. We bathed in the fast flowing river.
The next day was more of the same walking. We took a nice little nap at one of the lookout towers and made it back by mid-afternoon. A few hours to eat and shower before our elephant ride. It was a bit much for two days and we were dead tired. The elephant ride was cool but uncomfortable and uneventful. They say you will see a rhino 95% of the time on an elephant ride. No such luck for us. It was fascinating to see how close the elephants came to the deer without them reacting. The elephant scent masks the human scent so the deer don’t run away. I assume it is the same with the rhinos.
Check out the third leg on this elephant.
The next day, we went down to the river and had an elephant bath. The elephant handlers bring their elephants down to the river to cool off. They let tourists pay a little and sit on the elephant while it sprays itself with water. The handler is standing on the back jumping up and down commanding the elephant to spray us and then fall over and make us fall off. It was a lot of fun. At one point the elephant stayed under the water for a long time and did not move. For a fleeting second, I thought it was dead or hurt because it wouldn’t respond to the handlers incessant yelling. I am happy to say we did not kill it and it stood up to continue its bath.
We had a jammed packed few days in Chitwan; exhausting and fun.
Avidan
