TRAVELMAN NEPAL: Where the Wild Things Are, Chitwan National Park

The town of Sauraha lies adjacent to Chitwan National Park. If you cross the river, you’re in the park. On the southern end of the main road, restaurants line the river for sunset viewing of any wildlife that may decide to make an appearance.

Crocodiles routinely lounge on the opposite side of the river bank. They are the slender snouted fish eating crocs that stay in the deeper waters, none of the locals seem concerned about them. The crocs slip into the water if a passing canoe full of tourists disturbs them. I figure if you get close at the wrong time they may be dangerous, but they won’t like the way you taste...

You can sit and look at them in one of these terraced restaurants while you eat, drink, and scan the jungle plain for more elusive wildlife...

Once the sun sets, you can eat by candlelight. I like their ingenuity, but wasn’t crazy about breathing the toxic plastic fumes of the candle holder...

Or you can choose one of these many fine establishments closer to the ground. I spent a night in the Holy Lodge which was a prime spot right next to all this action. It wasn’t worth it, I didn’t like the room. I moved down the street a bit and cut my bill to 800 rupees rather than 1000. I had a nicer room, better internet, I was closer to a nice wifi coffee shop with a good breakfast, and it was only a two or three minute walk from the sunset grill area...

Or walk a few meters down and get some spicy grilled meat or fish...

Or just watch the end of the day...

There’s a trail to the left that leads you along the river and around the plain outside the park...

You don’t have to walk more than a few meters to spot a wild rhinoceros that appears there nightly to graze and take a relaxing dip in the river...

A wider shot, a bit earlier with the rhino taking a bath...

Zoomed in. Looks like he’s had a long day at the office and just wants to collapse in the warm, soothing waters of the river. The water in the river comes from a spring instead of the mountains. It’s very warm and creates a mist every morning that envelops the town and parts of the park.

Also, rhinos choose a spot to go to the bathroom and continue to come back to that same spot to do it again...

This is an adolescent rhino. It was orphaned. It began wandering around the town looking for food when it lost it’s mother. The government gifted it to a local business that keeps elephants. They let it out during the day to graze, but must be careful to keep it away from the wild rhino...

When the wild rhino came around, the baby rhino’s keepers came out to shoe it back up to the ranch where it lives next to the river...

I inadvertently stood in its path. As soon as it began running in my direction I hightailed it to safety behind a nearby tree...

You can walk further along the trail early in the morning...

At twilight...

...golden hour...

At any of these times you may see an elephant...

Or two...

Or three...

Or a family doing their laundry in the river...

Travelman log, day 206. Went to what I was told was a party last night in Delhi. It was a bar. !steemitworldmap 27.5856 lat 84.5040 long . Where the Wild Things Are is Chitwan, Nepal, d3scr 365 Followers and counting, 1019.3 steem earned. Rep 59.3 Travelman out.