Where We Be
| We saw a gharial from our canoe too -- what an odd-looking creature! |
| Later on we visited a gharial breeding center. Gharials are crocodile-like reptiles that are critically endangered. |
| The rhino sniffed the air and kept a wary eye on us but after a moment went back to grazing |
| We banked our canoe and began a two-hour walking safari through the heart of Chitwan National Park |
| Vine twisting python-like around a tree |
| During our one-hour canoe safari we saw macaque monkeys drinking at the water's edge (adults and babies) and one gharial (see below) |
| At the Rapti River we boarded this long, skinny canoe |
| Our hotel offered a central location near the river |
| Here's something you don't see every day -- an elephant and rider making their way down the main street |
| We ate at KC's Restaurant twice -- great Indian food and lovely atmosphere |
| This riverside bar became our hangout each evening |
| All four evenings at Chitwan we watched the sun set over the Rapti River and felt wonderfully content |
| Happy hour on the banks of the Rapti River became a favorite part of each day |
| Two men ahead of us poled slowly down the Rapti River |
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| Chitwan, Nepal -- Canoe & Walking Safari |
We started our day with an early-morning canoe
safari. After a pleasant hour of paddling down
the Rapti River, our guide banked the canoe
and we began a two-hour walking safari back
towards home through the heart of Chitwan
National Park. This was exciting but also a little
scary. Our guide led us through elephant grass
taller than we were in search of creatures that
could kill us: Bengal tigers, rhinos, sloth bears,
leopards, wild elephants, poisonous snakes.
Our guide carried nothing but a bamboo stick.
Frankly this wouldn't have been much help
against a charging rhino. Our guide helpfully
informed us that a rhino could run up to 30 mph.
"If one charges, run zigzag and look for a tree,"
he told us -- but of course there were no trees
anywhere near the elephant grass. "If you see a
Bengal tiger" -- he stopped speaking and put
his hands together in prayer. Hmm, maybe we
should have read the brochure more closely!
Each year a handful of people do get killed by
wild animals here, so a chance encounter of the
wrong kind isn't impossible. But in the end we
saw plenty of rhino and even Bengal tiger
tracks but nothing more ferocious than a family
of wild boar and some macaque monkeys.
safari. After a pleasant hour of paddling down
the Rapti River, our guide banked the canoe
and we began a two-hour walking safari back
towards home through the heart of Chitwan
National Park. This was exciting but also a little
scary. Our guide led us through elephant grass
taller than we were in search of creatures that
could kill us: Bengal tigers, rhinos, sloth bears,
leopards, wild elephants, poisonous snakes.
Our guide carried nothing but a bamboo stick.
Frankly this wouldn't have been much help
against a charging rhino. Our guide helpfully
informed us that a rhino could run up to 30 mph.
"If one charges, run zigzag and look for a tree,"
he told us -- but of course there were no trees
anywhere near the elephant grass. "If you see a
Bengal tiger" -- he stopped speaking and put
his hands together in prayer. Hmm, maybe we
should have read the brochure more closely!
Each year a handful of people do get killed by
wild animals here, so a chance encounter of the
wrong kind isn't impossible. But in the end we
saw plenty of rhino and even Bengal tiger
tracks but nothing more ferocious than a family
of wild boar and some macaque monkeys.
| During our jeep ride to the canoe and walking safari, we were lucky enough to see this wild rhino up close and personal |
| The walk felt a little scary at times knowing there were rhinos and tigers around, but the worst we saw was this Bengal tiger paw print |
