Elephants Riding Safari – Chitwan, Nepal

Elephants Riding Safari – Chitwan, Nepal is just one of the endless possibilities that this country offers. Even though it is a small country, it’s full of marvellous landscapes and exciting activities involving tigers, elephants, and rhinos. In Nepal, you will always find something new, and every experience will be unforgettable.

Things to Do

The first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions Nepal is the staggering heights of the Himalaya to the north of the country. However, the lesser-known south melts away the icy mountains into subtropical river plains and paddy fields. Here, in the border with India, it is much easier to travel through than in the glacial mountains up north.

Chitwan National Park

Populated by the extraordinary Tharu tribal people, Nepal is also home to the Royal Chitwan National Park, one of the most fascinating and unexpected natural treasures and a real wildlife heaven.

Wildlife

Once you have made it to the park, you will see elephants carrying people on their backs, crocodiles lining the Rapti River, and tigers, rhinos, and leopards hiding in the long grass. For this reason, it’s very easy for visitors to be paranoid about the wild animals around them. However, I can assure you that tiger sightings are actually uncommon.

Sometimes, particularly around first light, a fine fog envelops the streams, meadows, and forests. Spotting a black rhino and quietly approaching it is as close as you can get to ancient hunting. Of course, in this situation, neither you nor the rhino will be endangered.

100% Availability 

One of the best parts of this adventure is the fact that elephants and phanits (experienced elephant riders) are available at all time. Therefore, you can enjoy this experience on your own time and not based on a strict schedule. There is no better way to appreciate the true essence of Chitwan than riding a graceful yet clumsy elephant.

Taking your attention away from the snow-covered peaks of the Himalaya truly seems impossible while being in Nepal. However, a couple of days riding elephants in Chitwan are enough to make you forget the icy northern horizon and enjoy the enriching experience in the south.

The amazing elephants of Nepal

The relationship between the elephant and the phanit is built almost since the elephant is born. From a very young age, the elephant rider starts teaching and training the animal to follow their commands.

Of course, an elephant is not an easy creature to take care of. Since it’s such massive animal, the phanit needs the help of a mahout to wash and feed the elephant. In just one day, an elephant can consume up to 300 kg of grass and 200 litres of water!

Now, you may wonder how such a gigantic animal can float or even swim. In reality, elephants move naturally in water. You will feel incredibly safe while riding them in the river.

The Sauraha village

Even though visitors come in growing numbers, they never flood the park’s wildness. Along the southern bank of the Rapti River, Chitwan expands from east to west and is easily reached through the village Sauraha. In this little town, you will find inexpensive hotels, lodges and elephant rides offered by government-owned operators.

However, if you can afford it, I recommend staying in one of the ecolodges inside the park. They have their own elephants, take care of them as if they were part of the family and even introduce them to you by name. You will be sleeping inside of rustic but lovely cabins, some of which are only lit by candles. This is, in fact, the detail that gives this wonderful journey a luxurious feel.

How to get there

You can get to Chitwan by flying from Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, to Bharatpur. Likewise, you can take the bus ride from Kathmandu along the banks of the Narayani River, and through the Kali Gandaki gorge. Certainly a dramatic, heart-stopping trip.