The Central Terai is the flat, hot strip of Nepal between the Churia hills and the Indian border, and Chitwan is its heart. Chitwan National Park, Nepal's first, was created in 1973 and listed by UNESCO in 1984. Its 952 km² of sal forest, elephant grass and river held 694 one-horned rhinos at the 2021 count and 128 tigers at the 2022 survey, alongside sloth bear, gaur, leopard, two kinds of crocodile and more than 500 bird species.
Most visitors base themselves in Sauraha, a village of hotels and safari counters on the north bank of the Rapti, 5–7 hours by road from Kathmandu or a 25-minute flight to Bharatpur plus a 30-minute transfer. Quieter and more expensive, Meghauli on the park's western edge has open grassland, the best birding and Chitwan's top lodges. Two or three nights cover a jeep safari, a dugout canoe ride down the Rapti, a guided walk and an evening of Tharu stick dance.
Beyond the park, the region has more to offer than most itineraries allow for. Barauli, across the Narayani, runs a women-led Tharu homestay. Bishazari Tal, a Ramsar wetland near Bharatpur, is a winter birding site with mugger crocodiles. Devghat, where the Trishuli and Kali Gandaki meet, draws pilgrims and elderly Hindus who retire to its ashrams. To the east, Parsa National Park offers a rougher, almost empty forest of tigers and wild elephants in the Churia hills.
Further east, about 230 km from Kathmandu, Janakpur is identified with the capital of King Janak and the birthplace of Sita. Its white marble Janaki Mandir, completed in 1910, holds one of the most attended evening aartis in Nepal, and Vivah Panchami re-enacts the wedding of Sita and Rama each November or December. Our packages range from 2-night Chitwan safaris and Janakpur darshan trips to luxury lodge stays and combined Chitwan, Lumbini and Kathmandu tours, priced in INR and USD.
