Chitwan National Park

Transcription

1 [ Nepal - Chitwan National Park Outline itinerary Day 1 Day 2 Day 3/7 Day 8/9 Day 10 Depart London Chitwan National Park Fly London Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve Extension Day 8/11 Day 12/13 Day 14 Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve Fly Fly London Dates and Costs 2016 Monday 26th December 2016 Wednesday 4th January ,995 Koshi Tappu Extension to: Sunday 8th January From top: Indian Rhinoceros, Spotted Deer and Red-breasted Parakeet 2017 Friday 24th February Sunday 5th March ,395 Koshi Tappu Extension to: Thursday 9th March Tuesday 26th December 2017 Thursday 4th January ,595 Koshi Tappu Extension to: Sunday 8th January reduction if booked without flights, land only trip. From top: Indian Rhinoceros, Spotted Deer and Red-breasted Parakeet Naturetrek Mingledown Barn Wolf s Lane Chawton Alton Hampshire GU34 3HJ UK T: +44 (0) E: info@naturetrek.co.uk W:

2 Nepal - Chitwan National Park Extension 4-night extension to Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve Cost: 895 Single room supplement Main tour: 195 (Koshi extension: 95) For December departure: Main tour: 295 (Koshi extension: 95) Grading Grade B (moderate). We will be doing plenty of walking on this tour, including full-day hikes into Chitwan National Park (perhaps covering kilometres), so you will need to be reasonably fit and enjoy walking if you are to get the most out of this holiday. At other times we will be exploring from jeeps, canoes and elephantback. Focus Birds and mammals Clients on an Elephant ride excursion in Chitwan National Park

3 Nepal - Chitwan National Park Introduction This holiday offers a unique opportunity to join one of our most popular tour leaders, Tika Ram Giri, on a special 10-day tour focusing exclusively on an exploration of his home patch, Chitwan National Park. The tour will be based at Tika s own small guesthouse, Chitwan Gaida Lodge, and will explore Chitwan National Park by means of elephant rides, jeeps, canoes and day-long walks into the best areas of the Park to look for its exceptional variety of birds and mammals. Chitwan Gaida Lodge is in a convenient location by the Rapti River, adjacent to Chitwan National Park and more than 50 species of bird have been seen in the lodge grounds alone. You will not get a better introduction to a national park. Chitwan boasts a list of over 500 bird species and holds many of the subcontinent s iconic mammals, including Tiger, Leopard, Gaur, Indian Rhino and Sloth Bear. This tour really is an ideal way to explore Nepal s native flora and fauna all from a single base, within minutes of the most famous national park in Nepal, in the company of Chitwan s top resident guide! The gardens of Chitwan Gaida Lodge Tika Ram Giri Day 1 In Flight We depart from London this evening on board Qatar Airways' scheduled flight to, via Doha. Please note that airlines flying to are very limited and therefore seats get booked up early. We may not always be able to accommodate group members on Qatar Airways, in which case alternatives such as Jet Airways or Gulf Air may be used on some occasions. Day 2 We are scheduled to arrive in in mid-afternoon and transfer to the Marshyangdi Hotel, our base for a night. Those who prefer not to spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing may have time for a little sightseeing, or shopping in the colourful streets of Thamel where our hotel is situated. Naturetrek 1

4 Nepal - Chitwan National Park Day 3 Chitwan National Park This morning we will make the 165-kilometre scenic drive to Chitwan National Park, aiming to arrive by midday. We will stop en route to do some birding, take photographs and make comfort stops, as well as to spend some time looking for rarities along the famous Trisuli River. On leaving the Valley, the road follows the edge of the fast-flowing Trisuli River, which is a fairly reliable wintering site for Ibisbills (an enigmatic wader of the Himalaya) and other riverside and montane species. Birds likely to be found here include the beautiful White-capped and Plumbeous Water Redstarts, Brown Dipper and, if we are very lucky, perhaps one of the wintering Wallcreepers that frequent the road and riverside rock faces. Other birds of interest to look out for en route include two or three different species of forktail, plus Blue Whistling Thrush and Blue Rock Thrush, White-browed Wagtail and Brownthroated Sand Martin. Brown Hawk Owl (top left), Indian Peafowl (top right) and Bengal Tiger (bottom) 2 Naturetrek

5 Nepal - Chitwan National Park On arrival at Chitwan National Park we will transfer to a small guesthouse, Chitwan Gaida Lodge, a simple lodge (basically furnished but offering en suite facilities), which is situated close to the Rapti River. Chitwan Gaida Lodge is centrally located at the northern edge of Chitwan National Park, and is only a 3- or 4- minute walk to the Park entrance. It has eight rooms with private facilities offering hot water and showers. It is set within a shady garden which has beautiful mature trees, including mangoes. Because the lodge is adjacent to the National Park forest, the gardens provide a natural corridor for Chitwan s birdlife. One of the pleasures of staying at Chitwan Gaida Lodge is watching the forest birds feeding inside the grounds from the balcony of your room every morning and in the late afternoon. More than 50 bird species have been recorded within the lodge grounds, amongst them hornbills, barbets, beeeaters, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Brown Hawk-owl, Jungle Owlet, Chestnut-capped Babbler, Peacock, warblers, nuthatches, four different species of parakeets, raptors, bulbuls, Jungle Babbler, and many more! During the night you can sometimes hear Indian Rhino, deer, Leopard, Jungle Cat, Wild Boar and Elephants from the lodge, while during the day, you can watch beautiful butterflies and lizards in the garden. On arrival we will be greeted by the lodge s naturalist who will brief us on the facilities and activities here. If we have time, we ll go out for a short walk in a forested area by a small river, returning to the lodge after sunset. Day 4 Chitwan National Park Full day wildlife excursion in Chitwan National Park. Boat excursion on the Narayani River, Chitwan National Park Today we will set out after breakfast for a ride in a dugout canoe. This will last for about an hour, after which we will take a walk in the forest and look for birds and mammals before returning to the lodge for a hot lunch. In the afternoon we ll have a short siesta before going on an elephant safari in search of mammals, including, the endangered Greater One-horned Rhinoceros. We ll aim to be back at the lodge by dusk for tea, coffee or a chilled beer, then dinner. Naturetrek 3

6 Nepal - Chitwan National Park Chitwan National Park comprises 932 square kilometres of Sal and riverine jungle, and is a magnificent environment, with a greater variety of wildlife than any other area in Nepal. Over 500 species of birds have been recorded here and we can expect to see nearly one third of these, as well as many mammals and reptiles. These are likely to include the endangered Greater One-horned Rhinoceros, Wild Boar, Sambar, Muntjac, Spotted and Hog Deer, Rhesus and Hanuman Monkeys, and possibly Marsh Mugger and the fish-eating Gharial Crocodiles. Leopards, Sloth Bears, and Gaur are occasionally seen! Tigers do occur in the area but are very elusive and difficult to see. Day 5 Chitwan National Park Full day wildlife excursion in Chitwan National Park. Today we ll take a full day exploring Chitwan National Park by jeep, visiting as many habitats as possible and looking for a variety of wildlife associated with each one. We will take a packed lunch and return to the lodge late in the evening. Chitwan offers a superb array of avian life and our days will be packed with looking for Green Pigeons, woodpeckers, kingfishers, bee-eaters, babblers and the many, many, other species found in this wildlife gem. Day 6 Chitwan National Park Full day wildlife excursion in Chitwan National Park. After an early breakfast we ll drive to Bis Hazari Tal. This area of forest that lies outside the National Park provides a corridor enabling wildlife to move between the Mahabharat range of hills to the north, and Chitwan National Park to the south. Here we will explore areas of Sal forest until lunchtime the favourite habitat of many species of drongos, orioles, woodpeckers, minivets, flycatchers and so on, and a site for the elusive Grey-headed Fishing Eagle. After a hot lunch back at our lodge, we will take another birding walk in the nearby riverine forest. Day 7 Chitwan National Park Full day wildlife excursion in Chitwan National Park. Today we ll go for a full day s jungle walk and take a packed lunch. This will give us plenty of time in the park to find interesting wildlife and cover as wide a range of habitats as possible including the grasslands, and both riverine and Sal forest. We will return to the lodge by late evening. Day 8 Chitwan National Park - After breakfast we ll drive back to, birdwatching en route amongst the wayside hills, where we will stay two overnights at Marshyangdi Hotel. 4 Naturetrek

7 Nepal - Chitwan National Park Day 9 We will spend today birdwatching on the forested slopes of Phulchowki which, at 2,740 metres, is the highest of the peaks encircling the Valley. Phulchowki has a particularly high density of birdlife and a total of 288 species has been recorded here. The variety of laughing thrushes, babblers, bulbuls, flowerpeckers, flycatchers, sunbirds, tits and warblers is tremendous. We will drive up Phulchowki in the early morning, ascending as far as the ice will allow. Here we should get good views of the snow-clad Great Himalaya, including the Annapurna range, Langtang and many of Nepal s other high peaks (provided the weather is clear). We will then spend the rest of the day walking down the mountain through its fine temperate and subtropical forest, with a picnic lunch en route. Some of the many bird highlights should include Red-flanked Bluetail, Fire-tailed Sunbird, White-collared and Greywinged Blackbirds, Long-tailed Minivet, White-tailed Nuthatch, Orange-barred Leaf Warbler, Orange-bellied Leafbird and many more. More elusive species include Nepal Cutia, Kalij Pheasant, Red-billed Leiothrix and Blackfaced Leaf Warbler. Before heading back to our hotel we may stop at the Godavari Botanical Gardens or in the subtropical forest at the base of Phulhowki. Within this lightly wooded area we hope to find some of the lower altitude species such as the spectacular Red-billed Blue Magpie, Pallas s Warbler, Orange-gorgetted Flycatcher, Yellow-bellied Fantail and perhaps the elusive Spotted Forktail. Phulchowki (left) and White-tailed Nuthatch (above) Day 10 In Flight Today we must transfer to airport for our return flight to London. It should be noted that some flights will arrive back into London early on Tuesday morning, being an overnight flight back from. Flight times will be confirmed closer to departure dates. Naturetrek 5

8 Nepal - Chitwan National Park Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve Extension Cost: 895 Single room supplement: 95 (The minimum number of people required to run this extension is five, however we may run it in case of less numbers at our discretion, with local guides.) Koshi Camp Days 8 11 Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve It is a long journey on the east-west highway from Chitwan to the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve. Due to annual damage by the monsoon, the highway is under a constant state of repair and tends to be a patchwork of tarmac and rough dirt roads. Although tiring, it is also a fascinating journey. Driving through the 'terai' of lowland Nepal we will pass through a variety of villages and towns giving a unique insight into the Nepalese culture and way of life. By making an early start we will aim to reach Koshi Camp by late afternoon. The Tented Camp close to the great Koshi River will be our base for four nights. The Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve is situated in the Sapta-Koshi River plain in the eastern corner of Nepal, close to the country's southern border with India. The reserve covers 175 square kilometres to the north of the kilometre-long barrage that spans the Koshi River. This was built between 1958 and 1964 to control and prevent flooding in the plains of northern India to the south. The vast expanse of open water created by the barrage, and the marshes, lagoons, sandbanks, mudflats and arable land that lie around it offer an outstanding wetland habitat, and one of the finest birdwatching sites in Asia. The heart of the reserve lies some 14 kilometres north of the barrage, where seasonally inundated grasslands, lagoons and remnant patches of Khair (Acacia catechu) and Sissoo (Dalbergia sissoo) forest lie alongside the eastern bank of the broad Koshi River. Almost all of Nepal's long list of wildfowl, waders, storks, ibises, egrets, terns and gulls occur here, plus a great variety of landbirds, especially warblers and birds of prey. Well in excess of 100 species should be seen each day in this wonderful area, amongst them such local specialities as Swamp Francolin, Red-necked Falcon and Striated Marsh Warbler. Other species to look out for include Siberian Rubythroat, Dusky, Smoky, Blyth's Reed, Paddyfield 6 Naturetrek

9 Nepal - Chitwan National Park and Thick-billed Warblers, White's and Black-throated Thrushes, Richard's Pipit, Painted Snipe, Great Stone Plover, Pied and Pallid Harriers, Black Bittern, Falcated Duck and Baer's Pochard. The sharp-eyed may also be lucky enough to see one of the endangered Gangetic River Dolphins. The heart of the reserve lies some 14 kilometres north of the barrage, where seasonally inundated grasslands, lagoons and remnant patches of Khair (Acacia catechu) and Sissoo (Dalbergia sissoo) forest lie alongside the eastern bank of the broad Koshi River. This region is the last refuge of the Wild Water Buffalo in Nepal, and other mammals include Leopard, Fishing Cat, Jungle Cat, Asiatic Jackal, Spotted Deer and Nilgai (or "Blue Bull") the subcontinent's largest antelope. Your most regular and rewarding wildlife outings will be on foot, exploring the grasslands, river, lagoons and woodlands close to the Camp, and the vicinity of the barrage, a short drive away. We will also take you by raft onto the wide waters of the Koshi River to enjoy the birdlife of the otherwise inaccessible sandbanks and islands, and to allow you the chance to get close to such mammals as Wild Water Buffalo. This is also a chance to look for both Marsh Mugger and the fish-eating Gharial Crocodiles that live in the river, and perhaps encounter the rare Ganges River Dolphin. Back in Koshi Camp this evening it will be worth gazing skywards at dusk to look out for the regular passage of Indian Flying Foxes that pass over the Camp most evenings. Golden Jackal Rafting on the Koshi River Day 12 Today we must leave Koshi and begin the one and a half hour drive to Biratnagar, a bustling town situated in the Gangetic floodplains of south-eastern Nepal, where we catch our plane to. Heading west, the flight gives spectacular views of the Himalaya (weather permitting) including distant views of the world's highest peak, Mount Everest. Our last couple of nights in Nepal will be spent in, where a walk to the restaurant this evening may well produce Night Heron, Indian Flying Foxes again, and even Barn Owl, as all regularly fly over the city at dusk. Naturetrek 7

10 Nepal - Chitwan National Park Day 13 Today we will spend birdwatching on the forested slopes of Phulchowki, at 2,740 metres the highest peak in the valley. Marble quarrying is sadly affecting the area but it still remains a wonderful birding spot. The variety of laughing thrushes, babblers, bulbuls, flowerpeckers, flycatchers, sunbirds, tits and warblers is tremendous. We will drive up Phulchowki in the early morning, ascending as far as the ice will allow. Here we should get good views of the snow-clad Great Himalaya, including the Annapurna range, Langtang and many of Nepal's other high peaks (provided the weather is clear!). We will then spend the rest of the day walking down the mountain through its fine temperate and subtropical forest, with a picnic lunch en route. Some of the many highlights should include Redflanked Bluetail, Fire-tailed Sunbird, White-collared and Grey-winged Blackbirds, Long-tailed Minivet, White-tailed Nuthatch, Orange-barred Leaf Warbler, Orange-bellied Leafbird and many more. More elusive species include Nepal Cutia, Kalij Pheasant, Red-billed Leiothrix and Black-faced Leaf Warbler. Before heading back to our hotel we will stop at the Godavari Botanical Gardens at the base of Phulchowki. Within this lightly wooded park we hope to find some of the lower altitude species such as the spectacular Red-billed Blue Magpie, Pallas s Warbler, Orangegorgetted Flycatcher, Yellow-bellied Fantail and perhaps the elusive Spotted Forktail. If you would prefer to spend this day doing a sightseeing tour of the city and temples of we will be pleased to arrange this for you (but this must be booked with us prior to your departure from London and will cost 195 for any single traveller and 150 per person for 2 or more). The tour may include Nepal's largest Hindu temple at Pashupatinath, the Buddhist "stupa" (shrine) and Tibetan settlement at Boudhinath, and the fine temples and palaces of Patan s Durbar Square. It also includes lunch in one of the traditional restaurants. Day 14 In Flight Today we must transfer to airport for our return flight to London. It should be noted that some flights will arrive back into London early on Thursday morning, being an overnight flight back from. Flight times will be confirmed closer to departure dates. N.B. Please note that the itinerary below offers our planned programme of excursions. However, adverse weather and other local considerations can necessitate some reordering of the programme during the course of the tour, though this will always be done to maximise best use of the time and weather conditions available. 8 Naturetrek

11 Nepal - Chitwan National Park Weather December to February marks the Nepalese winter. However, as our programme avoids the high regions, and concentrates on the lowland attractions, you can expect excellent weather, with daytime temperatures between (25-35ºC). Nights will be much cooler (as will be the day spent on Phulchowki), and frosts are always possible in. Rain at this time of year is unusual. Clothing Please inspect the separate clothing list, sent to you on booking, thoroughly. Warm clothing will be useful for mornings and evenings, and a warm jacket and gloves may be useful on the tour up Phulchowki. Shorts and T-shirts will be essential in the heat of the lowlands. Food & accommodation All accommodation and meals are included, except for main meals in. All accommodation on this tour is simple but comfortable, with private facilities. Bird lists & previous tour reports Where available these are automatically provided on booking, and will gladly be sent to you before, if you wish for a more detailed preview. Extra expenses Please note that we do not include the following in the cost of this holiday: visa, national park fees, currently US$20 per day (paid locally in US dollars or UK Pounds, depending on activities on arrival and departure days); similar amount for the Koshi extension and all items of a more personal nature such as drinks, laundry, souvenirs, and tips for your guide and driver. Your safety & security You have chosen to travel to Nepal. Risks to your safety and security are an unavoidable aspect of all travel and the best current advice on such risks is provided for you by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In order to assess and protect against any risks in your chosen destination, it is essential that you refer to the Foreign Office website regularly prior to travel. How to book your place In order to book your place on this holiday, please give us a call on with a credit or debit card, book online at or alternatively complete and post the booking form at the back of our main Naturetrek brochure, together with a deposit of 20% of the holiday cost plus any room supplements if required. If you do not have a copy of the brochure, please call us on or request one via our website. Please stipulate any special requirements, for example extension requests or connecting/regional flights, at the time of booking. Naturetrek 9

12 Nepal - Chitwan National Park N.B. Please note that, as all our Bargain Selection tours are carefully costed on groups of 16 persons to maximize value for money, it may be necessary to impose a small group surcharge of 10% on groups falling short of 5. Receive our e-newsletter Join the Naturetrek ing list and be the first to hear about new tours, additional departures and new dates, tour reports and special offers. Visit to sign up. 10 Naturetrek