Sauraha Jungle Safari: A trip into the wilderness

A wildlife safari is undoubtedly a thrilling experience. A trip into the wilderness with no certainty what you might encounter next; holding the binocular and brushing off the dust from your cloth while waiting in excitement what might jump out of the bush is inarguably going to be a life-changing experience. The stillness of the jungle, dead silence of the night and feeling of being surrounded by the untamed wilds will keep you on your toe.

Since forest covers a large area of Nepal, it can be an ideal place for jungle safari. There’s a number of national parks and wildlife reserves and among them, Chitwan National Park is one of the most popular destinations for jungle safari lovers. The safari will take you into the picturesque woodlands, idyllic wetlands and exotic spices of both animals and plants.

The major attraction of this park is nocturnal Royal Bengal Tigers and One-Horned Rhino. In addition to this, you will discover elephants, pre-historic Rhino, deer, pythons, crocodiles, multicolored birds, gray langur, and leopards. Apart from this, one gets an opportunity to experience the Tharu culture closely.

Elephant ride is the best way to observe the wild animals. The major advantage of riding an elephant is that other animals will come close to the elephant without realizing there’s a human on the elephant’s back. Though it is the safest way to enter the woodland, elephant safari is not a comfortable ride.

Most of the lodges and tour agency offers elephant treks. The tour generally lasts for one to one and a half hour and is available in three shifts: early morning, mid morning and late afternoon. It costs between NRs. 800 - 1000.

Another option is a Jeep safari. One can sit on the back of the open jeep to see animals. The jeep stops at places to see animals. The guide will show you spotted wild animals and explain about the wild life and their environment.

There are two options to do Jeep Safari: short safari and full day safari. Short safari is for around four hours. It generally starts around 1 pm and finishes around 5 pm. In a full day safari, you will have a better seat and a private car. In this safari, one will go deeper into the forest and have more chances to see tigers.

How to get there
There are various travel agents that offer package tour which is both affordable and comfortable. However, if you want to travel all by yourself, you can do that too. There are lots of luxurious hotels so you won’t have accommodation problem. You can hire a guide after reaching your destination.