Chitwan Days 2 and 3

My second and third days at Chitwan were for the birds--several score of them.

The Royal Park Lodge were we stayed had four events planned for us. When I arrived, I requested a guide with good local bird knowledge. The resort assigned us a young Nepalese man named Raj. He was more than I expected. Raj could identify a bird in a split second. He'd call out the name, give me an accurate description of where to see it in the bush or sky and then show me the bird in his guide book.

For our first morning, we drove slowly in an open-backed jeep through the refuge. We saw about 40 species, including two local eagles so close I could snap their photos with my pocket camera.

Crested serpent eagle

Grey-headed fish eagle

That afternoon, Raj escorted us on a rambling walk through the scrub and grassland bordering the river near our lodge. Again, we saw dozens of species, plus a passive bull rhino at close quarters.

Rapti River

For the second and last morning, we went for a 45-minutes ride in dugout canoes. The water of the Rapti River is warmer than a heated swimming pool. It steams in the morning cool. In invites one to swim—but the many crocodiles suggest otherwise.

Marsh mugger crocodile

The canoe ride ends at an elephant breeding center. One of the baby elephants liked people so much, it came over to the fence for scratches and pets.

Raj helped ID 71 bird species over the two-day period: all but a few are new to my life list. He also knows his animals and trees too. If anyone needs a guide at Chitwan, I recommend him. Contact Yubaraj “Raj” Paudel at yubaraj19@yahoo.com or his sister's tourism company at doma_paudel@yahoo.com.

Wild peacock

Raj helped ID 71 bird species over the two-day period: all but a few are new to my life list. He also knows his animals and trees too. If anyone needs a guide at Chitwan, I recommend him. Contact Yubaraj “Raj” Paudel at yubaraj19@yahoo.com or his sister's tourism company at doma_paudel@yahoo.com.