Located close to the Himalayas in Nepal’s southern Terai region, the Royal Chitwan National Park is the oldest of its kind in the country and a lush area that is home to a huge range of plants and animals.
Many treks in the park are done on elephant back given the difficult terrain in places and the threat of dangerous species including the now rare Bengal tiger and even rarer Indian rhinoceros. Monkeys are more common here, as are birds of which there are thought to be more than 450 species in the park. Given its delicate ecosystem and endangered species, the park was granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 1984, and visitors are therefore asked to tread carefully.