Nepal : Part 20 - Royal Chitwan National Park (Day 1) - The 7-Hour Bus Ride to Sauraha

27092013 - Today, we are going a UNESCO World Heritage - Royal Chitwan National Park. I had this in my itinerary because my sister is a fan of birds. This place has one of the best bird-watching activity in Nepal. Plus I chose this because it is a UNESCO area. Nepal has lots of UNESCO World Heritage places. If you wondered why did I not choose the religious places of Nepal; it is because I have been there during my visit to Nepal 2 years back. Back then, I went to Swayambunath, Durbar Square, Bouddhanath and Pashupatinath. Fast forward to today. From the highlands we see EBC, and to the lowlands we go to visit the National Park. Our destination is to Sauraha Village which is a cheaper place to stay in than staying in the National Park itself. The plan - 2 full days in Royal Chitwan National Park.

We walked to the bus station from our lodge (Buddha Hotel) in Thamel Street. It is the same hotel we stayed in when we arrived in Kathmandu. The bus station is at Kanti Path and it was just a 20 minute walk. We had bought our bus tickets from the trekking agent for USD20 which includes return too. The bus is scheduled to leave at 7am and it departed on the dot. The journey, I researched, was going to take us 5 hours.

Inside the bus, we have fans that did not work during the first half of the journey. From where I sat, the fan did not work, the window will not budge and I got the best sunrays.

At 10.30am, the bus stops at a dedicated place for lunch. Because of our limited funds, we had a cup of lemon water and my sister took milk tea.

We reached Sauraha Village at 2.30pm. After 7.5 hours. The extra hours were due to the traffic jam we encountered which was caused by an accident. Along the way to the bus station, I saw many lodges available. I guess walk-in is not risky. My sister, though, has booked online at Rhino Lodge. At the bus station, there were lots of jeeps from lodges to bring the customers to the lodges. However, our lodge does not provide transport. Bummer. So, we walked 30 minutes from the bus station to the lodge.

There were nettings at the door. We saw mosquito nets in the room too. Only then did I realised there are lots of mosquitoes in the area. Our room costs us USD100 for 3 nights. It has a great bathroom and most importantly, an air-conditioner. 

After settling our things, we head over to the nature guide my sister had been communicating with. It was just next to our lodge. This is United Jungle Guide Services. My sister's selection because the 2 authors of the 'Birds of Nepal' used this jungle guide to write the book. She has been using this book to read up on the birds of Nepal. After discussing on the itinerary and price, we finally agreed to USD94 per person for 2 days. If you are not a fan of birdwatching, you can go to any jungle guide services in Sauraha Village. There is a lot, and in fact, our hotel does provide the services too at a very much cheaper price.

Here is the difference, but I have no complaints, because United Jungle Guide Services did assist 2 authors to write one of the best-selling book about birds in Nepal. In fact, I am not sure if there are other books on birds in Nepal.

Activities	United Jungle Guide Services (Rs)	Rhino Lodge (Rs)
Park Permit (Same)	1500	1500
Canoe Ride & Whole Day Jungle Walk	3000	2000
20,000 Lake Safari by Jeep	5000	3500
Elephant Ride & Elephant Breeding Centre	2000	1500 + 600

We walked around Sauraha Village looking for dinner. We found a small shop where we had dhal bhat and newari khaja. We see a bullock cart and lots of elephants passing by. It was the end of the day, and everyone is going back to their homes, including the animals.  

30 minutes later came my newari khaja. The rice was different and the owner told me it is broken rice. The rice was crunchy and is flat in shape. I felt like I was eating cereals. Both meals came up to Rp300. 

At night, we had the best sleep after such a long time. But I still wake up at 3am. Darn my mental alarm.