So there we were crouching on all fours in the middle of a jungle in Nepal, crawling towards a wild and dangerous animal. In normal life one steers well clear of such hazards, but here on this jungle safari on foot, spotting a rhino was like hitting the jackpot. There it was, a dark shining beast nosing silently amongst the undergrowth, its trademark horn jutting above the lush greenery. My guide solemnly and excitedly put his index finger to his mouth to silence me, and then beckoned me to follow him.
Seeing a rhino in a zoo behind bars is one experience, but actually witnessing an endangered creature in the wild having walked for hours through Chitwain national park in Nepal hoping to spot one was pretty special.
The rhinoceros was large; so, so dark, monster-like and sleek coated. He was minding his own business, as he nosed through the undergrowth foraging for food.
Most tourists choose to spot rhinos from the safety of an elephant safari or a jeep, so being on foot we had a better chance of seeing one, but also we were putting ourselves in danger.
My guide Bikram tiptoed towards the rhino, clearly excited.
Rhinos are the most dangerous animal in the national park, and are responsible for the most injuries to people, as they can get quite aggressive. As I watched its body a couple of metres away from us, I recalled what I needed to do should our rhino get aggressive.
We would need to either seek refuge by climbing a tree, hiding behind one or else run through the undergrowth in a zigzag fashion, Bikram had told me as we set out on the walk.
This was one of the highlights of my two day hike through one of Nepal’s most famous national parks.
There are approximately 125 tigers in the park, 372 rhinos and 200 sloth bears.
The park is situated in the south of the country in the Terai plain, close to the Indian border. You cannot enter Chitwain without a guide. Many people have been killed or attacked in the past in the park by the dangerous animals that live there.
There were three of us, one to spot the wildlife and keep an eye out for hazards, and another to be my guide. It cost me a mere $16 to hire them both for two days.
We set off at dawn; it was cool and the mist lay heavy along the ground. During the trek we traversed across a variety of landscapes including open savannah, semi arid land and grassland. The guides had to beat a pathway through the dense jungle vegetation. We passed freshwater lagoons and swamps infested with leeches.
When we came to one of these lagoons we saw a crocodile sunning itself on the bank, just a few metres away.
My poor heart began thudding uncontrollably. I actually grabbed onto the arm of Bikram. He and Basantha just laughed.
I gazed at its huge, long jaws-jaws that can kill a man in an instant.
He was so scaly, his cold grey crusty body ridged and deeply indented. His mouth formed a large wobbly grin and jutting out of it were the deadly canines. He looked almost smug, smirking away in the knowledge that he could knock us all off in a matter of seconds, no sweat.
While constricted with fear I still managed to whip out the camera in a bid to catch a shot of a real life croc in the wild. Bikram snatched the camera playfully out of my hands, and boldly walked towards the beast to get an up close picture of the man eating reptile.
The challenges continued. When we came to a muddy swamp, there was no way to make our way through this part of the park other than remove our shoes, roll up our trousers and brave the mud.
On both sides were tall bamboo swampy plants. Is there another way back, I asked? No, they said: “This is the only way.” It was at this point I doubted the competence of my guides, and wondered how deep the swamp was going to get.
The swamp did get deeper, and it was also turning a ghastly orange colour. Every step was an effort. We were in bare feet-you simply could not wear shoes or boots because you would just get stuck, or lose your shoes forever. Onward we oozed and squelched through the muddy mess, which was getting thicker and more unappealing as we proceeded. My guides had no problem, but for me, wading through mud with nothing but a stick to help me keep my balance, was damn hard. Try it sometime!
Bikram kept saying in his amusing Nepali accent: “No problem. Zis is no problem.”
Eventually we came to the end of the murky passageway and we all cheered upon sighting dry land, so to speak.
During our two day trek, we met only a handful of people and most of them were locals. We came upon the occasional jeep bringing tourists around on safari. But really, this is unexplored territory, and the number of tourists coming here is still pretty small. Most tourists to Nepal do not venture beyond the trekking routes of the Himalayas.
But the most amazing thing about the jungle was the noises, and there were so many of them. The sound of spotted deer cooing was incredibly and the sound of the rare giant hornbill flapping its wings overhead, and so many different and exotic types of birds. We saw the electric blue coloured kingfisher flying across a lake.
I was constantly on edge though, because you never know what animal you are going to come across next. After all it could be an angry rhino.
The trek, while arduous and hairy at times, is not for the faint hearted, but it was a fabulous adrenaline rush. Chitwain would appeal to those seeking the wilder unexplored side of Nepal. Another great advantage to Chitwain is that surrounding the park are a number of charming villages, where the people are really open and friendly.
