Chitwan · Where to stay

The tourist village on the north bank of the Rapti, opposite the park. Every lodge, guide office, restaurant and the elephant breeding centre is within walking distance, and this is where all the park activities depart from.

Seven resorts operate inside Chitwan National Park under park concessions, which puts you within the boundary rather than across the river from it. They are considerably more expensive than Sauraha and you are committed to their programme once you are in.

Tharu family homes on the park's western edge in Nawalpur, about 160km from Kathmandu, run by the local community. Three meals a day are included and the stay is built around cooking classes, village cycling, canoe trips and birdwatching rather than a lodge programme.

Bharatpur has the airport (20 minutes by Buddha Air from Kathmandu), the hospitals, the ATMs and the long-distance buses, and it is 20km from Sauraha. Use it to arrive and leave; there is no reason to sleep there.