Quick Facts:
- Location: Ratnanagar 44200
- Climate: Warm and Humid,
- Temperature: ranging from 20°C to 35°C throughout the year.
- Transportation: Buses, Private taxis. The closest airport is in Bharatpur, which is about 20 km away.
- Culture: Tharu community
- Best time to visit: November to April
- Food: Traditional Tharu dishes, Indian curries, and Western-style meals
Sauraha is a beautiful village located in the southern part of Nepal in the Chitwan District. It is situated close to the Rapti River and is the eastern gateway to the Chitwan National Park, a protected area that preserves the Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands ecoregion. Sauraha has grown from a small and quaint Tharu village with mud and daub huts to a small town full of Western-style hotels and resorts, restaurants, internet cafes, and gift shops.
The village is accessible by road or by air through the Bharatpur Airport. It is located on the edge of the Chitwan National Park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a renowned conservation area in Nepal. Sauraha is also situated near the Rapti River, which provides an opportunity for river rafting and canoeing.
Tharu Community in Sauraha
Sauraha is also home to the Tharu people and has a rich cultural heritage. Having their own language makes them more unique, not just their language but also their culture, customs and tradition which is is always so different and have been passed down from generation to generation. As a strong and unique culture, they also have a strong connection to their people and their land which makes their culture closely tied to the natural environment. Over the past few decades, the Tharu people also have developed many kinds of unique cultures which makes them more special.
Attractions
Sauraha is known for its jungle and wildlife safaris by foot, jeep, and elephant. Visitors are guaranteed to see the rhinoceros, Bengal tiger, and many types of deer and monkeys. The Chitwan National Park is home to Bengal Tigers, rhinoceroses, bears, leopards, crocodiles, and monkeys, among others, and hundreds of species of birds and butterflies. Birdwatching is a popular activity, especially in the Bish Hajar Taal wetlands area, which is approximately 10 kilometers northwest from Sauraha.
Other activities include watching the sunset over the National Park, riding on an elephant, staying overnight in the jungle and spotting wild animals from the lookout tower, watching a Tharu cultural show, hiring a bike and wandering about Tharu villages, swimming in the river and watching the elephants being bathed, drinking cool beers at one of the “beach” bars, going for a jungle safari on foot, by elephant or by jeep, and going for a canoe trip on the river.
Things you need to know before visiting Sauraha
- The best time to visit Sauraha is during the dry season, from November to April, with March being the ideal month. The daytime temperature is not too hot, and the elephant grass in the national park has been cut, allowing for better animal spotting.
- Visitors should know mosquitoes can be a problem at certain times of the year, but nets are provided in hotels/lodges.
- Visitors can stay in budget, mid-priced, or 3-4 star hotels and resorts. The small village has a few restaurants, as well as local-style eateries.
- There are no asphalt roads here, just dirt/mud tracks and hardly any traffic, making life tranquil.
- Visitors should plan to spend at least one day in the national park and a couple more days walking/biking around about. A minimum of three days is recommended. Visitors can board any jeep that will take them the 3 kilometers to the village.
- If visitors stay in the hotel, the jeep ride is free. If they do not like the look of the lodge, they can hand the driver R30 for the ride and choose another place.
Image Source: Google
