KRITI BHUJU
Have you visited Chitwan National Park (CNP)? If not it´s high time you made plan to visit one of the best protected areas in the country as CNP has been listed as the ´35 most amazing national parks on earth´ by the US-based online news aggregator and blog – Huffington Post.
Huffington Post has ranked CNP in 19th position.
“Outside of Africa, there are few parks that offer the variety of large, exotic animals as Nepal´s Chitwan National Park: rhinos, cloud leopards, monkeys, and one of the highest concentrations of Bengal tigers in the world. Can you imagine a better place for your first safari?” writes the Huffington Post.
Arenal Volcano National Park of Costa Rica tops the list. National parks from countries like China, USA, Australia, Columbia, Tanzania, Ecuador, Argentina, South Africa, Norway, Venezuela, Namibia, New Zealand, Chile and Canada, among others, have made it to the list.
CNP is famous for different wildlife activities like wildlife, bird watching, jungle safari and canoeing. It is a popular destination in the country for both domestic and international visitors.
“We are happy that CNP has found a place in the list of amazing national parks to visit,” Suman Ghimire, general secretary of the Hotel Association Nepal´s Chitwan Regional Chapter, said. “We hope this will increase the flow of tourists to Chitwan,”
As Sauraha is mostly focused on jungle activities, hoteliers are hopeful that CNP´s new feat would help draw more tourists.
To attract more tourists, different associations like Regional Hotel Association, Chitwan, Restaurant and Bar Association of Nepal (REBAN) Sauraha Chapter and the locals are all geared up to bring out various changes in Sauraha. According to Regional Hotel Association, Chitwan, ´Sauraha Tourism Master Plan´ is currently under implementation at an estimated cost of Rs 45 million to Rs 60 million.
“The master plan includes widening of roads by 2 meters on each side, development of tourist bus park, effective drainage system, development of green belt on both sides of the road, and installation of street lights among others,” Narayan Bhattarai, president of the association, said, adding that the locals as well as entrepreneurs were dedicated to make Chitwan better.
Many hotels and lodges are being opened in Sauraha to cater to domestic as well as international tourists. Sauraha´s first two-star hotel, Hotel Seven Star, came into operation in September. Likewise, Green Park, Landmark, Sutanchuli and Central Park are the other new hotels that came into service last year bringing the total number of hotels to 90.
The Mountains Speak हिमाल बोल्छ 