Chitwan National Park in Travel section of Wall Street Journal

'If an animal charges at you, climb the nearest tree," the guide on the walking safari said. "If there's no tree, don't run everywhere. Stay with us; we will try to protect you." But to guard us from rhinoceroses, tigers and sloth bears—known for their unpredictability—our guides carried only long bamboo sticks.



Nepal is known for its Himalayan mountain trekking and India for its historic sites and teeming cities. But both countries offer inexpensive safaris in several national parks that, considering how chaotic life in Nepal and India can be in other respects, are surprisingly professional and well organized, though their ideas of protecting visitors may not be yours.

I didn't think I was in Africa, where vast herds of many species surround you. But from the back of a Nepalese elephant I saw two crocodiles, a peacock, lots of deer and, most importantly, two rhinos. In the world of safaris, viewing a one-horned Indian rhinoceros is a real accomplishment. There are only about 2,500 left in the world, almost all of them in Chitwan and Kaziranga National Park in northeast India.
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source: WSJ.com
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704541004574600243444179688.html

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