Elephant Back Ride Safari at Chitwan National Park, Nepal

After half day spent on boat ride, jungle walk and visit to elephant breeding center, the rest of the afternoon was spent doing the second part of the tour program, the Elephant Back Ride Safari.

Elephant Back Ride Safari is if not the most heavily promoted tour offered at Chitwan National Park. The activity as the name suggest is a two-hour program consist of four people riding at the back of an elephant, guided by a mahout as it navigates inside the jungle on the hope of seeing other wildlife.

At first, I was excited to do this activity, it would be awesome experience to ride an elephant and once again go inside the jungle. This very same notion I later on regretted.

I hated the whole thing for one top reason- I can’t stand when the mahout hit the elephant, I squirmed and often just closes my eyes and wishing the whole ride be over soon. I understand that they do this so that the elephant will follow

their orders and I don't write this against them but I personally just cannot stand it.

Most mahout goal is to give the tourist the thrill of the jungle.
With his command, we scout the jungle in search of the elusive rhino.

We spotted a rhino quietly eating at one side of the jungle.
There were around six elephants carrying tourists at that time, when every mahout decided to direct every elephants towards the lone rhinoceros.

Poor rhino all he could do was run away.

After the safari tour, I bought bananas and fed our elephant as a way of saying Thank you and Sorry.
He rewarded me with a smile and a nice three-leg pose.

The evening was spent watching the Sauhara Tharu Dance Performance.

Chitwan National Park is recommended for first timer in Nepal. Though I hope that in the future, travelling to Chitwan will be made more accessible for tourist who wanted an alternative than the offered package tours. More importantly, I hope that the top priority is the continuous preservation of the wildlife and not overlooked in the expense of tourism.

The next day, early morning, I left Sauhara and boarded the bus as I made my way to my final stop-over in Nepal. As the bus navigated the highway, I kept on hearing a clucking sound. It’s a noise made by a hen hidden on the old lady's lap sitting on my left-side, a sound that accompanied me for the rest of the bus ride.