Pokhara, set against the dramatic backdrop of the Annapurna range, is a relaxed lakeside city in Nepal where visitors come to enjoy boating on Phewa Lake, stroll along the waterfront, and use it as a gateway for treks into the Himalayas.
Nepal: Sapana Village Lodge
Sapana Village Lodge is an eco-friendly resort about one minute from the centre of Sauraha. It is set in beautiful grounds and is next door to an elephant sanctuary that the lodge operates. It has a lovely restaurant with spectacualr views across open fields.
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During our stay in Chitwan, we stayed at the Sapana Village Lodge. Initially, we stopped for three days on their special package before heading out on a 3-day/2-night trek in the Chepang Hills, which we also organised through them. We stopped a further night on the way back.
The Lodge is a family-run business, and its owner Dhurba Giri is an interesting character who has invested a lot of time in training his staff to an excellent standard, as well as putting a lot back into the community. As well as operating the elephant sanctuary, they have set up a local school, and initiated programmes to train local people in crafts and hospitality. Durbur has also encouraged his staff to develop local programmes in the villages where they come from. Great stuff!
The Lodge itself is beautiful. All the accommodation is set in beautiful grounds full of exotic plants and colourful flowers. The rooms are well-equipped and supremely comfortable.
The staff at the hotel were amazing and could not have been more helpful.
For our first three days at Sapana Village Lodge, we were on the meal plan, which included breakfast, lunch and dinner. The chef was wonderful and catered for our vegetarian diet – and the food could not have been better. During our stay, the weather was great so we were able to eat all our meals outside on the terrace. The restaurant looked out across open fields and in the mornings and afternoons, the elephants were brought out to exercise. The restaurant was the perfect place to watch this from!
The Sunsets
One of the most memorable things for us during our stay at Sapana Village Lodge was the sunsets. These alone were worth the cost of staying!
Sapana Village Lodge offers several different packages. I signed up for the three-day package which included:
- Full board
- Walking tour of Chitwan National Park
- Jeep tour of Chitwan National Park
- Dug-out canoe tour
- Local Village tour
- Evening cultural event
- Breakfast with the elephants
- Giving a morning snack to the elephants
- A massage
- A romantic meal
The highlights of our three days at Sapana Village Lodge were:
Walking tour of Chitwan National Park
This was a 3-hour guided walk through the National Park. It was a fun experience although we didn’t get to see any of the large game we saw plenty of other things of interest and it was wonderful to learn more about the flora and fauna of the Chitwan.
Jeep tour of Chitwan National Park
Chitwan National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is famed for its flora and fauna. The most famous residents are the one-horned rhinoceros, Bengal tigers and Asian elephants. They are all very elusive so you are lucky to see any of them!
At one time you could go on safaris in the Park on the backs of elephants, but no longer. However, this has created another problem around what to do with the elephants that were used for safaris.Â
Our tour of Chitwan was in a shared 4×4 open-topped van. We were very lucky to have a couple of sightings of rhinos and a brief and distant view of a Bengal tiger on the road in front of us.
Even without the wildlife sightings the Park itself is beautiful with a diverse range of landscapes.
Dug out canoe tripÂ
The journey was a short one down the river for about 45 minutes. There were plenty of things to see along the way including a large variety of birds, mostly waterfowl – herons, jacanas, egrets, and kingfishers. There were also many crocodiles of various shapes and sizes, including a gharial.
Local Village Tour
About half an hour before sunset we were picked up outside the front gate of the lodge and whisked away a couple of kilometres to a small, rural village and dropped off. With us was a young man called Deshan, who worked at the lodge in the restaurant, but for now was our guide for the next hour.
The scene was wonderfully pastoral. There were some small houses next to the road, but the area was mainly laid to fields, mostly rice and corn. The people of this area are the Tharu, an indigenous Nepali ethnic group who have lived and farmed in the Chitwan Valley for hundreds of years. Although all we could see around us were farms, the valley used to be dominated by forests, and before they became farmers, the Tharu lived as hunters and gatherers in them. For many generations, the Tharu and the forests remained undisturbed as malaria blighted the region – from which the Tharu seemed immune. But once malaria was largely banished people from other ethnic groups moved in and the forests were replaced with fields – life changed for the Tharu.
Although they are Hindu, the Tharu use their own traditional ritual specialists in addition to the Hindu Brahman priests; moreover, many consume alcohol, and some eat beef. Despite their patrilineal social system, women have property rights greatly exceeding those recognized in Hindu society. Each village is governed by a council and a headman.
We strolled slowly down the street soaking in the bucolic surroundings. Chickens, ducks, and goats were not penned in and were wandering around freely, looking pleased that they were not squashed into a barn on a factory farm in the west. The people also looked happy going about their business. The rice in the fields had been harvested and the grass stems were gathered into cylindrical bales about two metres in diameter with a conical top. There were a couple of men working in the fields threshing the rice grass by hand. Families were starting to gather for the evening and people were travelling to their homes on motorcycles or push bikes. It was incredibly peaceful, if somewhat odd to be standing in the midst of this. We were obviously not invisible voyeurs and the Tharu people in the village seemed genuinely pleased to see us.
It didn’t take long to reach the other end of the village. We got there just as the sun was setting and we got treated to a fabulous sunset.
We turned on our tails and headed back into the village, briefly visiting a local homestay, which was decorated with traditional paintings on the outside. Before leaving completely, Deshan took us to meet a local lady who kindly made us a cup of tea and gave us some tasty snacks while we sat on some makeshift chairs on her stoop.
Cultural Evening
In the evenings at the Tharu Cultural Centre, there is a dance performed by the local ladies. As we were leaving a rather rotund, senior-looking policeman in his best dress uniform was arriving with his wife, who was dressed up to the nines. We were curious why they were at the lodge, but our guide explained one of the lodge’s drivers had been caught driving while drunk, so the police official was there to chastise or at least talk to the owner of Sapana Lodge. We suspected he was expecting to be fed and ‘watered’ while he was there!
We got there in great time to get a perfect seat at the front (to be fair it is not that crowded) and order a pitcher of beer – which was a very tasty, locally brewed IPA – which we shared with our guide. He was a bit worried about the Lodge finding out about him drinking (especially with his co-worker being caught drink-driving), so we assured him we were not going to tell anyone.
The dance troop was made up of about a dozen ladies and a couple of men who played the drums. They performed six dances in total, some of which went on for a long time. The dances were very intricate and energetic. One of the dances involved sticks which they exuberantly struck firmly against their fellow dancers’ sticks – it was a cross between Morris dancing and Kendo!
The last dance was set aside for audience participation. I was reluctant to get up at first, but after some cajoling from Karen, I acquiesced. It was great fun, and I was soon in the mood. Most people in the audience ended up joining in, forming a huge circle on the dance floor.
Breakfast with the elephants
Every day at the Sapana Lodge the elephants from the sanctuary across away are brought across to the pastures alongside the lodge. They cross the river adjacent to the property, giving them the chance to play in the water.
After our cup of coffee, we crossed the river on the bridge and walked up to where the five elephants and their mahouts were. This was our time to meet the elephants, including touching and talking to them. We’ve met many elephants in recent years, but it is not something we’ll ever get bored with.
Around ten minutes later we and the elephants headed further across the pasture. The staff had come across in the meantime and had set up a table just for us. So, for the next thirty minutes or so we had our breakfast surrounded by the elephants – it was lovely and magical.
When we were done with breakfast we walked back towards the lodge.
Giving the elephants their snacks
Immediately after our breakfast, it was the elephants’ turn for a tasty treat.
Feeding tasty snacks to the elephants was next on our programme. As we stood there some of the staff from Sapana brought us a basket of goodies to feed to the elephants, who just gobbled everything we presented to them. It was a lovely experience.
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The best time to visit Chitwan
Winter is an ideal season to visit Chitwan and specifically, Chitwan National Park. The Chitwan National Park apart from being one of the world’s second-largest protected areas for the rhino and the Bengal tiger also gives shelter to exotic species like sloth bears, endangered gharial crocodiles, leopards, and hundreds of other bird and animal species. In winter, because of the cold atmosphere and the dry season, it becomes optimum to watch wildlife in their natural habitat. The levels of humidity in Chitwan remain high even during the winter months, December, January, and February. As a result, the mornings in Chitwan during these months are often foggy with dewdrops hanging around in the misty atmosphere. Even though the nights and mornings are particularly cold, the afternoon temperatures stay pleasantly warm, ranging between 20-25ᴼC. Among these three months, January and February are the coldest months with temperatures reaching single digits, sometimes even reaching the freezing point at night. During the months of January and February, Locals cut the grass in the jungle which greatly improves the visibility of the animals. During this time if you visit the national park, you will observe animals, sometimes as close as a few feet away.
2. FALL (SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER, NOVEMBER)
In Nepal, fall typically begins in mid-September and lasts through November. During the months of September, October, and November, the temperature in Chitwan is mild and nights are clear. Comparatively, the days in fall are more pleasant than in Summer and spring. Due to the gentle temperature, it’s easy travelling in Chitwan during the fall as you will not sweat a lot and experience a lot of hustle and bustle touring.
3. SPRING (MARCH-MAY)
You might consider travelling to Chitwan during Spring like any other destination to travel in perfect weather with flowers and sun. But, in Chitwan, you might want to think about travelling during Spring again. Humidity is at its lowest in March, April, and May but the temperatures gradually get super hot with each progressing day, with the period from May to early June being the hottest days. The animals can be frequently seen trying to cool themselves in water holes, rivers, and lakes. However, the days can get extremely sunny and hot with temperatures that may reach up to 40á´¼C.
4. SUMMER(JUNE-SEPTEMBER)
While the Summer (pre-monsoon) sets in during May, by the time June begins, the south-easterly winds from the Bay of Bengal bring heavy precipitation with extremely high humidity. If you are thinking about taking jeep safaris in Chitwan national park during these months of June, July, August, and September, good luck. Jeep safaris become increasingly problematic during these months due to heavy rain and the flooding of tracks in the forest.
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