Places to visit in Chitwan & inner Tarai
Rhino and tiger forests of Chitwan, Tharu villages, holy river confluences and the hill forts that guarded the road to Kathmandu.
Districts: Chitwan · Makwanpur · Sindhuli · Nawalpur
Chitwan National Park
Nepal's first national park (1973) and a World Heritage Site since 1984: sal forest, tall grassland and rivers that shelter greater one-horned rhinos, Bengal tigers, gharials and over 500 kinds of birds — the best-known wildlife destination in the country.
UNESCO World Heritage · rhino & tiger country2 min →
Sauraha & the Tharu villages of Chitwan
The riverside village that grew into Chitwan's tourist hub, surrounded by Tharu villages of mud-plastered houses, clay grain bins and painted walls — where you can join a homestay, eat dhikri and ghonghi, and watch the famous stick dance.
Tharu culture on the park's edge1 min →
◆ Hidden gemBishazari Tal
The 'twenty thousand lakes' — a chain of forest-fringed oxbow lakes just south of Bharatpur, in Chitwan's buffer zone. Listed as a Ramsar wetland in 2003, it is a quiet place for crocodiles, birds and a forest walk without the Sauraha crowds.
Ramsar lakes in the buffer zone1 min →
Devghat Dham
Where the Kali Gandaki and Trishuli meet to form the Narayani, just north of Narayangadh. A peaceful holy place of temples, ashrams and a swaying suspension bridge — where many elderly Hindus come to spend their last years — and home to a huge Makar Sankranti fair.
Sacred confluence of rivers1 min →
Maula Kalika, Gaindakot
A hilltop Kali temple above Gaindakot with sweeping views over the Narayani and the Chitwan plains. Climb its 1,882 steps or ride the cable car that opened in 2023.
Hilltop goddess & cable car1 min →
◆ Hidden gemMakwanpurgadhi
The ruined hilltop seat of the Sen kings of Makwanpur, captured by Prithvi Narayan Shah in 1762 and fought over again in the Anglo-Nepal War — with old cannons, palace walls and views over the inner Tarai near Hetauda.
Hill fort of the Sen kings1 min →
Sindhuligadhi
A ridge-top fort on the BP Highway where, in 1767, Gorkhali soldiers routed Captain Kinloch's East India Company expedition — Nepal's first victory over a European-led army. A small war museum tells the story.
Where the East India Company was turned back1 min →
◆ Hidden gemChepang Hill Trail
A few days' walk through the Mahabharat hills north of Chitwan, staying in Chepang villages — one of Nepal's most marginalised communities — with views of the Himalaya to the north and the Tarai plains to the south, and a climb to Siraichuli, Chitwan's highest point.
Community trek above Chitwan1 min →Every place on the map
Dots are approximate. Tap one to open the place.