Chitwan Safari Extension

Discover the low-lands and wild side of Nepal

This five day wildlife extension is the ideal opportunity to explore the low-lands of Nepal and take in some rest and relax after the challenges of your trekking journey.

Travel from Kathmandu to your jungle lodge in search of the roaming wildlife at Chitwan National Park. With the help of an expert naturalist, you will explore the home of the one-horned rhino, while also spotting birds, crocodiles, deer and boar.

This extension starts on the departure day of your main tour, you will check out from your Kathmandu hotel with the group and then transfer directly to Chitwan.

Sustainability and Impact

At Exodus, we thrive on travel, and we firmly believe our adventures should help destinations thrive too.

As a certified B Corp, we aim to take a ‘nature positive’ approach across our adventures, including carbon and waste reduction, animal welfare and support for rewilding and conservation. We also seek to contribute to local communities, providing economic opportunity and empowerment.

• Learn more about our Thriving Nature, Thriving People plan, including our commitment to rewilding 100 square metres for every Exodus traveller

• Read about the work of the Exodus Adventure Travels Foundation.

• Find out how you can travel more sustainably here.

Is this trip for you?

This trip extension is rated Activity Level 2 (Easy & Moderate)

For more information on our trip gradings please visit the Activity Level Guidelines page. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip please do not hesitate to contact us.  

It is not a physically demanding adventure, but some journeys are long, rough drives.

This extension starts in Kathmandu on the departure day of your main tour – you will check out from your Kathmandu hotel with the group and then you will transfer directly to Chitwan. For those that wish to, there is the option to take a domestic flight from Kathmandu to Chitwan, as well as from Chitwan to Kathmandu on the departure day (Day 5) which can be booked in advance for a supplement. Please speak to your sales representative for more information.

Your main trip leader will meet you at your hotel in Kathmandu on the last day of the main trip to brief you on the extension transfer arrangements. The leader will not be accompanying you on the extension.

If you are the only person booked onto the extension, a compulsory solo traveller supplement will be added to your booking. This rate is based on single room occupancy so no extra single supplement is required. Should additional passengers book onto the same departure, your solo supplement will be removed and your booking will be based on twin-share rooming. You can choose to upgrade to include the optional single supplement if preferred.

Following a review of all our trips we have categorised this trip as generally not suitable for persons of reduced mobility. However if you are a regular traveller on such trips, please contact customer services to discuss the trip and your personal condition.

Vaccinations and Health

Nepal

There are no required vaccinations. However, recommended vaccinations include tetanus, typhoid, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, cholera, Japanese encephalitis, rabies and tuberculosis. You will also need a yellow fever vaccination certificate if you’re arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever transmission or transiting for more than 12 hours through a country with risk of yellow fever transmission. Some travellers may also need proof of a polio vaccination. Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.

There is little to no risk of malaria in Nepal; therefore, antimalarial tablets are not usually advised although may be considered for certain high-risk groups. You may wish to consult your doctor or travel clinic for further advice.

Additionally, dengue fever and chikungunya are known risks in Nepal. Both are tropical viral diseases spread by daytime biting mosquitoes. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available for either, and therefore the best form of prevention is to avoid being bitten. We recommend you take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites.

Most of our trips to Nepal go to high altitudes where there is a risk of being affected by Acute Mountain Sickness. Our itineraries are designed to enable everyone to acclimatise to these altitudes, but you should be aware that it is still possible for you to be affected. Please refer to the Altitude Warning within the Trip Notes for further advice on AMS.

When trekking at altitude, and particularly in cold weather, there is a higher chance of developing a cough (sometimes referred to here as the Khumbu cough) or cold symptoms. These symptoms could be a result of inhaling cold mountain air or dust (in the Everest region). You can mitigate against picking up coughs and colds by washing your hands with soap and water at available opportunities and using hand sanitiser. Also wear a buff over your neck and mouth when walking at altitude, particularly in colder weather, which will help limit cold, dry air entering your airways and keep your neck and chest warm.

Visa

Nepal

You can obtain your visa in advance or on arrival. The Immigration Department of Nepal has suspended visas on arrival for certain nationalities – please check if this applies to you with your nearest embassy or consulate.

Visa in advance

Apply for this through your local consulate or embassy. Further details on this option can be found here:

• For UK passport holders: https://uk.nepalembassy.gov.np/visa/
• For US passport holders: https://us.nepalembassy.gov.np/tourist-visa/

When applying for your visa in advance, the Nepalese government has an online application system (see links above for more info), but it is currently only accepting payments through Nepalese payment channels. Once the online form is completed, the applicant is required to print out the form and either send it, together with the passport, to the embassy, or attend in person.

Visa on arrival

1. When you arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, there will be three lines. If you have already secured your visa, go straight to the Immigration line. If not:
   Fill in a tourist visa form at the electronic kiosks. After inserting your passport, the machine will automatically fill out an application form, take an electronic photograph of you and print a paper slip. If the machine won’t read your passport, complete the details manually using the touchscreen. We recommend taking a passport photo with you just in case.
   Top tip: This process can be completed through the online immigration portal (click ‘Visa On-Arrival’) within 14-days prior to arrival in Kathmandu, helping you to avoid lengthy queues at the kiosks when you come through immigration – ensure you print and bring the confirmation with you. If you have completed your visa on arrival form in advance, go directly to the visa fees counters with your printed confirmation and skip the kiosk queues.
2. Proceed to the visa fees collection counter and pay the visa fee (in cash, if possible). Make sure to keep the receipt. Card payments are not always possible, so paying in cash is easiest, most currencies are accepted but US dollars are preferred.
3. Go to the relevant immigration desk and present your tourist visa form, payment receipt and passport to obtain your 15-, 30- or 90-day visa stamp. Please check you have been given the correct visa duration.

Food & Drink

All breakfasts, three lunches, and three dinners are included. Allow approximately 3,000-5,000 rupees (US$22-US$38) per day for meals not included in Kathmandu.

Meals in the lodges range from traditional Nepalese food to Chinese and Western dishes. The food is good quality and usually served buffet style. You are provided with safe drinking water on trek and in Chitwan.

Dhal bhat is the staple diet in Nepal and comes in many different forms but generally comprises curried lentil dhal and meat or vegetables, rice, and a pickle/chutney. Another popular snack is momos, a Nepalese dumpling filled with meat or vegetables.

If you have a gluten-free diet, we strongly recommend you bring extra food and snacks with you to supplement the food on trek as there will be little variety available to you, particularly for breakfast. Even many of the soups are from powder/packets and contain gluten.

Drinking water

Staying hydrated is important, particularly in the warmer seasons where it will be hot and humid in the lowlands around Chitwan, on this trip it is generally recommended to carry a 33floz (one litre) water bottle and drink at least 67floz (two litres) per person per day.

However, we strongly encourage you not to buy bottled water as this contributes to the growing problem of plastic pollution in the trekking areas of Nepal.

Exodus has partnered with Water-to-Go, a filtration system that eliminates more than 99.99 percent of all microbiological contaminants from any non-saltwater source – visit Water-to-Go for more information. Exodus customers can claim 15 percent off their first order and, better still, 15 percent of the purchase value will be donated to the Exodus Travels Foundation.

Weather

The main seasons in Nepal is from October to mid‐May when daytime temperatures are generally comfortable, the sky is clear much of the time and rain and snow are occasional occurrences. Daytime temperatures will vary from 15ºC to 35ºC. Different seasons offer different advantages for wildlife watching.

Post Monsoon/Autumn: Mid-September to December: The northerly winds are cool, coming down from the mountains, and this is the best time of the year to see the Great Himalayan Range, the air being particularly clear in November. Daytime temperatures will be up to 32C (90F). Nights will be colder with temperatures dropping to about 10C (50F).

Pre‐monsoon: March to May: Both day and night temperatures will be warmer in general but haze will often build up in the afternoons and there can be humidity and rain. Temperatures rise to 35C (95F). Nights will be a bit cooler, around 12-18C (53-64F).

Please remember that in any area the weather is never wholly predictable and you should be prepared and equipped to deal with any differences in weather beyond the conditions
described above.