As soon as Shuklaphanta becomes a national park, the sight of a herd of deer comes to mind. I had the opportunity to visit Shuklaphanta for the first time ten years ago.
At that time, I had reached the end of May. This time it was April when we reached Shaklaphanta. This was my sixth trip to Shuklaphanta. This time, when I went to Shuklaphanta, I had the opportunity to go with Amar Bahadur Shahi, the visionary of Wildwest Nepal. After the trip to Khaptad with Shahi, there is an opportunity to go to Shuklaphant.
After visiting Khaptad, we passed through Dhangadhi, visited Shivpuri Dham and reached Shuklaphanta Jungle Cottage near Shuklaphanta National Park. Arriving at the cottage just before dusk, instead of resting, we went to watch the sunset on the longest suspension bridge in Asia.
The bridge was crowded with people returning home in the evening. After watching the sunset from the Chandni-Dodhara bridge in the evening, we returned to the Shuklaphanta cottage. After reviewing the evening trip to Khaptad, we ate and decided to go for a jungle safari tomorrow morning.
It was about 6 o’clock in the morning. After breakfast, we were ready to go on a jungle safari. Before going on a jungle safari, guide Kum Thakur gave us information about what to do and what not to do in the jungle.
He also suggested measures to be taken in case of sudden arrival of wild animals in the forest. After listening to the guide Thakur Bhai, we took two jeeps from there to Ramana for Shuklaphant National Park.
For the first time in my life, I saw a herd of deer. In Shuklaphanta, I have had the opportunity to see tigers, bandels, deer and peacocks directly at a distance of a few meters. So it seems that Shuklaphanta is an open museum of animals.
When it first arrived, it was called Shuklaphant Wildlife Sanctuary, but now it has become a national park.
While we were riding in the jeep, at first we were greeted by a peacock dancing. When the peacocks started dancing, the friends in the jeep wanted to go near the peacock to see the scene. After watching the peacock dance for some time, we headed towards the field to observe the rhinoceros.
After a jeep safari for some time, we saw various groups of scorpions scattered. Earlier, I had the opportunity to observe a herd of rhinos, tigers, foxes and other animals. This time I got a chance to watch Peacock dance.
When the peacocks danced in a wave, the sight was seen in front of the eyes. Suman Pokharel, who was riding in the jeep, said, “This scene is no less than the world of wildlife seen on foreign television channels.”
He was saying that watching on TV and watching a peacock dance live in front of his eyes was a very different experience. Accompanying guide Kum Thakur said, “The fields in this park are among the largest in Asia.”
The day we return to Karmathal after the jungle safari. We finished the jungle safari and returned to the cottage at 1 pm. After spending some time in the cottage, we headed to Captain Bede Upreti’s Aviation Museum.
Outside the museum premises in Kanchanpur, we saw the Statue of Siddhanathababa, swimming pool, nine streams, helicopters, aerial photographs of tourist destinations in the far west. Inside the museum we looked at the ups and downs, the 3D and the illusion sections.
The museum is said to be especially important for the youth as it is important from a religious point of view. After spending some time in the museum, we headed towards Dhangadhi Airport.
Such is the facility
Targeting visitors, Parmananda Bhandari operates Shuklaphanta Jungle Cottage, Shukla Junga Tented Camp of ornithologist Hemsagar Baral and community homestay of Rana Tharu community in Shuklaphanta area. Mahendranagar Bazaar, located at a distance of 7 km from Shuklaphanta, has around one and a half dozen hotels with tourist facilities.
Characteristic of Shuklaphanta
Shuklaphanta was established as a hunting reserve in 2026 BS for the entertainment of kings and emperors. It became a wildlife reserve in 2033 BS and turned into a park in 2073 BS.
The 305 sq km park is located on the border of Kanchanpur district and south-west India. It is famous for Nikunj Barhasinge. There are 2,301 rhinos in the park, according to the park.
Similarly, there are 25 wild elephants, 16 one-horned rhinos and tigers. Most of the Nikunj is covered with sal forest. Sisau and Khayar forests and grasslands are its specialty. Mammals such as wild elephants, tigers, leopards, horseshoes, rhinoceroses, rhinoceroses, chitals and laguna are the major wildlife of the park. Crocodile crocodiles abound in Rani Lake and other small lakes. More than 424 native and migratory birds are found.
How to reach?
Air travel from Kathmandu to Dhangadhi. Then you can reach Shuklaphanta in two hours by jeep. It is a 24-hour public bus ride from Kathmandu.
