Picnic with pachyderm: enjoy Nepal safari with kids

Traveling with the kids is not a piece of cake, but it is not as impossible as some people tend to believe. It just comes in with certain restrictions that, if fully taken into consideration, one can do a lot of different activities and travels, including an elephant-back safari in Nepal. My wife and I decided to put ourselves to the test, and took our 18-month-old for a vacation in Nepal. Our one-week itinerary to the Asian landlocked republic took off with a visit to the capital. A hit on every backpacker’s list, Kathmandu is a great place to pause, take a break and perhaps meet other fellow intrepid travelers. Thamel is Kathmandu’s tourism epicenter, and is famous for its crowded narrow streets dotted with hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, cafes, as well as shops that sell all sort of souvenirs — from masterfully painted mandalas to traditional Gurkha’s daggers. As a first impression, this place doesn’t look that kid-friendly, but wait until you dive in. Maximizing on the space they have got, a good number of hotels and guesthouses resorted to have their gardens built on rooftops. It was there where the little one enjoyed his time, while his mother and I went sightseeing in the city’s most famous Durbar Square — one of the seven groups of monuments that make up Kathmandu Valley world heritage site. Going from one city where we live to another city for vacation, is not that great of an idea, especially if you are dragging the kids along. As we wanted to see new places and experience new things, we wasted no time in Kathmandu. In less than 48 hours, we were packing once again and off we were to Chitwan National Park, Nepal’s first national park that came to existence back in 1973. Soon after, and in 1984, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Nepal, as country, often draws the perception of high altitude courtesy of the congregation of peaks it engulfs, including the world highest. However, the country’s south falls into the realms of subtropical lowlands where the altitude of river valleys in Chitwan National Park averages 100 meters above sea level. Not having to deal with high altitude was a very important factor for us, traveling parents, and made the travel more hospitable for our young one. Chitwan National Park is one of the last places on earth where you have a good chance to spot a Royal Bengal Tiger and the Asia endemic Great One-horn Rhino — two of the Animal Kingdom’s most beautiful species. Indeed, having your children onboard while heading to see a tiger or a rhino might scare some people off; however, rest assured that the risk involved in was calculated. Though the activities offered include bush walks and game drives, the kids certainly miss out on the walks and stick to the drives. Game drives in Chitwan National Park come in with two options: either using a four-wheel drive, or better off, an elephant. Yes, you have read that one right! In Chitwan National Park, you can go for a safari on elephant-back. And, guess what, the kids just love it. Due to the dense vegetation of some parts of the national park, it has proven more efficient to use elephants rather than SUVs when it comes to safari. It is an extraordinary experience that literally blends you in with nature as you ride an elephant in a lush green environment, miles away from the big city lights, and go from one part of the forest to the other tracking a rhino. The rhino tracking sometime take up to two hours and may involve river crossing. No need to worry, however, as those mahouts (the local guides who train and ride the elephants) are well experienced and know their business quite well. Tigers are much more difficult to spot than rhinos, and sighting one may need a lot of time and certainly a lot of luck. Though the rhino is the highlight of any safari in Chitwan National Park, it is not the only species on offer. There are a couple of antelopes including Chital deer, or rather spotted deer as it is more commonly known as. The one type of deer that resembles the famous cartoon character Bambi will leave your kids giggling with joy once they lay their eyes on one. No visit to Chitwan National Park is deemed complete without participating in the park’s ritualistic elephant bathing. The activity starts with the mahouts taking the elephants out to the river. Once the giant creatures get to the shoreline, they turn into cuddly babies who are super happy to play in the water. They lie so peacefully on their sides and enjoy all the pampering they get from the kids and the parents alike. If you want to tryout something different, get on the back of one elephant and shout “chhop chop,” and the elephant will turn its trunk and shower you with refreshing cold river water. Enjoy the elephant shower. Before you book your ticket Traveling with kids comes in with some preplanning and preparation to do. Here are some tips: • We often correlate wildlife destinations with tropical diseases such as malaria; however, this is not always true. Do a bit of research before you settle on the destination; some great wildlife destinations are malaria-free. • If your itinerary includes remote locations, make sure you pack extra diapers, food jars (if your kid is still on baby food) and a couple of just-in-case medications (like those for mosquito bites, flu and stomachache). • Plan a relaxed itinerary; kids need more time than adults to acclimatize. • Your pediatrician’s mobile number is a must-have; finding a trustworthy medical service in foreign land may prove difficult. How to get there? Both Fly Dubai and Air Arabia fly Kathmandu on daily basis from Dubai and Sharjah respectively. Where to stay? For the unique experience of staying on an island in the middle of a dense forest, Island Jungle Resort is where you should be making your reservation.