What's on in Chitwan (Sauraha), Nepal through the year

Peak crowds — Thatch grass cutting, Maghi, the Tharu New Year

• Season

  Thatch grass cutting

  10–31 Jan · usuallyHarvestCrowded

  For a few days each January the park opens to villagers with permits to cut elephant grass and reed for roofing, and tens of thousands come in on foot and by cart. The Tharu villages mark the start and end of it.

• Festival

  Maghi, the Tharu New Year

  13–16 Jan · usuallyMajor festivalCrowded

  The Tharu villages around the park celebrate their new year on the first of Magh with river baths at dawn, feasts and stick dancing. It is a family festival first, but the Sauraha villages welcome visitors who come respectfully. Source ↗

Still on: Wintering birds (1 Nov – 28 Feb (usually))

Busy — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

• Nature

  Wildlife viewing on short grass

  1 Feb – 15 Apr · usuallyWildlife seasonBook early

  With the tall grass cut and the waterholes shrinking, rhino and deer are visible across the floodplain instead of hidden in it. This is the stretch guides push for, and the Sauraha lodges know it.

Still on: Wintering birds (1 Nov – 28 Feb (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Wildlife viewing on short grass (1 Feb – 15 Apr (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Wildlife viewing on short grass (1 Feb – 15 Apr (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in May.

Quiet — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

• Closure

  Jungle safaris suspended

  15 Jun – 15 Sep · usually

  The park stops jeep safaris, jungle walks and canoeing inside its core once the monsoon sets in, to protect tracks and people as the Rapti rises. Buffer-zone walks and birding carry on, and drives usually resume from mid-September. Source ↗

Quiet — school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Jungle safaris suspended (15 Jun – 15 Sep (usually))

Quiet — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Jungle safaris suspended (15 Jun – 15 Sep (usually))

Busy — Dashain, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Dashain

  20 Sep – 25 Oct · usuallyNational holidayClosuresCrowdedBook early

  Nepal's biggest festival, and its longest public holiday: offices and many shops close for a week or more, and long-distance buses and domestic flights sell out as people travel home. Kites fly and bamboo swings go up, and hotels in holiday spots fill with Nepali families. Source ↗

Still on: Jungle safaris suspended (15 Jun – 15 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — Dashain, Tihar

• Holiday

  Tihar

  15 Oct – 15 Nov · usuallyDiwaliClosures

  The five-day festival of lights comes soon after Dashain: houses are lit with oil lamps and strings of lights, crows, dogs and cows are honoured with garlands, and groups go door to door singing deusi and bhailo at night. The last days are a public holiday and many businesses close. Source ↗

Still on: Dashain (20 Sep – 25 Oct (usually))

Busy — Tihar

• Nature

  Wintering birds

  1 Nov – 28 Feb · usuallyBirdlife season

  Around 160 migrant species drop into the oxbows and grasslands from the north for the cool months, on top of a resident list already among the longest in Nepal. Early morning on the Rapti is the easiest way to see them. Source ↗

Still on: Tihar (15 Oct – 15 Nov (usually))

Busy — Chitwan Elephant Festival, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Chitwan Elephant Festival

  24–31 Dec · usuallyMajor festivalCrowdedBook early

  Sauraha's end-of-year festival brings dozens of working elephants onto the Baghmara ground for races, football and a beauty contest, ending with a feast for the animals. Hotels book out for the week; welfare groups remain critical of the spectacle. Source ↗

Still on: Wintering birds (1 Nov – 28 Feb (usually))