Welcome To Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge

Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge, situated 75 miles south west of Kathmandu, at an elevation of 450 feet above sea level, is in the heart of Royal Chitwan National Park, a 500 square miles area of tall grassland and magnificent forests and wetlands.All the double rooms, many in tree-houses or private bungalows, are attractively furnished with solar shower, fan and lighting.The Gol Ghar (Round House) forms the centre of the lodge and contains the dining hall and lounge area. With its huge domed roof and central open hearth it will be your special place for relaxation. Nepalese and Western cuisineis served and a fully stocked bar is open till the last guest retires to bed.

Activities at the Lodge and Tented Camp include safaris on elephant and by river boat, jungle walks, birdwatching excursions, and expeditions by Landrover. Our renowned naturalists, (some of whom have over 30 years' experience), will introduce you to the fantastic array of flora and fauna in the Park. (They will be at hand all times to answer your questions.) The wildlife of Chitwan includes the endangered Greater One Horned rhinoceros, several species of deer, sloth bear, wild boar, fresh water dolphin, the marsh mugger and gharial crocodiles, over 450 species of birds, leopards and the elusive, Royal Bengal tiger.

Established in the early 60s in the lush sub-tropical jungles of the Terai of Nepal for wildlife enthusiasts, Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge is the pioneer wildlife safari lodge of Nepal and Asia . Tiger Tops is located in the heart of Nepal ’s premier Royal Chitwan National Park ; a world heritage site and provides sensible comfort and skilled staff to ensure the finest wildlife safaris in Asia today . Chitwan is one of Asia ’s richest and most spectacular wildlife sanctuaries and in 2003 iExplore, rated this park as one of the best “Wildlife Safari Destinations of the World”.

Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge (TTJL), in common with the entire Tiger Mountain Group, practices environmentally responsible and sustainable conservation tourism. Our lodges and camps are used as models throughout Asia . Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge’s famous tree houses and bungalows are built with sustainable natural materials. The lodge has twenty guest rooms with double, single and triple bed options available. Each room has solar powered reading lamps, ceiling fans, attached modern bathrooms equipped with solar-heated showers. The Lodge’s photovoltaic solar power plant is the largest in Nepal.

A feature of the lodge is the circular Dining Hall and Bar called a Gol Ghar with its huge domed roof and central open hearth; a special place to relax with friends and discuss the day’s adventures and wildlife seen. The lodge has a reputed kitchen that serves a range of western and Nepali cuisine utilizing fresh organic food supplies, some from Tiger Mountain Organic Farms – the company’s organic demonstration and development farms are located just outside the park at Meghauli and adjacent toTiger Tops Tharu Lodge. All meals, tea, coffee, hot chocolate and light snacks are included in the rate. Special menus are available for children, those with special dietary needs and the kitchen can also supply a range of Japanese dishes on request. The fully stocked bar will provide international cocktails and a range of special local ones such as the renowned Tiger Tops Special. A selection of wines is also available. Each evening a range of complimentary snacks and nibbles are provided to go with evening drinks before dinner. The bar remains open until the last guest retires.

As the focus of the Lodge is wildlife safaris, you can expect the finest naturalists and guides available in Nepal. Unlike any other lodge in Chitwan, all Tiger Tops’ naturalists have passed a rigorous examination and have more individual years’ experience than the combined expertise of many other organizations. With highly trained elephants, environmentally cared-for vehicles and safe river boats, safaris can cover the surrounding jungles in search of Chitwan’s wildlife – the Royal Bengal Tiger, Asian One-horned Rhinoceros, Indian bison – known as Gaur in Nepal – Sloth Bear, Leopard, Golden backed Jackal, four deer species and a wealth of bird life. One of the highlights of a visit to Tiger Tops is a jungle walk with an expert naturalist to spot rare birds and learn the diverse uses of local plants for medical and culinary purposes.

Apart from being a tourism organization, Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge is also the initiator of “Responsible” or “Sustainable Tourism” in Nepal long before Ecotourism became a buzzword. Tiger Tops, in association with the UK charity International Trust for Nature Conservation (ITNC), conducts a range of research programmes and data collection, making this available to national authorities, individual researchers and other charities. The lodge has been recognized internationally as a leader in anti-poaching, wildlife crime and conservation activities.

Tiger Tops, although located in the remote jungle, employs many local staff and is honoured to have been part of the community for over 40 years. The Lodge organizes and supports a range of community programmes, education, rural health, family planning and other activities to enhance rural livelihoods and sustainability of the community.

Nothing can quite capture the mystical experience of travelling through the primeval grasslands of Chitwan atop an elephant that is rumbling its suspicions that a tiger is on the prowl in the first light of day. Come and experience this magic with Nepal ’s leading conservation organisation supported through tourism.

Tiger Sightings
Tiger Sighting at Tiger Tops (Jan-May 2008)
Between January and May, Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge had fifty-seven guest tiger sightings. Some guests saw up to three tigers at one time although we count that as a single sighting. The highest number of sightings was in May when nineteen were seen—every other day. Tiger Tops Tented Camp guests saw one or more tiger thirty-eight times between January and May. The highest was in March when thirteen were spotted. Sightings were divided between elephant safaris and jungle drives with a weighting towards safaris this season. Four sightings were from the camp itself and a couple while on jungle walks –- the ultimate sighting!

Tiger & Leopard Sightings Sept. 2006 - Dec. 2007
Between September 2006 and May 2007, guests from the Jungle Lodge in Chitwan spotted a tiger 47 times while there were 7 leopard sightings in the same period. From October 2006 to May 2007 guests from the Tented Camp spotted a tiger 33 times while there were 3 leopard sightings. Between September 2007 and December 2007, there were 17 tiger sightings by guests from the Jungle Lodge. Meanwhile guests from the Tented Camp reported 10 tiger sightings between October 2007 and 11th December 2007.

Tiger Mountain Charities

As part of its commitment to sustainable and environmentally responsible conservation tourism, all Tiger Mountain properties value tourism with a conscience.

There are a range of charitable organisations supported by the group as well as projects run directly by various Tiger Mountain Properties. These are all projects identified by the community and tend to focus on health, education and the environment. Tiger Mountain provides administrative and logistic support as well as funding and gratefully acknowledges the magnificent support of our many guests from around the world who have assisted in so many projects. There are too many supporters to enumerate here but we are immensely indebted to them all for their commitment to the development of Nepal.

• Projects at Tiger Tops Tharu Lodge
• Projects at Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge
• Projects at The International Trust for Nature Conservation

Charities, Community & Social Projects

• Charities, Community & Social Projects administered by Tharu Lodge
• Tiger Tops Tharu Lodge Village Clinic
• Tiger Tops Swissair Pre-School
• TTSA School Library Programme
• TTSA School Tree Nursery Project
• Jatropha Bio-diesel Project
• Snowball Goat-breeding Project
• Duff Kennedy Scholarship Fund
• Provision of salaries for Bote and Tharu community teachers
• Provision of salary for Mushyar village teacher and tutor
• Mushyar Children's Garden Project
• Dhajaha Flood Relief Project
• Construction of subsidised foot pumps for villagers, installation of hand pumps and related irrigation projects
• Agricultural & Vocational Training programmes
• Women's Literacy & Empowerment
• Assistance to Buffer Zone, National Park
• Road/bridge building
• Recycling programme
   

All double rooms at the Lodge are attractively furnished and each room has solar powered reading lamps and ceiling fans, with solar heated showers in the attached bathroom. Nepalese and Western cuisine is served in the central dining hall with its huge domed roof and central open fireplace. A fully stocked bar is open until the last guest retires.

Activities at the Lodge include wildlife viewing from elephant back, jungle walks, bird-watching, land rover drives, river safaris, elephant camp visits, wildlife viewing and photographing from machans (blinds). Every evening a slide show explains more fully about the flora and fauna of the National Park. All wildlife activities are escorted by experienced naturalists.

Wildlife in Chitwan includes the greater one-horned rhinoceros, spotted deer, hog deer, sambar deer and barking deer as well as a wide variety of birdlife. With a bit of luck, there are always the chance of glimpsing the leopard, sloth bear and Royal Bengal tiger.

Rustic Lodge with tree-houses and private bungalows, solar heated showers, dining hall and lounge; located 75 miles from Kathmandu.

FOOD AND DRINKS
The Resort restaurant offers both Nepalese, Continental, Indian and Chinese cuisine, hygienically prepared with concern for your health. Our bar offers a wide variety of imported and local liquors, beers, soft drinks and exotic cocktails.

CLOTHING
Located just outside the tropics, the days in Chitwan are generally warm for most of the year and require only light clothing. However, from November to February the early mornings and evenings can be very chilly, requiring a warm sweater or jacket. Early morning elephant rides can be particularly cold before the sun rises and warms the air enough to dispel the damp morning mist.

Light weight, loose-fitting trousers and long-sleeved shirts are recommended for elephant riding as they give protection from cuts and scratches while moving through the tall grass and forests. Canvas shoes or lightweight boots are ideal for walking or elephant riding as they give protection from thorny vines, insects and prickles. Bright colors are very conspicuous in the jungle and we advise that you wear neutral-colored clothing. A sunhat or light neck scarf and suncream are necessary for preventing sunburn and perhaps insect repellent for use out of doors in the evening. You may wish to bring a swim suit for a dip in the swimming pool in our grounds.

ACTIVITIES
At Machan Wildlife Resort, a team of expert naturalists has been formed under the leadership of Dr. Charles Ramble, an anthropologist and naturalist with wide experience of Nepal. They will share their knowledge of the jungle’s flora and fauna as they guide you on elephant back and in Landrovers, on nature walks and bird-watching excursions Canoeing is done in traditional dugout canoes which will give you a tranquil crocodile’s-eye view of the jungle, and a few miles drive upstream to the villages of the Danwar tribal community will allow you a glimpse into the lives of the jungle dwellers of Nepal.

When the spirit of the explorer-adventurers is strongest, we will trek with you into the dense forests of the Churia hills, the last domain in Chitwan where wild elephants still roam. Hidden in this remote region are the remains of ancient settlements that the jungle has reclaimed. To appreciate Tiger Tops fully we recommend a visit of not less than 3 days.

Hotel Details

• 28 Rooms
• 2 Floors Built in 1965 Laundry
• Dry Cleaning Service
• Complementary Coffee
• Gift Shop
• Room Service

 Room Amenities

• Refrigerator
• Non-Smoking Rooms
• Daily Maid Service
• Balcony / Terrace

TEMPLES AND TIGERS (6DAYS)
(3NIGHTS KATHMANDU + 2NIGHTS TIGER TOPS JUNGLE LODGE, CHITWAN)

DAY 01: Arrive Kathmandu. Upon arrival, meet, assist and transfer to hotel. Remaining day at leisure. Overnight stay at the hotel.
 
DAY 02: AM: Sightseeing tour of Kathmandu City and Swayambhunath.
 PM: Sightseeing tour of Pashupatinath, Boudhanath and Bhaktapur City. Overnight stay at the hotel.
 
DAY 03: Transfer to airport. Fly Kathmandu/Meghauly. Transfer to Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge. Jungle activities. Overnight stay at the lodge.
 
Day 04: Full day jungle activities. Overnight stay at the lodge.
 
Day 05: After breakfast and early morning activities, transfer to airport. Fly Meghauly/Kathmandu. Transfer to hotel. Remaining day at leisure. Overnight stay at the hotel.
 
Day 06: Transfer to airport and onward flight.
 
A Day at Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge
Slept well to the sounds of the jungle and woke with a knock at my door and a cheerful ‘Good Morning Sir’ from one of the Lodge Stewards. It sounded as though it was raining – later a naturalist explained that this was only the sound of the dew collection on the big leaves of the sub-tropical vegetation and dripping off.

I dressed and went to the Gol Ghar, an enormous round hall that serves as Bar, Dining Hall and sitting area, for a cup of tea and some home-made biscuits before setting out on an elephant safari for a couple of hours. Boarding an elephant is easy off a raised verandah construction helped by the friendly staff.

As the sun rose through a light morning mist, we – that’s me and my elephant, her driver and a naturalist – lumbered off into the jungle grasslands. In Chitwan the grass grows to twenty feet so even an elephant at ten feet is dwarfed. I was mesmerised by the sound of the swishing grass and fascinated by the commands the driver gave to the elephant – Ram Kali – to move branches out of the way. Suddenly, the naturalist, Dhan Bahadur, whispered excitedly in my ear ‘Look, rhino…’ There, merging amazingly into the landscape were three pre-historic looking animals grazing in the early light. After getting some photos, we moved on to the edge of some riverine forest where we had sightings of three species of deer – the Spotted Deer are the most beautiful.

Ram Kali began to grumble – a deep belly rumbling we felt more than heard. Gun excitedly explained it was an elephant’s low frequency conversation with her fellow elephants and meant she had picked up the scent of a tiger. The thrill was palpable and the driver, called a Phanit in Nepal, urged Ram Kali forward. We sped – elephants have a turn of foot when needed – through the grassland following a path when, over to our right there was a whistle from another elephant; we swung right and positively raced in the direction of the whistle. Damp grasses swished my face, Dhan was urging Ram Kali forward, the Phanit was driving her with all his wiry might and we emerged in a clearing on a river bank and there, crossing the river was a magnificent, powerful and majestic tiger. He walked through the shallow water, apparently unconcerned at our presence. Cameras clicked, naturalists and elephant drivers were wreathed in beaming smiles, even the elephants seemed to share in the achievement – or perhaps they were just feeling glad to see the tiger moving across the river. Dhan explained later that there is an un-easy stand-off between tiger and elephant as each can injure the other badly.

After a few minutes rest, we moved on – I had lost all sense of time and direction – I was expecting a sense of anti-climax, but no, sightings of wild boar, more deer and even a lone Gaur bull, the largest of the wild cattle, followed. Suddenly, we climbed a bank and were back at Tiger Tops; I looked at my watch to discover we had been out in the jungle for two and a half hours. Dhan, still excited and re-living the tiger sighting, was telling me of his ideas for the rest of the day – but first, Sir, have breakfast. Now, getting off elephants – at the same platform, is trickier as one’s legs seem to turn to jelly! I wobbled off to breakfast my limbs easing as the blood found its way back along its normal routes. The Stewards greeted me with smiles and congratulations on the tiger sighting – some form of jungle drums?

Breakfast – a full-on meal with more than I could manage – was followed by a brief freshen up in my airy room then back to meet a different naturalist, DBC as he was universally known, for a jungle walk. I have to admit to being a keen birder and had mentioned this to Dhan. He recommended DBC as the Lodge’s best bird guide. I was a bit nervous of walking in the jungle but DBC’s quiet reassurance allayed my jitters in a few words as we left the camp. We walked gently up sculpted, forested hills and, with DBC’s amazing eyes, my list of birds sighted grew and grew – I could hardly keep up as DBC whispered the names – common and scientific – to me. He could even mimic calls and told me of his research into the decline of vulture species. We breasted a fine ridge and could survey the plains below – DBC pointed out where we had seen the tiger this morning (he had been on another elephant). In the distance to the north was a barrier of snowy peaks – he showed me Annapurna II, Manaslu and several other famous mountains. After a rest, we walked on seeing a tree scent marked by a tiger, footprints of a sloth bear and I learnt the many uses of various plants by the local people for medicine and food. As on the elephants, time just flew by as we returned back to the lodge in time for lunch.

Lunch – a sumptuous buffet or traditional Nepali curries, rice and dal was ready in the Gol Ghar. Helpful stewards explained the dishes and warned which were spicy. After such a meal, I just wanted to relax and sleep – it was a long time since I had woken at five thirty in the morning. But first there was a visit to the elephant camp to see the elephants at rest and learn more about them. I came away knowing more than I thought possible about these amazing beasts. Their diet, the number of commands they understand and divers other facts.

I laid aside plans for a jungle drive, telling Dhan Bahadur that I would do that tomorrow. Instead I went to the bird blind – a secluded viewing platform overlooking a pond – and, armed with binoculars, a bird guide and a novel promptly dozed off! The heat, buzzing of countless insects, the excitement of the day all took their toll. After a good shower in the evening, I watched the slide show which was informative and gave a real insight into the problems of poaching and how the park officials were battling this with Tiger Tops’ support.

After dinner, I sat with Dhan and we drank local rum while planning tomorrow’s campaign – he had great ideas to take an elephant safari, meet up with a jeep and then do a drive ending up at the crocodile breeding centre. Or, he mused; we could go the other way and float down the Narayani River spotting gharial crocodiles before returning on a long jungle walk. Plans, plans; I asked him to decide for me which he thought best. We opted for the river safari and jungle walk back to the lodge with a picnic lunch en route. That’s for tomorrow, now, more rum.
 

• National park fees : US$ 20.00 per person for the first two nights
• Each additional night : US$  10.00 per perso.
• All the above rates are exclusive of 10 % service charge and 13 % government taxes
• The above rates are subject to change without prior notice.
• All major credit cards are accepted - Visa Card, Master Card and American Express.