Avoid strong perfumes: rhinos compensate for their poor eyesight by a highly developed sense of smell and if one in your vicinity perceives danger it is liable to charge towards the source of the scent.

A camera is a must, but film (mostly 35 mm) is available in Sauraha.

Carry a pair of binoculars.

On an elephant safari, wear footwear with straps that fit snugly, so they do not slip off. Wear trousers or clothing that covers your legs. They are essential covering against brambles, elephant grass and bamboo, which can inflict cuts.

All elephants in Chitwan seat four. Try and sit at the front. The mahout generally holds up the brambles just long enough so that it doesn’t hit those sitting on the two seats ahead. The two behind are not so lucky.

Flora and fauna are fully protected and must not be disturbed.

Do not purchase animal or plant products.

Respect religious and cultural sites.

Do not litter.

Entry into the park is not permitted between sunset and sunrise.

The park entrance ticket costs Rs 500 for foreigners, Rs 200 for visitors from SAARC countries, and Rs 20 for Nepalis. Park entry permits are valid for two consecutive days, which tends to dictate the length of most travellers’ stay. Package trips to Chitwan cost marginally more than going it alone. A package will also mean -- if-it’s-7am-it-must-be-time-for-the-elephant-safari programme of activities. You can’t choose your guide, the meals are fixed and you will be bound by the lodge diktats. On the other hand, every little thing is taken care of and if you just want to ‘do’ Chitwan, it is the easier option. A planned itinerary also offers a certain amount of security in terms of confirmed bookings. Obviously, the big attraction here is the rhino and you may need more than the allotted days to spot one. We suggest you keep a flexible schedule.

Go with realistic expectations. You may be lucky enough to spot the elusive rhino in the wilderness, or you may go back disappointed. But there is much more to Chitwan than rhino spotting. There are elephant rides, jeep tours, canoe trips and the unadulterated pleasure of walking on unpaved paths that trail past Tharu villages and luxuriant, teeming forest.

Chitwan was always a favourite with the Rana Prime Ministers of Nepal and from the late 18th century it became their private hunting reserve. Large hunting groups would leave for Chitwan and after a few weeks of stalking and shooting for leisure, return to Kathmandu with evidence of their blood lust. The newly stuffed trophies from their expedition would adorn Kathmandu’s palace walls.

Visiting dignitaries included European royalty and Viceroys of India, but they rarely went beyond Chitwan. Accompanied by Nepali royalty, massive hunting parties were organised. There would be a continuous line of beaters driving the game to wholesale slaughter. In his first year as monarch, King George V led a party to Chitwan in 1911. That was 35 years after his father’s visit to the place, the second British royal to visit Nepal. The king’s party is said to have shot 37 tigers and eight rhinos. In 1921, Edward, Prince of Wales (Edward VII) on a trip to Chitwan with his group, shot 18 tigers and eight rhinos. The Maharajah of Nepal and his guests, meanwhile, shot 433 tigers and three rhinos in the period 1933-40. King Mahendra, the father of King Gyanendra, was also a keen Chitwan hunter and died in Narayanghat following a heart attack during one expedition.

The overthrow of the Ranas in 1950 effectively opened Chitwan to immigration, which was then facilitated by the malaria eradication efforts of during the period 1954 to 1960 (the disease was officially declared eradicated in 1960). From 1950 to 1960, the population of Chitwan District nearly tripled. The spreading settlements caused the disappearance of almost two-thirds of Chitwan's forests during the decade, and numerous wildlife species were almost eliminated through hunting and habitat destruction. The rhino was hunted especially intensively for its enormously valuable horn.

The first modern conservation effort in Chitwan was the formation in the late 1950s of a 130-man Gaida Gasti (Gaida means rhino, Gasti means patrol) to protect the rhino, an effort that met with limited success. Protected areas were first formally recommended by the British naturalist E P Gee in 1959. In 1963 Gee resurveyed Chitwan and recommended that the existing Park be extended south of the Rapti to include rhino habitat still existing there. In 1964, the Land Commission subsequently resettled 22,000 people from these areas to other locations in the valley. In 1964, His late Majesty King Mahendra created a Rhino Sanctuary south of the Rapti. The King also approved the establishment of the Royal Chitwan National Park south of the Rapti (except for the Park gate area near Sauraha, which is north of the Rapti). In 1971, Park boundaries were delineated to include an area of 546 square kilometres, and development of Park facilities begun.

In 1973, official gazetting was accomplished by HM the Late King Birendra, making RCNP the first national park in Nepal.

In 1978-9, the Park was enlarged to 932 square kilometres and a gharial (gavialis gangeticus) hatching and rearing center established, both with the assistance of the Frankfurt Zoological Society. As a result of the enlargement, Padampur Panchayat, south of the Rapti and previously on the eastern edge of the Park, was completely surrounded by Park Land and river, making it an isolated enclave of settlements and agricultural land.

In `80s, the King Mahendra Conservation Trust, a quasi-autonomous body that takes a leading role in environmental activities in Nepal, including participation in continuing programs at the Nepal Tiger Ecology Project facility was established.

In the 1980's, RCNP was enlisted as a UNESCO World Heritage Natural Site. As of now, the Nepal protected areas system had grown to 11 areas covering 11,000 sq km or 7% of the country's area: six national parks, four wildlife reserves and one hunting reserve.