Our two night stay at Hotel Parkside covered all our accommodation, transport, food, park fees and activities such as morning canoe safari, forest walks, four hour jeep safari, watching the elephant’s bath time, Tharu cultural performance and the elephant breeding centre. I chose Hotel Parkside because we had been so satisfied with our experience there eight years ago. It was also an opportunity to catch up with Gopal who had been our guide then and impressed us so much.
Hotel Parkside had undergone a refurbishment since our last visit and was rather smarter and more stylish. Our upstairs room was spacious, clean, bright and comfortable with flat screen television and additional seating area on the shared balcony. The bathroom had a hot water shower over a bath tub.
Meals were served in the upstairs, open sided dining room and it was also pleasant sitting there with a cold Gorkha beer. The hotel is set in an attractive garden with a pergola.
We were very satisfied with our wildlife experiences in Chitwan. Our guide Gopal has not lost his eye or his edge for spotting birds and wildlife. He could not have been more attentive or accommodating in making our visit an enjoyable one. As I said eight years ago, I think that even serious birders would be very satisfied with Gopal’s knowledge and expertise. My favourite activity was the early morning canoe ride which both serene and sublime.
