Entry to Chitwan National Park is paid, and it's steep for foreigners: NRs. 2,000 per person per entry, charged again for every day you go in. The park operates on a dawn-to-dusk pattern — roughly 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM — and walking inside between sunset and sunrise is banned outright.
Chitwan National Park has no official gate schedule, but entry runs roughly 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM every day of the year, with walking inside the park banned between sunset and sunrise. Jeeps leave the Sauraha gate at dawn, around 6:00–7:00 AM, with a second wave mid-afternoon. The monsoon (June–September) disrupts all of this — heavy rain shuts jeep tracks and interrupts Rapti canoe trips.
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| Day | Hours | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Monday–Sunday | Approximately 06:00–18:00 | The park publishes no fixed gate hours; 6 AM–6 PM is the practical window operators and guides describe. Walking inside the park is prohibited between sunset and sunrise. Morning jeep safaris depart 6:00–7:00 AM, so arrange permits through your lodge the evening before. Gate permit counters operate roughly 10:00 AM–5:00 PM. |
The park itself stays open every day, including Nepali public holidays — the gates don't close for festivals. The permit desk at the Tourist Service Center in Bhrikutimandap, Kathmandu, is the exception: it runs about 9 AM–5 PM and closes on Saturdays and public holidays, so buy in advance if you'll need a permit on those days. The real seasonal closure pressure is the June–September monsoon, when flooding and washed-out tracks restrict safaris rather than formally closing the park. December–January mornings start near 8°C, so dawn departures run cold — pack layers.
Entry to Chitwan National Park costs NPR 2,000 per person per day for foreign visitors, NPR 1,000 for SAARC nationals and NPR 150 for Nepali citizens, with children under 10 free. The permit is charged per entry, so each new day inside the park means a new fee — and it doesn't cover safaris, which are priced separately.
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| Category | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign national (adult) | NPR 2,000 (~$15) | Per person, per entry/per day. Passport copy required. |
| SAARC national | NPR 1,000 (~$7.50) | Per person, per entry/per day. Proof of SAARC nationality required. |
| Nepali citizen | NPR 150 | Per person, per entry/per day. Citizenship certificate, passport or national ID required. |
| Child (under 10) | Free | Bring a passport or ID to prove age. |
| Jeep 'jungle drive' permit | NPR 5,000 per jeep (NPR 3,000 per car) | Charged on top of entry tickets, per the park's citizen charter. |
| Shared jeep safari contribution | NPR 1,250–1,900 per person | Half-day shared safari, roughly 4–5 hours. Full-day private packages with canoeing and a jungle walk run from about US$220 per person. |
| Licensed guide contribution | NPR 1,000–1,500 per person | Mandatory for core-zone activities; arranged through your lodge or a registered operator. |
| Rapti River canoe ride | NPR 1,000–1,500 per person | 1–2 hours by dugout canoe; best in the dry season when the water is calm. |
No regular free entry days, but children under 10 always enter free, and several of the area's best experiences — the Tharu cultural villages, the Sauraha visitor center and sunset on the Rapti riverbanks — cost nothing.
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View All ToursOctober to March is the best time to visit Chitwan National Park: the weather is cool and dry (daytime highs of 21–29°C, nights around 8°C in December), tracks are passable, and short post-monsoon grass plus animals crowding waterholes makes wildlife viewing peak. The trade-off is that October–February is high season, with crowds and safari and hotel prices running 20–30% higher — especially over Christmas and New Year.
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| Period | Crowd Level | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Early morning (06:00–09:00) | Low | Dawn jeep safaris leave the Sauraha gate around 6:00–7:00 AM, when rhinos graze the Rapti river flats and tigers are most likely near waterholes — this is the slot to book, so arrange permits through your lodge the evening before. |
| Mid-morning (09:00–11:00) | Moderate | Permit counters are open and queues move, but the day's best wildlife activity is already over, so this suits late risers doing a canoe trip on calm dry-season water. |
| Midday (11:00–14:00) | Moderate | Heat and quiet animal activity make this a poor safari window — better spent cycling to Beeshazari Tal (bike hire in Sauraha around NPR 500) or sorting permits for tomorrow. |
| Mid-afternoon (14:00–17:00) | High | The second safari departure, with jeeps at the gates and animals reappearing as it cools — a solid choice for families who skipped the dawn start. |
| Evening (17:00–18:00) | Moderate | Safaris wrap up before the park closes to entry around 6:00 PM and walking is prohibited after sunset, so head back for the evening Tharu stick-dance show in Sauraha instead. |
Plan on two nights and three days — the standard Chitwan itinerary, and enough for a jeep safari, a canoe trip and a village walk without rushing. Lodges run the whole schedule, so guided visitors need little more than arrival-day energy; independent travelers should add a day for cycling out to the Beeshazari Tal lakes on their own. One night works, but you'll fit in only one or two activities.
Permits are per person, per day, so a second day inside the park means paying the NRs. 2,000 foreigner entry fee again — kids under 10 get in free. Morning jeep safaris leave between 6:00 and 7:00 AM, so have your lodge or licensed operator sort the paperwork the evening before; processing takes only about 15 minutes, but the Kathmandu permit desk at Bhrikutimandap closes on Saturdays and public holidays.
The dry season gives you cool weather (daytime highs of 21–29°C), passable jeep tracks, and short grass that makes wildlife easier to spot as animals crowd the waterholes. Skip the monsoon entirely — July alone has about 24 rain days, canoe trips on the Rapti get cancelled, and flash floods are a real hazard. April and May work but hit 37°C.
The entry fee doesn't cover safaris: the park charges NPR 5,000 per jeep for the jungle-drive permit, plus a shared jeep runs NPR 1,250–1,900 per person and a guide contribution NPR 1,000–1,500. Many travelers only discover these are separate from their package price at the gate — confirm what's included before you pay. Expect prices 20–30% higher in the October–February peak, especially around Christmas and New Year.
"Chitwan" can mean Sauraha, Bharatpur, Tandi, Ratnanagar or Patihani — stops up to an hour apart — so confirm yours before booking a bus from Kathmandu or Pokhara. The road journey takes 5–7 hours, which rules out a safari the same afternoon. And never schedule a walk inside the park between sunset and sunrise; it's prohibited and genuinely dangerous, with 11 deaths from animal attacks in the district in 2024–25.
Wear khaki or green and long sleeves — bright colors and perfume alert wildlife before you're close enough to see it. December and January mornings drop to about 8°C in an open 4x4, so pack warm layers even though afternoons stay mild. Binoculars earn their space in your bag; a tiger at distance is otherwise just a flicker in the grass.
Foreign visitors pay NRs. 2,000 per person per entry, SAARC nationals NRs. 1,000, and Nepali citizens NRs. 150, while children under 10 get in free. Fees are paid at the park entrance gates or in advance at the Tourist Service Center at Bhrikutimandap in Kathmandu, where processing takes about 15 minutes. This covers entry only — safari costs are separate.
No — the permit is charged per person per entry or per day, so each day inside the park requires a new fee. If you plan to exit and re-enter on the same day, sort out a re-entry arrangement with the park counter or your licensed operator before you leave. That 2N/3D standard itinerary means paying entry at least twice if both days include park activities.
Entry runs roughly 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM daily, and walking inside the park is prohibited between sunset and sunrise. Jeep safaris depart at dawn (around 6:00–7:00 AM) and again mid-afternoon, while permit counters operate roughly 10:00 AM–5:00 PM. Arrange permits through your lodge the evening before if you want a morning safari.
Budget NPR 1,250–1,900 per person for a shared half-day jeep safari (4–5 hours), plus the park's jungle-drive permit of NPR 5,000 per jeep or NPR 3,000 per car, and a guide contribution of NPR 1,000–1,500 per person. A full-day private package with canoeing and a jungle walk runs from about US$220 per person. Full days last 7–10 hours on rough tracks.
Yes — every visit to the core zone requires a park entry permit and a licensed guide arranged through your lodge or a registered operator, usually booked the evening before. Foreign visitors need a passport copy; Nepalis show citizenship, passport, or national ID. Processing at the gate takes about 15 minutes.
Most visitors do 2 nights and 3 days: a Tharu village walk and cultural show on arrival day, a jeep safari plus Rapti canoe ride on day two, and birdwatching before departure on day three. A rushed 1-night stay is possible but limits you to one or two activities. Counting entry, shared jeep, guide, and canoe, activities alone total roughly NPR 5,250–6,900 plus VAT.
Skip October–February if you're watching costs — that's peak season, when safari and hotel prices run 20–30% higher. The best-value window with good conditions is late in the dry season, March, when tracks are passable and crowds thin. Avoid June–September entirely: monsoon rains close jeep tracks, high water interrupts canoe trips, and flash floods are a real risk.
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