Running with rhinos

Smithy and I signed up for Intrepid's Kathmandu to Delhi trip last month, which was a whole lot of fun and I hope to share more anecdotes here. One of the early highlights of the trip, was the 3-day stay at Nepal's Chitwan National Park, where we hoped to spot a rhino or two. The adventure began with a 2-hour trip down the Rapti River in a dugout canoe, that had no wriggle room at all. Almost as soon as my bottom hit the 2-inch high seat, my right knee seized up and got progressively more painful as the trip went on. Bird and alligator spotting provided some distraction from my discomfort, and I was mightily relieved when the canoe beached and we all scrambled ashore for our jungle walk to Ghatgai.

Our guides, Ram and Lascar, led us along trails that wound through the lush jungle, pointing out spotted deer bounding away from us and the occasional bird. Eventually, we arrived at a spot along the river that rhinoceros apparently favour, and Lascar decided we should have lunch and wait awhile to see if any turned up. We spent a couple of hours whispering to each other, watching beetles, butterflies and various other insect life, and catnapping under the canopy before Lascar decided no rhinos were coming and led us off into the jungle once more.

After another hour or so of ambling along the trails, Lascar suddenly hissed, "Quick, come this way!" and leapt off the path and ran, crashing, through the undergrowth. What had he seen? Was it a rhino? Excitedly, we all raced after him, tripping over and plunging through bushes and vines. All of a sudden, an elephant emerged from the trees, then another and another. They each had people, tourists, atop who looked very surprised to find eight or nine scruffy hikers running alongside them.
"There it is! There it is!" someone called out, pointing off to the left. We all stopped and peered into the greenery, straining for a glimpse of the elusive rhino. Then, there it was. It stood about 20 metres away, swinging its head from side to side, taking in the elephants and then looking straight at our small group of trembling travellers. Remembering our guides instructions to climb a tree if a rhino came towards us, Smithy promptly leapt behind the nearest, and only, tree. The rest of us stood stock still, holding our collective breath as the rhino assessed the situation then turned and disappeared into the jungle.

"Come on," Lascar waved us all forward once more and we raced after it, just in time to see it plunge into the river, and escape to the safety of the far bank.

The following day, we went on an elephant safari of our own and encountered another rhino, this one with a calf. Neither of them showed the slightest bit of interest in the six elephants that circled them, and totally ignored the tourists onboard busily clicking away with their cameras, as they calmly grazed. Exciting as it was to see these rare and wonderfully ugly animals in such close proximity from the safety of an elephant's back, it couldn't beat the exhilaration of the previous day's pursuit through the jungle. That was one unforgettable experience!