Nepal established Chitwan National Park as its first national park in 1973.
Chitwan National Park lies in Nepal’s southern Terai region and was originally called Royal Chitwan National Park. It protects forests, grasslands and river habitats that support species including greater one-horned rhinoceroses, Bengal tigers, wild elephants, gharials and mugger crocodiles.
The park became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. Its creation helped formalize conservation in an area where wildlife had previously faced intense pressure from hunting, habitat loss and settlement. Chitwan’s floodplains and sal forests now form one of Nepal’s best-known wildlife destinations.
The park is part of the larger Chitwan conservation landscape, and the adjacent Parsa and Valmiki protected areas contribute to regional habitat connectivity. Chitwan should not be confused with Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal’s other famous UNESCO site, which protects Mount Everest and high Himalayan terrain.