Chitwan National Park Closes Lodges within Park Boundaries
At the direction of the Nepal Forest Ministry, Chitwan National Park has forced all 7 lodges located within its boundaries to close because they have been unable to renegotiate a contract that expired on July 16th of this year. Word from a local tour operator, says that the lodges owe the government some tax money and that’s part of why they haven’t been able to negotiate a new contract. Speculation is that until the money is paid, the lodges will remain closed indefinitely.
What’s the effect of this? There are about 87 lodges located just outside of Chitwan National Park that are not affected and they have taken on the clients of the closed lodges. Safaris and tours into the park are still allowed.
The closed lodges include: Tiger Tops, Machan Wildlife Resort, Temple Tiger, Narayan Safari, Gaida Wildlife Camp, Island Jungle Resort, and the Chitwan Jungle Lodge.