Kathmandu, May 24
The number of tourists visiting Chitwan National Park has increased. Although domestic tourists have increased, tourists from SAARC nations and third countries have decreased.
As of mid-April 2026, a total of 226,876 domestic and foreign tourists visited the Chitwan National Park in the current fiscal year (2025/26). Of these, 137,246 were Nepali, 13,992 were from SAARC countries, and 75,638 were from other (third) countries.
Up to the same period last year, total visitor numbers stood at 204,502, meaning this year has seen an increase of 22,374, reaching 226,876.
With two months remaining in the current fiscal year, more tourists have already visited the park than in the entirety of last year. Last year’s full-year total was 231,329.
Last year, 18,933 tourists from SAARC countries and 81,897 from third countries visited the park. In the current year through mid-April 2026, those numbers stand at 13,992 and 75,638, respectively, a drop of 4,941 from SAARC nations and 6,259 from third countries.
However, Nepali tourist numbers have grown. Up to mid-April in the previous fiscal year, 103,672 Nepali tourists visited the park; in the current fiscal year, that figure has risen to 137,246, an increase of 33,574, according to park information officer Abinas Thapamagar.
The months of October/November, January/February, and April/May have seen the highest numbers of Nepali tourists. In April/May 2025, 10,781 Nepali tourists visited; in the same month this year (April/May 2026), that figure jumped to 18,046.
Foreign tourist numbers declined every month compared to last year, except in January and February. Nepali tourist numbers, on the other hand, increased every single month compared to the previous year.
Tourism expert Himmat Puri attributed the rise in Nepali tourists to a growing culture of family travel, improved road infrastructure, and the introduction of a two-day weekend. He suggested the decline in foreign tourists may be linked to the international impact of the Gen-Z movement (protests) in Nepal in August/September 2025, as well as to tensions between Iran and the United States–Israel in the Middle East and the knock-on effects on Gulf countries.
In the past 10 years, the lowest visitor count was recorded in fiscal year 2015/16, with 87,391 tourists, and during the COVID pandemic year 2020/21, with 98,228 visitors.
This year, the Chitwan National Park has collected revenue of NPR 252,748,018 (approximately NPR 25.27 crore). The largest share, 230,550,600, came from ecotourism, according to information officer Thapamagar.
Additionally, revenue from firewood sales amounted to NPR 71,350; from non-timber forest products, NPR 19,531,755; from fines and penalties, 1,071,904; and from other sources, NPR 1,522,405.
Entry fees at the Chitwan National Park are NPR 150 per person for Nepali tourists, NPR 1,000 for SAARC nationals, and NPR 2,000 for other foreign tourists. Jeep safari vehicles are charged NPR 5,000.
The Sauraha area is the most popular entry point into the Chitwan National Park. This year alone, 195,174 tourists entered the park through Sauraha. Visitors come to see the rare one-horned rhinoceros, tigers, bears, elephants, spotted deer, gharial crocodiles, various bird species, flora, and reptiles. Jeep safaris and jungle walks are among the popular activities.
