Chitwan Elephant Beauty Pageant Finals & Pokhara Street Festival



Location: Saurha, Chitwan



Starting the journey off at around 7AM in the cold bus park of Kathmandu. Catching the sunrise in Nepal is always a good hobby for the eager individuals who aren’t seduced by their warm bed.
Some common sites that I have passed many times, and here is a list of places that you pass on route to Sauraha.

Kathmandu --> Tribhuvan Rajpath --> Naubise  --> Prithivi Highway --> Prithivi Rajmarga--> Adamghat --> Ghatbesi  --> Purano Malekhu --> Salanghat --> Benighat  --> Bishaltar  -->Muglin  --> Kali- Khola --> Gai Ghat  --> Jugdi  --> Ramnagar --> Narayanghat  --> Bharatpur  --> Sauraha Chowk --> My hotel (Jungle Safari Lodge)



Manakamana Temple, temple with cable cars

Food Services

It was a long frustrating journey as there’s only one route and there was a traffic jam due to one way system. Yet you cannot complain when staring out at the natural beauty in Nepal. Finally we reached the hotel


Kali Khola- one of the most scenic places I have seen




You see elephants walking along the street with you. It’s surprisingly normal and routine for the locals.



Here are some pictures of the sunset in Sauraha, Chitwan. It’s a world heritage sites due to its preservation of the local flora and fauna. It’s also near to the birthplace of Buddha (Lumbini).






Next morning, getting up at 6AM was no problem as the hotel I stayed in provided much more than a comfort, a hot shower and NTV Plus (where I watched a person describe the different swing of a golf club while dozing off).  Waking up in the morning you are the first to see the lines of elephants taking a shit followed by a cheeky grin from the elephant keeper. “Hello, Namaste” Hmm, they still think I’m a foreigner.

Morning in Sauraha

Elephant (left), Elephant shit picker (right)



Tharu Village




Elephant Ride






Elephant Show





Elephant Beauty Pageant



I was here for the elephant beauty pageant finals. How are they judge you may ask? Here are some of the specification that I was informed by the judge.

  • Decorations ( the mix of paints)
  • Nails and thorough cleanliness
  • Discipline ( sit, walk, pick up the trainers sticks)
  • Catwalk
  • Gesturing “Namaste”




  1.    PuspaKali, Trainer: Hamil Darai
  2.   Basantukali, Trainer: Himal Gumal
  3.   SamritiKali, Trainer: Santu Chaudari


They are aged between 9- 14 age. The winner was SamritiKali who performed well beyond expectations. The trainer had a big grin on this face. SamritiKali pictured on the left.





This was followed by Elephant football, I cannot recommend you enough to go there and actually see this event live. Same rules: Throw ball (in this case kick ball), Free kicks, Penalties. Just big elephants and a human sized football. It has been a normal routine for the elephants to step on the ball but everyone was very graceful this year. No football were burst, no harsh tackles only good sports [elephant] ship. This event was bought to you by the encouraging word of Justin Biebers “What do you mean” seemed like they were really motivated in the speech.








Curiously led me to ask SamritiKali’s trainer about elephants. Asian elephants are commonly known as Elephas maximus and the elephants are from India and raised in Nepal from a very early age.

Interview with Mahout (Elephant Rider)  

How long have you been working?
About 13 years.

How old are your elephants?
SamritiKali is 11 years of age.

What are your training methods?
Well, we raise them when they are very young. I’m an appreciate so we have someone who also trains us. So the elephant gets to encounter trains us, and responds to only those voices.

How do you create a natural feel for the elephants?
We feed them strict diet and let them roam plenty of time throughout the day.

How much do they drink and eat?
They eat 150kg of food, they are herbivorous and around 80-200 litres of water per day.

Any dietary requirements?
Millet, Sugarcanes, Nuts. Government elephants can have up to 3 people training them.

How do you get them to trust you?
By my voice, they have been used to it. You know they will look for me if im away for a week or so and some starts getting paranoid if they cannot find me. It’s comforting to know that they show empathy.

How do you know when they sense danger?
They stiffen their ears and stop to focus when there is danger around.

Have you found them to use tools?
Yes, they have use my trainer sticks to scratch places inaccessible to them.

Can they smell water?
They first suck the water in, smell and throw it away. They throw it away if it’s not suitable for them to drink. It’s a method to say its clean drinking water.


Pokhara and Street Festival

Beautiful Pokhara and the tourist capital for many individuals. It gives you a sense of foreign land in your own country. However many people do not endeavour past the tourist trap. However, I did a little beyond Pokhara. It’s refreshing from all the tourists and a heaven for all trekkers who are still up for an adventure after their long treks.

Dhampus and Austalian Base Camp









Pokhara Street Festival












Way up to Peace Pagoda Temple (Japanese Temple)


Tal Barahi Temple
 






The route up to the peace pagoda, Japanese temple is very scenic and peaceful. Make sure you check it out before leaving Pokhara. I took a boat from lakeside (750Rs) then walked all the way to the top of the Japanese Temple.

Morning Sunrise- Sarankot




Till next time.

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