Mahato showed me to my simply decorated room, complete with Western-style bathroom and air conditioning. When I asked, she explained that, like all members of the homestay network, she receives 80% of the fee (£50/$66 full board per night), with the remainder going into a community fund. “In Barauli, it’s been used to pay for an English teacher at the local school; this will help all our children lead better lives,” she said. The community benefits in other ways too: villagers earn extra income by supplying produce for guests’ meals or offering activities such as henna art classes and guided mountain bike rides.
I opted for a half-day 4×4 safari, and the next morning, after a breakfast of chilli-spiced omelette and dhikri (steamed rice flour cakes) in the dining room, I set off with farmer-turned- nature guide Sumit Chaudhary.
While dozens of 4x4s regularly enter Chitwan, Sumit told me ours would be one of only two entering the community forests that day. Wildlife crosses from the national park into these forests daily, he explained, despite the natural barrier of the Narayani River.
Simon UrwinWithin minutes, we saw troops of macaques and langur monkeys scattering through the tree branches. Then, the warning cry of a spotted deer alerted its herd – and us – to the presence of one of the region’s star attractions: a Bengal tiger. We later crossed paths with wild boars, barasinghas, junglefowl, peacocks, hornbills and storks.
