Welcome to the Jungle: In the Search of Rhino

The jungle safari jeep was waiting outside the farmhouse. All fifteen of us hopped onto the jeep. It took two hours to reach the Amaltari Buffer Zone Community. We purchased entrance tickets and started the jungle safari at Gundrahi Dhakaha Community Forest in search of a rhino.

While living in the city, people often dream of wandering through Nepal’s forests in search of rhinos and other wildlife.

In December 2024, my family and in-laws vacationed in Nawalparasi, where my in-laws owned a farmhouse.

The Nagdhunga-Mugling Road Project had announced daily closures from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM during the last week of December. To avoid the blockade, we took our vehicle via Sitapaila—and succeeded. The long route and poor road conditions made the journey feel like a rollercoaster ride. After ten grueling hours, we finally reached Nawalparasi.

Despite the exhausting drive and our empty, aching stomachs, a bonfire and a bottle of Scotch kept the night alive and vibrant.

Our tired bodies craved rest, and we slept deeply. It seemed like rain was falling outside—a sensation I’ve had on many visits to this village. Even when there’s no rain, I always wake up imagining it. Perhaps it’s the sound of water droplets from the trees dripping onto the tin roof.

Our goal was to spot a rhino, and we were all buzzing with excitement. The driver moved slowly, and the guide urged us to stay quiet. Armed with binoculars and phones, we listened as the jungle greeted us with a symphony of sounds—rustling leaves, birds singing as if welcoming us. Our guide, a natural storyteller, briefed us about rhinos. “They’re not easy to find,” he said, “but I’ll do my best for you all.” For the first thirty minutes, we searched like detectives on a mission, scanning every shadow—but aside from a few buffaloes near the jungle’s edge, we saw nothing. Still, no rhino in sight.

“Look—a deer out there!” my wife exclaimed. We all shouted, “Where? Where?”—but the deer darted away.

Moments later, she yelled again, “Look, a peacock!” This time, we scrambled to snap pictures in the brief moment before it vanished.

“Is that a wild boar or something?” she asked, pointing.

Oh—it was a wild boar! Once again, my wife was the one spotting wildlife—showing us deer, wild boars, peacocks, and more, even outdoing our guide.

Soon, we spotted a large bird soaring high above—too distant to identify clearly. But minutes later, we came across the vulture preservation area.

We set out in search of the rhino, eager to witness its majestic presence. Venturing deep into the wilderness, we wove through thick forests, encountering numerous peacocks, exotic birds, and other wild animals. Yet after two hours of searching, the mighty creature remained elusive.

Our guide contacted another tracker for updates. The response sent chills down our spines: not only did he pinpoint the rhino’s location, but he also revealed it had killed a villager just the night before.

Along the way, we spotted a giant elephant—yet the rhino remained elusive. Despite the long journey without finding our target, excitement never dimmed: our eyes widened at the wilderness’ beauty, our spirits soared with shared adventure. The jungle worked its magic, enthralling us even without the promised rhino.

The Rhino Reveal

We saw disappointment on the guide’s face when suddenly my wife shouted, “Look—RHINO, far there!” Our eyes frantically searched where she pointed. Some of us echoed her excitement immediately, while others pretended to spot it too.

After a few minutes’ drive, there it was—a rhinoceros, leisurely grazing on green grass. The rhino lifted its massive head—for one heart-stopping moment, we locked eyes across before it returned to its meal.

We all scrambled to zoom our phone cameras and start snapping pictures, though the rhino remained frustratingly distant. After more than two hours of searching, we’d found our living relic—yet its distance left us oddly unsatisfied.

We watched as a giant elephant approached the rhino, startling it into retreat. The rhino, visibly intimidated, tried to hide in the tall green grass. Just as the two were about to come face-to-face, the rhino suddenly turned and charged in our direction!

Our excitement surged—it seemed the universe was about to compensate for our earlier disappointment.

We watched in silence as it grazed, its massive head rhythmically dipping into the grass. Our guide whispered facts about rhinos: “Poor eyesight, but razor-sharp hearing.”

After ten minutes, the rhino stood directly before us. A pin-drop silence fell as we froze in action – cameras clicking, videos rolling. Then, as suddenly as it came, the rhino ambled away, melting into the foliage like a gray ghost.

Mission Accomplished

The three-hour wait had amplified the thrill. Those hours of searching weren’t just a delay—they were the buildup to a memory we’d carry forever.

The jungle tested our patience and rewarded us with a story etched in golden light.

A family safari isn’t about the animals you see, but the journey you weave together—the laughter over spilled snacks, the whispered debates about shadows in the trees, the collective gasp when nature finally unveils its magic. For us, that magic was a rhino materializing like a myth made flesh, worth every second of the chase.

We all agreed my wife Prathana should become a jungle guide—her sharp eyes had spotted more wildlife than any tracker.

The rhino stood as our crown jewel—a magnificent reward for our patience. But the true treasure glittered in the between moments that we shared wonder that wove us tighter as a family.

The rhino was our shining prize, but the real enchantment bloomed in the spaces between—in the way we huddled over shared snacks, how our whispers formed a secret language with the jungle, how family bonds transformed into something wild and wonderful under the forest.