A Tharu village beside the park

The Tharu are one of the oldest communities of the Terai, the lowland belt of southern Nepal. For centuries they lived in forests that malaria kept closed to most outsiders, farming rice, fishing the rivers and gathering from the jungle. When malaria was brought under control in the 1950s and 1960s, settlers arrived from the hills, and many Tharu families lost land. Their villages around western Chitwan still show their distinct building, farming and craft traditions.

We walk or cycle along village tracks between fields of rice, mustard and lentils, with a guide from the community. Traditional houses are built of mud and reed on timber frames, their walls often decorated with painted animals, birds and geometric patterns. Look for the tall clay grain stores, the fish traps woven from bamboo, and the courtyards where women sort grain and make leaf plates. A family may invite you in to see the kitchen and share tea or a snack.

In the evening some lodges host a Tharu stick dance, a fast circle dance performed by village groups. We prefer smaller, quieter encounters, and our visits are arranged with families who are paid directly for their time. Please ask before photographing people or homes, and leave shoes outside if invited in. The visit takes 2 to 3 hours and works well in the late afternoon after a morning safari, when light is soft and families are home from the fields.