19th Chitwan Elephant and Tourism Festival 2082 Set to Celebrate Conservation, Culture, and Coexistence

Chitwan is once again preparing to welcome visitors from across Nepal and around the world as the 19th Chitwan Elephant and Tourism Festival 2082 is set to take place from Poush 11 to 13 (December 26 to 28, 2025) in the heart of Sauraha. Nestled alongside the world-renowned Chitwan National Park, Nepal’s first national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the festival promises a vibrant celebration of tourism, biodiversity, culture, and harmonious coexistence between humans and wildlife.

Organized under the guardianship of Ratnanagar Municipality, the festival is being hosted by the Regional Hotel Association Nepal, Chitwan, with United Elephant Operation Cooperative Ltd. and the Restaurant and Bar Association Nepal as co-organizers. The grand event will be officially inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Bagmati Province, Honorable Indra Bahadur Baniya, highlighting its national significance.

With a legacy spanning nearly five decades of tourism development in Chitwan and over two decades of continuous festival organization since 2055 BS, the Chitwan Elephant and Tourism Festival has played a vital role in establishing Sauraha as Nepal’s biodiversity and wildlife tourism capital. Over the years, the festival has significantly boosted tourist arrivals, contributing to an annual increase of 25 to 30 percent in visitor numbers during the event period, while also promoting Chitwan’s tourism destinations on the global stage.

A defining feature of the festival is its strong commitment to animal welfare and responsible tourism. Organizers have reaffirmed that all activities involving elephants strictly follow established ethical standards, ensuring that no cruel or harmful practices are used. Elephants, deeply connected to Nepal’s culture, religion, and tourism, are treated with care and respect. In coordination with Chitwan National Park, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, the Nepal Tourism Board, and professional veterinarians, strict guidelines have been implemented. The use of sharp or harmful tools is strictly prohibited, all elephants undergo veterinary checkups before and after events, and only trained and qualified mahouts who care for the elephants daily are allowed to participate. Festival activities are designed not as competitions, but as creative expressions focused on harmony, tradition, coordination, and goodwill between humans and animals.

The festival venue will be located at Ratnanagar Ward No. 7, within the open grounds of the Baghmara Buffer Zone Community Forest. Approximately 80 elephants will take part in the three-day event, which is widely regarded as a living example of human-wildlife coexistence, balancing tradition, livelihoods, and conservation.

Festival highlights include a grand elephant procession, cultural tableaux representing diverse ethnic communities, and a unique elephant decoration program where mahouts adorn elephants live using chalk sketches. One of the most anticipated attractions is the Elephant Banquet, where distinguished guests personally feed their representative elephants. Additional activities include elephant health camps, educational sessions on elephant daily routines, municipality-level boat racing competitions, elephant-friendly games, and safari experiences such as elephant safari, jeep safari, canoeing, and guided jungle walks for invited guests.

The festival also places strong emphasis on knowledge-sharing and sustainability. Business-to-business interaction programs will be organized to discuss tourism opportunities and challenges in Chitwan, involving prominent personalities and domestic and international travel agencies. Live art competitions, school-level speech contests, and audiovisual message production will focus on human-wildlife coexistence, eco-tourism, and the importance of elephants in conservation. Cultural performances by artists, promotion of women entrepreneurs, and marketing of local agricultural products further enhance the festival’s community impact.

In line with environmental responsibility, the event will promote digital outreach and feature eco-friendly stalls and stages built using nature-friendly materials. The festival also celebrates Chitwan’s rich multi-ethnic, multilingual, and cultural heritage, reinforcing preservation for future generations.

To encourage tourism, member hotels and restaurants of the Regional Hotel Association Nepal and REBAN Sauraha will offer a 10 percent discount on food and accommodation throughout the festival period.

The organizers have expressed deep gratitude to all three tiers of government, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Bagmati Province, the Nepal Tourism Board, the Tourism Office Sauraha, Hotel Association Nepal, Chitwan National Park, and media partners for their invaluable support. They have also made a heartfelt appeal to national and local media outlets to continue disseminating information about the festival until its conclusion and to actively participate in making the 19th Chitwan Elephant and Tourism Festival 2082 a grand success.

With its blend of conservation, culture, adventure, and community, the Chitwan Elephant and Tourism Festival once again invites the world to experience Nepal’s unique model of sustainable tourism and human-wildlife harmony.