Chitwan. A Wilderness First Aid training program has been successfully conducted for nature and jungle safari guides working in the Chitwan National Park area, with the aim of enhancing their safety skills and emergency response capacity.
The training was organized under the Sustainable Tourism Project (STP), a joint initiative of the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It was delivered in collaboration with Himalayan Medics and coordinated with the Nature Guide Association, Chitwan National Park.
A total of 24 jungle safari and nature guides from areas surrounding Chitwan National Park participated in the two-day training held on Poush 7–8. The program focused on practical, hands-on learning covering topics such as emergency accidents, wildlife attacks, snake bites, injuries, heat- and cold-related health issues, basic first aid, CPR, and the safe evacuation and transfer of injured persons.
Lead trainer Ajay Narsingh Rana emphasized the importance of immediate response skills for guides working in forests, rivers, and remote areas where medical assistance may not be readily available. “Guides play the first and most critical role in ensuring tourist safety. Trainings like this can make a life-saving difference,” he said.
Chitwan National Park is one of Nepal’s nature and wildlife tourism destinations, attracting hundreds of thousands of domestic and international tourists every year. Highlighting the significance of capacity building, Sustainable Tourism Project Manager Dharma Raj Dawadi stated that enhancing guides’ skills is essential for promoting safe, responsible, and professional tourism in such destinations.
“This training is expected to improve tourist safety while also boosting the professionalism, confidence, and international-standard service quality of local guides,” Dawadi added. He also informed that there are plans to expand similar trainings to other protected areas in the coming days.
