ON A TIGER TRAIL IN NEPAL- bY jACK dOYLE

In Nepal, the adventure traveller of any age group is sure to be spoilt for choice.

You can hike the peaks of the Himalayas, paraglide off vertical rock-faces, ride mountain bikes down the biggest mountains in the world and speed down cliff-lined gorges in an inflatable raft, with only a foot-long plastic oar between you and oblivion.

Between the string of colossal peaks along its northern border, and the Indian border to the south at sea level, Nepal practically resembles a 9,000-metre high skateboard ramp, built for intrepid visitors who can't resist a challenge.

Nepal is such a popular destination with Saga, the travel company which has relaxed its rules to carry 40-year olds, providing they are the travelling companions of somebody over 50.

After a comfortable business class flight in to Kathmandu, it was only a short flight due west to Nepal's famous Royal Chitwan National Park.

After a short river crossing, a 4X4 carried us into the Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge and with only a few hours before sunset, we met the creatures that would be both our means of transport and our expert tiger-finding devices.

Towering above our group was Bob, also known as Shamsher Gaj, an elegant Indian elephant: a 27-year-old, nine-and-a-half feet tall, five ton beast to keep us safe from the ferocious Bengal tiger.

The best views of Bengal tigers are to be enjoyed from Bob's back, allegedly. Surely, I assumed, the ancient pachyderm will readily put its enormous tusks between me and the tiger's giant teeth and terrifying claws.

Unfortunately Bob doesn't much relish the prospect of fighting a tiger. Our guide, Danny, standing fearlessly on Bob's lower back, explained that an elephant which smells a tiger will, given half the chance, leg it the other way pronto.

To discourage him, the driver must prod his ears: Left ear, left. Right ear, right. Both ears, forward - easy.

Not that Bob is entirely compliant. His idea of a good day out in the jungle is to eat anything within trunk reach and stamp anything else into the ground.

The vegetation is dense and lush. Thin, tall stalks of elephant grass brush my feet. Exotic birds fly overhead. As we cross the river, running low in the dry season, the sand bank reveals traces of the jungle's inhabitants.

I can see wiggly snake lines, bird feet and crocodile tracks. Then there are paw prints from the sloth bears.

Our guide's advice, if you should find yourself face to face with a sloth, is to whoop, shout and wave your arms to scare them off. The equivalent advice if a tiger comes along: climb a tree.
Then some excitement: tiger tracks! They're as clear as in a children's book. Surely we'll find a tiger now!

But no, three hours later, still without tiger but rather saddle sore from the pursuit, we pack it in for the night and return to our base camp. Tomorrow we will look again.

Calling it base camp probably doesn't do our accommodation justice. At the Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge they do a spectacular job of keeping you comfortable, despite the remoteness and eco-friendly rules.

Its spacious rooms are built from local materials and hot water comes to the en-suite bathrooms twice a day. Nights are cold in Nepal, so the hot water bottle is a nice touch. They serve delicious Nepali food, similar to Indian but prepared with less oil and fewer spices, inside a giant Gol Ghar or round house, heated with a huge fire in the middle.

At our second site, just outside the national park, the risk of danger was virtually zero. There was a swimming pool, a bar, table tennis, and charming rooms made from wicker and elephant dung.

Here you can sample village life, watch the preparation of rice, and walk through fields of dense mustard (used for oil). Tiger Tops has built a school in the village, and inside the park it helps the fight against poachers. Few tourist enterprises can be more accommodating for visitors, more embedded in their local communities and better able to explain the history and culture of a country.

Life in the city is as different from the jungle as it's possible to imagine, apart from the pervasive cold that comes from being at altitude. Kathmandu, Nepal's only real city, hits you like a slap in the face.

The hawkers hawk harder and the beggars beg more than in other similar cities I've visited, perhaps because Nepal is poorer than any of its neighbours. Motorcycles buzz furiously around, and the air is thick with polluted fog.

There's still charm here, though, if you look hard enough. Few can resist the excitement of burrowing for a bargain at the myriad stalls and shops in Thamel, and the temples in the old town are real architectural gems.

Our trip started in Kathmandu, before we flew on to Chitwan. Another option is to extend your stay and fly to Pokhara in the foothills of the Himalayas instead. There the Tiger Tops resort has fantastic views of the mountains, and all the walking and hiking you could want.

Others might prefer to sit on the veranda and enjoy the stunning view while pitying the poor, cold adventurous types hauling themselves up rocky faces or across glaciers in the foothills of the Everest range.

The first unnerving perspective of these mountains came on our early morning flight out of Kathmandu to Chitwan. I saw our wingtips cut through the clouds and the top of the world emerging in a ferocious point alongside us.

Everest is a magnificent, devastating sight. Almost as astounding are the neighbouring mountains and lower ridges. Without doubt the Himalayas are one of the world's great natural sights, a vertical explosion of rock and ice and snow and worth ten times the ticket price.

In some places in Nepal it's simply impossible to avoid danger. People who say you are more likely to die in a car than a plane crash clearly had Kathmandu roads in mind. Danger-lovers hike or drive over the Himalayas from Tibet. The fools.

At Tiger Tops in Chitwan, after a night's solid rest, we're back on the tiger trail. From a short distance away comes the yelp of a deer.

Danny the guide explains that the deer's call is a warning to his friends that they're about to become lunch for a predator. We press on in that direction, the elephant circling the area where the noise came from.

It's quiet and still, apart from Bob's chewing. We come to an opening in the trees and there's a monkey, pointing and gibbering. Ha, ha, the silly monkey, we laugh, and then realise it's pointing at the massive tiger right in front of us!

The tiger is insouciant. It looks up at us, has a think, stretches out a little bit and turns around. The whole encounter only lasted a minute or so but left such a clear impression.

It's a stunning beast. Muscular and proud, fierce and yet completely cool. As we gaze, more than a little awestruck, the tiger prowls powerfully off, silent but deadly.

That evening we toast our tiger-chasing exploits and prepare the lurid tales to tell on our return.
But why bother to spin this one? I was close enough to a tiger to see the detail of its stripes, its piercing glare, and the swish of its mighty tail. And more importantly I was utterly safe.

TRAVEL FACTS
Jack Doyle was a guest of Saga Holidays, which operates 12-night 'In Search of the Royal Bengal Tiger' packages between September and April from £1,699 in 2008/9 with Gulf Air scheduled flights into Kathmandu via Bahrain, with Business Class upgrades from £997 return.

Package incl Saga hassle-free UK travel service, with either door to door chauffeur car service between home and airport (if you live within 75 miles of the airport), or airport parking, or coach travel to departure airport, and connecting flights from UK domestic airports including Aberdeen, Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester, Package also includes excursions and activities; B&B accom, plus six lunches and eight dinners, insurance/cancellation cover.

Single room supplement (per person, per tour) from £149 all dates subject to availability. Three night extensions from £279 can be arranged at Tiger Tops Mountain Lodge, Pokhara.
Saga reservations: 0800 056 5880/www.saga.co.uk/travelshop. All Saga holidays are sold direct.