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State
: West Bengal
Area
: 1330.10 sq. km
Best
time : September (20-37 C) to May (25-39 C)
This
mostly estuarine mangrove forest is the habitat of nearly 200 Royal Bengal
tigers. Adapting itself to the saline and watery environment, the tigers
at the park are good swimmers and practically amphibious!. Traversing the
mangroves by motor launch is quite an experience, for the area is completely
unspoiled and very different from the more conventional wildlife parks.
The
park is noted for its conservation of the Ridley sea turtle, other species
abundantly found being, different species of deer, wild boar, estuarine
crocodile and Gangetic dolphins.
How to get there
:Nearest
Airport - Calcutta (112 kms)
Nearest
Railhead - Canning (48 kms)
State
: Rajasthan
Area
: 29 sq. km
Best
Time :July-October (26°-40°C) to (21°-30°C) for breeding
birds; November-February (15°-25°C) to (10°-25°C)
for
migrants and April-June (15°-35°C) for animals
While
many of India’s parks have been developed from the hunting preserves of
princely India, Keoladeo Ghana is perhaps the only one where the habitat
has been ‘created’ by a ‘Maharaja’. Over 350 species of birds find refuge
in the shallow lakes and woodland, which make up the park. A third of them
are migrants who come from as far away as Siberia and Central Asia.
As
you traverse the place you can observe birds honking and screeching, quarrelling
over ownership of trees and building materials. The park is open throughout
the year although most visitors open chose to come between months of October
and March when wintering wildfowl assemble in thousands on the lakes. Although
many people visit Bharatpur for the day, it is recommended to stay at least
one night in one of the hotels, which provide accommodation within or just
outside the park. This will give you to see Keoladeo Ghana at its best
– in the early morning and evening.
How to
get there :
Nearest Airport – Agra (54 kms)
Nearest
Railhead – Bharatpur (2 kms)
State
: Kerala
Area
: 777 sq. km
Best
time : October (25 - 35 C) to April (25 - 37 C)
Set
high in the ranges of the western ghats, Periyar has a picturesque lake
at the heart of the sanctuary. Herds of elephant and sambar, gaur and wild
pigs can be observed from the launches that cruise the lake from the watch-towers.
Periyar
also harbours the leopard, wild dog, barking deer and mouse deer. If you
happen to trek into the park, you might see pythons, even king cobras!
Among the unusual species are the flying lizard and the flying snake brilliantly
coloured in yellow and black with a pattern of red rosettes. The birdlife
here includes the darter cormorant, grey heron, ibis and many others.
How to
get there :
Nearest Airport-Cochin (200 kms)
Madurai
(TN) (140 kms)
Nearest
Railhead - Kottayam (114 kms)
State
: Assam
Area
: 430 sq.km.
Best
time : January (12-30 C) to May (25-39 C)
Declared
a sanctuary in 1940, it lies along the Brahmaputra River and has an impenetrable
vegetative luxuriance comprising elephant grass and tall trees of the evergreen
forests. One can get around riding elephants or vehicles. Wild elephants,
rino's, swamp deer (barasingha), leopard cats, a wide variety of snakes
and birds like the crested serpent eagle, grey-headed fishing eagle, red
jungle fowl, pelicans and many more abound the Sanctuary.
How to
get there : Nearest
Airport -Jorhat (85 kms)
Nearest
Railhead- Jakhalabandha (43 kms (more convenient) Furketing (72 kms)
State:Karnataka
Area
: 640 sq. km
Best
Time :November (18-27 c) to May (25-37 c)
Nagarhole
National Park has an astonishing abundance of wildlife along with excellent
facilities for viewing them. The natural terrain is one of hillocks and
hollows along with prolific fruit yielders in the lower forest canopy that
attract a host of birds and animals. Jeep safaris are most common and large
groups of gaur, elephant, sambar, chital and even the occasional tiger
or leopard are seen. Among other mammals are the muntjac, the tiny
mouse deer, pangolin, giant squirrel, slender loris, langurs and bonnet
macaques. The park has about 250 species of birds and the Malabar trogan,
the Malabar pied hornbill, the great black woodpecker, the Indian pitta
and the green imperial pigeon are part of its avian variety. Lesser cats
like the jungle cat,
leopard
cat and rusty spotted cat are also resident species.
How to
get there : Nearest
Airport- Bangalore (190 kms)
Nearest
Railhead- Mysore (65 kms)
State
: Uttar Pradesh
Area
: 520.6 sq.kms.
Best
time : December (1-13C) to May (25-39C)
Corbett
National Park, known earlier as Ramganga National Park and renamed in honour
and memory of the late Jim Corbett in 1957 consists of a varied topography
: hilly areas, marshy depressions, plateaus and ravines that gives it a
rich diversity in habitats and natural beauty. Corbett, though well known
for its tigers, also has other mammals in plenty like the sloth bear, the
Himalayan black bear (seen along higher slopes), elephants, barking deer
etc. For bird- watchers there are darters, cormorants, spotted eagle, drongos,
great crested grebe and many more.
How to
get there :
Nearest Airport -Phoolbagh (130 km)
Nearest
Railhead - Ramnagar (51 kms)
State
: Rajasthan
Area
: 410 sq. Km.
Best
time : October (20-35 C) to February (10-30 C)
Hunting
grounds of the erstwhile rulers of Jaipur, the Park at Ranthambore was
once the scene of royal hunting parties. Today it is famous for its tigers
and is one of the best places in the country to see these majestic predators
in the wild.
The
lakes and pools at the park are where the deer congregate and is easiest
to see the animals.Sounders of boar and an occasional gazelle (the chinbara)
can be seen, as also the Indian hare, mongoose and monitor lizards.
How to
get there :
Nearest Airport- Jaipur (145 kms)
Nearest
Railhead- Sawai Madhopur (11 kms)
State
: Gujarat
Area
: 1412.13 sq.km
Best
time : January (10-30 C) to May (29-43 C)
The
rugged terrain and the steep rocky hillsides covered in mixed deciduous
forests are haven to about 300 Asiatic lions, the only surviving population
of lions outside Africa. Wildlife watching in the Gir is best done by driving
around the forest.
Gir
also has abundant prey population and birdlife. Panthers, sambar, chital,
nilgai, four horned antelopes, wild boar, marsh crocodiles are easily sighted.
Among birds are paradise flycatcher, black headed cuckoo shrike, gray drongo,
bonelli's eagle, to name a few.
How to
get there :
Nearest Airport - Keshod (86 kms)
Nearest
Railhead - Sasan Gir
State
: Madhya Pradesh
Area
: 1945 sq. km
Best
Time : December (1-21 C) June (25-43 C)
Kanha
is the largest wildlife park in India! The grassland here is interspersed
with forests of sal teeming with varieties of deer - the barasingha, cheetal
(spotted deer), nilgai, Indian bison and wild pig. Another landmark at
Kanha is the preservation of the hard ground barasingha (cernus duvaceli
branderi) - the only surviving population of the Central Indian species.
The park, closed during monsoons, is best explored on elephant backs or
vehicles, best time being early morning and late afternoon
How to
get there : Nearest
Airport - Nagpur (270 kms)
Nearest
Railhead - Jabalpur (170 kms)
State
: Madhya Pradesh
Area
: 105.40 sq. kms.
Best
Time : November (15°-25°C) to June (25°-40°C)
Bandhavgarh’s
history goes back 2000 years in time and the earliest signs of habitation
can be seen in the caves excavated from the cliffs to the north of the
fort. The fort stands on a precipice, 800 metres high, the view from its
ramparts of the surrounding countryside, breathtaking. There are
about 150 species of birds including birds of prey like the steppe eagle
and a variety of wildfowl. Others include the blue-bearded bee-eater, the
white-bellied drongo, Tickell’s blue flycatcher, gold-fronted and Jerdon’s
leafbirds, mininets and woodshrikes. Chinkara, though rather shy, can be
sighted on the grassland areas along with nilgai, chausingha and saunders
of wild boar and the occasional jackal or fox.
How to
get there : Nearest
Airport - Jabalpur (170 kms), Khajuraho (210 kms)
Nearest
Railhead - Umaria (S.E. Rly) (30 kms).
Accommodation
