Wildlife Sanctuaries in India

Wildlife of India is another special attraction to tourists visiting the country. Here are some of the most prominent wildlife sanctuaries where one can visit and savour the enchantment of wandering among the wilds!

If you want to spot a Tiger in his own natural habitat you should visit the world famous Ranthambhor National Park in Rajasthan. Tiger Safari is exclusively offered for tracking Tigers. Apart from Tigers you can also spot Sloth Bear, Wild Boar, Chinkara, Porcupines and Jackals, Leopard, Jungle Cat, Marsh Crocodile, Sambhar, Chital, Nilgai, Gazelles, Boars, Mongoose, Indian Hare, Monitor Lizards and a large number of birds. Sariska Tiger Sanctuary - It is situated in the huge and thickly wooded reserve cradled in the scenic valley of the Aravali. The park is noted for its population of rare breed of tigers, leopard, sambhar, nilgai, wild dog, and chinkaras. If you are a bird lover, then there can't be a better place than the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, Rajasthan. One of the finest bird parks in the world. Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary supports not only the indigenous water birds but also a large number of exotic migratory birds from Afghanistan, Central Asia, Tibet as well as Siberian Cranes from Arctic.

Kerala being gifted benignly by nature is an enigmatic ecstasy of beaches; palm fringed backwaters, and murky hills, lush green forests and inimitable wildlife. The Midland encompasses valleys speckled with secluded hills. This region presents a panorama of picturesque beauty which not only beckons vacationers to visit this mystic land but also is a home to the wildlife species. One such wildlife safe haven for the world of fauna is the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary at Thekkady situated in the Cardamom Hills of the Western Ghats. It was set up in the year 1934 to safe guard the territory’s animal world. The Sanctuary upholds the dignity and honour of the place being one of the major attractions in Kerala enveloping the fifty five square kilometres Periyar Lake. The Sanctuary presents admirable sight seeing of wild herds of Asian elephants, gaur, sambar, wild boar and spotted deer. The lion-tailed Macaque monkey, the Malabar squirrel and the ‘flying foxes’ (bats) are few rare creatures to observe here. The sanctuary is a family comprising of 250 species of birds and more than a hundred species of butterflies. It is one of the largest and premium sanctuaries where one experiences joy in game viewing, carried out in a motor-launch cruise on the Periyar Lake. Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary or the Vembanad Bird Sanctuary is situated at Kumarakom in Kottayam district in the state of Kerala on the banks of Vembanad Lake. Set in the backwaters of Kerala, the bird sanctuary is a nature lover’s paradise and a favourite hangout of migratory birds. The sanctuary covers a distance of over 14 acres on the southern bank of the Kavanar River. It has well laid out paths for moving around within the sanctuary. Beyond the sanctuary one can take a boat ride in Vembanad Lake or along the Kavanar River. The primary attractions are local birds like the waterfowl, cuckoo, owl, heron, cormorant, darter, moorhen, brahminy kite and the duck, as well as the migratory Siberian crane. Teal, parrot, flycatcher, lark and other birds are seen here during their relevant migratory seasons. Some of the migratory birds come from the Himalayas, and a few from far away Siberia.

Orissa is blessed with extensive stretch of thick foliage and environmental topography which have proffered a shielded, as well as unadulterated haunt, to the state’s treasured wildlife. Some of the distinguished natural habitats where tourists can go and savour the beauty and endowment of nature are Nandan Kanan, Similipal Tiger Reserve and Bhitarkanika Sanctuary. The sanctuary cum botanical garden of Nandan Kanan is located near Bhubaneshwar. It is enveloped in the exquisite ambience of the Chandaka forest near the Kanjia Lake. It is renowned for its white tigers, their current number being 34. This Garden of Gods, as the name suggests, is a hot spot for tourists where they enjoy witnessing the various rare animals and birds like the Asiatic lions, Indian crocodiles, Nilgiri langur, Indian pangolin, Shanghai lion-tailed macaque, reserved in the lap of natural – 67 kinds of mammals, 18 forms of reptiles, 81 varieties of birds and 34 aquaria hosting a wide variety of fishes!Similipal Tiger Reserve is a tourist’s paradise. Set in a dense, lush green shrub border with torrential waterfalls, cold rivulets and high mountain peaks, it is a perfect home to the wild animal world. It covers a region of approximately 2750 kilometres. The main aim for setting up this reserve area was to conserve the diminishing number of tiger population. Apart from more than 95 tigers, there are also leopards, crocodiles, elephants, various reptiles and over 231 species of birds living together in this forest.This sanctuary is sited in the second largest mangrove forest in India. It has been the abode of the estuarine crocodiles since the year 1975. There is also a crocodile breeding farm at Dangmal where the white crocodile (a rare species in the world), Sankhua, is found.  It lies in the coastal region of Gahirmatha where one can come across the giant Pacific Ridley sea turtles which are specially safeguarded from the local folks. Animals and reptiles like spotted deer, sambars, Rhesus monkeys, wild pigs, pythons and king Cobra are also seen here. Birds like Whistling Teals, Sea Gulls, Darters, Storks and Sea Eagles augment the splendor of the sanctuary.

Chhattisgarh is blessed with extensive stretch of thick foliage and environmental topography which have proffered a shielded, as well as unadulterated haunt, to the state’s treasured wildlife. Some of the distinguished natural habitats where tourists can go and savour the beauty and endowment of nature are Indravati National Park, Kanger Valley National Park, Sanjay National Park, Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary, Sitanadi Wildlife Sanctuary and Udanti Wildlife Sanctuary. Chhattisgarh provides an exceptional chance to witness the wildlife in its natural abode. The most spectacular bird of the state, Bastar Myna or the Hill Myna, is found here. It is a perfect mimic and very apt in picking up human voice. It is much in demand and hence becoming an endangered species for being hunted illegally and more frequently. The other most important wildlife birds and animals found in the state of Chhattisgarh are the jungle crow, partridges, cattle egret, parakeets, wagtails, quails, bulbuls, flycatchers, woodpeckers, weaver birds, sun birds, parrots, pond herons, babblers, black buck, Chinkara, Sambar, blue bull, wild boar, barking deer, porcupine, monkeys, bisons, hyenas and crocodiles. Tigers are chiefly seen in Kanger Valley National Park, Barnawapara Sanctuary and Kurandi reserve forest. Reptiles like rattle snakes, python, cobra and vipers are also present in the dense foliage of the hill and forest areas. Udanti Sanctuary is popular for the endangered wild buffaloes.