India wildlife sanctuary, India tiger reserve, India bird sanctuary, India wildlife reserve, tiger reserve in India, wildlife parks in India

Located in the foothills of the Himalayas is the majestic Corbett National Park. Home to a variety of flora and fauna, Jim Corbett National Park is famous for its wild population of Tigers, Leopards and Elephants.

Jim Corbett National Park has a strong historical background, which can be traced from the early 1800 when its forest were private property of the rulers of the Terhi Garhwal.

Around the 1820's this part of the state was parted to the British Rulers in return of the assistance provided during the Gurkha invasion. The British exploited the timber potential of Corbett National Park forest and mercilessly felled the forests and plant 'TEAK' a precious hardwood, to fulfill the supply for Railway sleepers.

With more than 50 feet tall Sal trees, sunlight trying to touch the ground, dragonflies stretching out their wings under the tender warmth of the sun. Sitting firmly on the dew fresh leaves, they bask to recharge themselves for the day. The melodious chirping of koyal/cuckoo welcomes the new morning. The little sun rays which reach the ground weave a magical display of light and shadow on the canvas of dry leaves. This is what Dudhwa National Park, one of the largest and thickest forests in India, all about!

The Dudhwa National Park is spread over 490sq km along with a buffer area of over 100 Sq km. Besides massive grassland and swamps, Dudhwa National Park is home to one of the finest Sal (Shorea robusta) forests in India. Some of these trees are more than 150 years old and over 70 feet tall.

Lying along the mighty Brahmaputra river, the Kaziranaga National Park covers an area of about 430-sq-kms. Its swamps and grasslands with tall thickets of elephant grass and patches of ever green forest support the largest number of Rhino population in the whole of Indian subcontinent. Once reached to an alarming point due to hunting and poaching, this area came under wildlife conservation in 1926 and in 1940, Kaziranga was declared a sanctuary.

Kaziranga National Park is a birding paradise; the grasslands are a raptor country that can be seen on safari makes a remarkable experience. These include the Oriental Honey Buzzard, Black-Shouldered Kite, Black Kite, Brahminy Kite, Pallas's Fishing Eagle, White Tailed Eagle, Grey-Headed Fishing Eagle, Himalayan Griffon, etc. Huge numbers of migratory birds descend on the parks lakes and marshy areas during winters

This park is situated only 200 km from Delhi and 107 kms from Jaipur. Although larger than Ranthambor, it is less commercialized and has less tigers but a similar topography. It covers an area of 800 sq km in total, with a core area of approximately 500 sq km. The Northern Aravali Hills dominate the skyline with their mixture of sharp cliffs and long narrow valleys. The area was declared a sanctuary in 1955 and became a National Park in 1979.

The landscape of Sariska comprises of hills and narrow valleys of the Aravali hill range. The topography of Sariska supports scrub-thorn arid forests, dry deciduous forests, rocks and grasses. The broad range of wildlife here is a wonderful example of ecological adoption and tolerance, for the climate here is variable as well as erratic.

Ranthambhor National Park, before a princely game conserve is the scene where the celebrated Indian Tiger is best seen. Ranthambhor Tiger Reserve lies on the junction of Aravali and Vindhyas just 14 Kms from Sawai Madhopur in Eastern Rajasthan. It sprawls over a varying and undulating landscape. The scenery changes dramatically from gentle and steep slopes of the Vindhyas and sharp and conical hills of the Aravali. A tenth century fort also blends amicably with the background. Pure sands of Dhok (Anogeissus pendula) interspersed with grasslands at the plateaus, meadows in valleys and luxuriant foliage around the canals make the jungle. Three big lakes – Padam Talab (meaning Lake), Malik Talab and Raj Bagh – are similar turquoises studded in the vast forest that abounds with aquatic vegetation including duckweeds, lilies and lotus.

Keoladeo National Park is situated in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan. It is also known as Bharatpur bird sanctuary. Keoladeo National Park /wildlife Sanctuary is famous as bird's paradise, with over 380 resident and migrant species of birds, including the Common, Demoiselle and the rare Siberian Cranes. The Keoladeo Ghana National Park is also an excellent place to spot mammals like Golden Jackal, Jungle Cat, Striped Hyaena, Sambar, Fishing Cat, Nilgai, Blackbuck and wild Boar. In 1981, Keoladeo Ghana bird sanctuary was given the status of National Park. The name Keoladeo has been derived from a nearby ancient Hindu temple, devoted to Lord Shiva.

Panna is situated in the Vindhyan Range and spreads over Panna and Chhatarpur districts in the northern part of the Madhya Pradesh (M.P.) State of India.

One of the most significant ecological aspects of the Reserve is that the district Panna makes the northern most boundary of natural distribution of teak and the eastern limits of teak-kardhai mixed forests.

The Ken river, which flows through the Reserve from south to north, is the home for long snouted crocodile (gharial) and Marsh Crocodile (maggar) and other aquatic fauna. It is one of the sixteen perennial rivers of M.P. and is truly the life-line of the Reserve. It offers some of the most spectacular scenery while it meanders for about 55 km. through the Reserve.

Pench National park, nestling in the lower southern reaches of the satpuda hills is named after Pench river, meandering through the park from north to south. It is located on the southern boundary of Madhya Pradesh, bordering Maharashtra, in the districts of Seoni and Chhindwara.

The undulating terrain of Pench is covered with small hills and well stocked taek and mixed forest. The main flora being Teak (Tectona grandis) , Saja (Terminalia tomentosa), Bija (Pterocarpus marsupium), Lendia, Haldu, Dhaora, Aonla, Amaltas etc. The ground is covered with a number of grasses, bushes, herbs & shrubs. Dazzling white Kullu trees scattered around singly in the forest is conspicuous among various hues of green. The old plantations of Teak & Bamboo add orderly vistas in the otherwise general wilderness.

Bandhavgarh National Park is spread at vindhya hills in Madhya Pradesh. Bandhavgarh National Park consists of a core area of 105 sq km and a buffer area of approximately 400 sq km of topography varies between steep ridges, undulating, forest and open meadows. Bandhavgarh National Park is known for the Royal Bengal Tigers. The density of the Tiger population at Bandhavgarh is the highest known in India.

Bandhavgarh National Park was the former hunting preserve of the Maharaja of Rewa and at present is a famous natural hub for White Tigers. White Tigers, now a major attraction

Kanha National park is located in the Mandla district of Madhya Pradesh and it extends over an area of over 1,940-sq-kms. The major feature of this region's interesting topography is the horseshoe shape valley and the whole park area is surrounded by the spurs of the Mekal. By a special statue in 1955, Kanha national park came into being since then, a series of stringent conservation programmes for the protection of the park’s flora and fauna has given Kanha its deserved reputation for being one of the finest and best administered national parks in Asia, an irresistible attraction for all wild life lovers a true haven for its animal and avian population. Kanha national park has 22 species of mammals. Those most easily spotted are TIGER, Indian hare, Indian wild dog, the Stripped Palm Squirrel, Common langur, Jackal, Wild Pig, Chital or Spotless deer, Barasingha or Swamp deer, Sambar and black Buck.

Situated about 65km SE of Junagarh district in the state of Gujarat in South West India, the National Park was established on 18th September, 1965, as a Forest Reserve, primarily to conserve the Asiatic lion-classified as one of the World's most threatened species. Now Gir National Park is the only remaining place in the world, where one is likely to see the Asiatic Lion. The sanctuary covers a total area of 1,412 sq. km of which 258 sq.km at the core forms the National park. Permits are required to enter this part of the sanctuary.

The land is rugged with deep ravines, steep rocky hills and plenty of rivers. The vegetation, mainly along the main rivers and streams is mixed deciduous, with Teak, Acacia, Jamun, Tendu and Dhak trees, interspersed with large patches of grasslands and offers the visitor long pleasant drives, through the thick forest cover.

Rajaji National Park is distinct for its pristine scenic beauty and rich bio-diversity. A paradise for nature lovers and wildlife enthusiasts, the wildlife of the park is blessed with elephants, tigers, leopards, deers and ghorals as its best known life forms. Three sancturies in the Uttaranchal, Shivaliks - Rajaji, Motichur and Chila were amalgamated into a large protected area and named Rajaji National Park in the year 1983 after the famous freedom fighter Late Sri C. Rajgopalachari; popularly known as "Rajaji". This area is the North Western Limit of Asian elephants. Spread over an area of 820.42 sq km, Rajaji is a magnificient ecosystem nestled in the Shivalik ranges and the beginning of the vast Indo–Gangetic plains, thus representing vegetation of several distinct zones and forest types like sal forests, reverine forests, board–leaved mixed forests, scrubland and grassy.

Royal Chitwan National Park stands today as a successful testimony of nature conservation in South Asia. This is the first national park of Nepal established in 1973 to preserve a unique ecosystem significantly valuable to the whole world. The park covering a pristine area of 932 sq. km is situated in the subtropical inner Terai lowlands of southern central part of Nepal. The park has gained much wider recognition in the world when UNESCO included this area on the list of World Heritage Site in 1984.

Formerly, the Chitwan valley was well known for big game and was exclusively managed as a hunting reserve for the Rana Prime Ministers and their guests until 1950. In 1963, the area south of Rapti was demarcated as a rhinoceros sanctuary. In 1970, His late Majesty King Mahendra had approved in principle the creation of Royal Chitwan National Park.

The Royal Bardiya National Park covers 968 sq. km./ 363 sq. mi. of the Terai in Nepal's far-West, and is the largest and least-disturbed wilderness area in the Terai. It provides an excellent habitat for over 30 different mammal species, including the endangered Royal Bengal Tiger, One-horned Rhinoceros, Wild Elephant, Swamp deer, and Black buck. The Great One-horned Rhinoceros was successfully reintroduced to Bardiya from Chitwan in 1986. Herds of elegant black buck in the open grassland are a stirring sight unique to Bardiya. Other common animals found in the Park include the leopard and lesser cats, the blue bull (Nilgai), several species of deer, the langur and rhesus monkeys, sloth bear, and the wild boar. The open grasslands within the Park, locally known as phantas, are ideal for game viewing.

Situated on the banks of the Kaveri, Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary is located near Mysore in Karnataka. The six isles on the river are also part of the sanctuary. The sanctuary was declared a bird sanctuary in 1940, when the noted ornithologist Dr Salim Ali while surveying the birds of the area put emphasis on declaring Ranganathittu a bird sanctuary. Since then, the sanctuary has become a paradise for bird watchers.

Every year a number of bird lovers throng the sanctuary to see the avian in-habitants of the sanctuary. The sanctuary is quite popular both among Indian and foreign tourists. Apart from home to native avian habitants, the sanctuary each year attracts a large number of migratory birds. Wildlife experts believe that migratory birds come to this sanctuary as far as from Siberia, Australia and even North America.

Also known as Wayanad National Park, Muthanga National Park is located 16 kilometers east of Sulthaan Bathery. It was set aside as a sanctuary in 1973. The sanctuary borders on the parks of Nagarhole and Bandipur of Karnataka on the northeast and Mudumalai of Tamil Nadu on the southeast.

Occupying an area of 345 sq km, Muthanga National Park boasts a fine selection of wildlife and is an excellent specimen of Project Elephant.

There can be few experiences so gratifying as to take a tour to Muthanga National Park, where you can spot tigers very frequently. The sanctuary has one of the largest populations of elephants in India.