India Wild Life

India is an exclusive place on the planet that offers bountiful species of wildlife and fascinating diversity of terrain, flora, and fauna that provide visitors the opportunity to have a close encounter with Indian wildlife. Four percent of total land area of India is protected for wildlife and consists of about 70 National Parks and more than 400 wildlife sanctuaries. These National parks and wildlife sanctuaries is the home of over 350 mammals and 1,200 bird species. India's wildlife is simply a delight for the lover of nature. India is believed to be among one of 12 mega diversity region in terms of animals and birds. India is a perfect place to have an enthralling experience of wild animals for the wildlife enthusiast. Some of the places of interest for wildlife enthusiast include:

Corbett National Park

Established in 1936 and located in foothills of the Himalayas is home to array of flora and fauna and is famous for its wild population of Tigers, Leopards and Elephants. This is the first national park to come under project tiger, a sit support variety of vegetation making it an ideal habitat for the tigers. Named in the honour of late Jim Corbett, a legendry author, photographer and hunter, who dedicated most of his years, contributing in setting of the park. Spread in the area of 1200 sq.km, this park has varied topography comprising of hilly and riverine areas, marshy depressions, plateaus, and ravines attracting most number of wildlife enthusiast throughout the years.

Reach :
By Air - nearest airport is Delhi. .
By Rail - nearest railhead is Ramnagar
By Road - Ramnagar 50 kms. Delhi 290 kms.

Kanha National Park

Located in the heart of Sal forests of Mandla district of Madhya Pradesh, Kanha National Park extends over an area of over 1,940-sq-kms. Set up in 1995, the major feature of this park is the horseshoe shape valley topography and the whole park area is surrounded by meagerly wooded grassy plateau, extensive slopes with lush green trees and bamboos. Rich in vegetation, this park provides a spellbound view of the valleys. There are many tiger reserves in India but nowhere one can find tigers as regularly as in Kanha National Park. Initially this park was set up to protect the barasingha-swamp deer from extinction. Other attractions of this park include black duck, cheetal sambar, gaur, chausingha, bison, boar, barking deer, tiger, leopard, hog deer, hyena and wild dog. With the tiger and barasingha protection program the number of tigers has doubled and barasingha have crossed the 450 mark in this park.

Reach :
By Air - nearest airport is Nagpur.
By Rail - nearest railhead is Jabalpur 160 kms.
By Road - Mandla 65 kms. Nagpur 266 kms.

Bandharvgarh National Park

Located in Shahdol and Jabalpur districts, this park was a hunting reserve of the Rewa royal family and was declared a park in the year 1968. Famous white tigers of Rewa were also discovered in this park. Initially this park was just 105.40-sq-kms in area having 25 resident tigers, has now been stretched to an area of 437-sq-kms. Comprising of deciduous forests, having Sal and other trees, this park has large stretches of grass lands with bamboo groves. Bandharvgarh National Park consists of panther, tiger, leopard, gaur, nilgai, chausingha, chinkara, sloth bear, bear, wild boar, and a variety of birds. Jabalpur is the nearest airport, which is at a distance of 160km.

Reach :
By Air - nearest airport is Khajuraho.
By Rail - nearest railhead is Umaria.
By Road - Umaria 35 kms. Khajuraho 210 kms.

Sariska: The Home Of Tigers

The landscape of Sariska is dominated by sharp cliffs of hills and narrow valleys of the Aravali. The forests are dry deciduous. Within the sanctuary there are the ruins of medieval buildings. The ruins of temples of Garh- Rajor of the 10th centuries are scattered in the jungle. A 17th century castle on a sharp hilltop at Kankwari, provides a panoramic view of flying Egyptian vultures and eagles.

Reach :
By Air - nearest airport is Jaipur.
By Rail - nearest railhead is Alwar.
By Road - Alwar 37 kms, Delhi 200 kms and Jaipur 107 kms.

Ranthambore National Park

Located in eastern Rajasthan at the conjunction of Aravalli Hill ranges and the Vindhyan plateau, this park was once the hunting place of the Jaipur Maharajas. This park is bounded by the Chambal River in the south and the Banas River in the north. The main attraction of this park is the six man made lakes and this park is crissed-crossed by the perennial streams. Ranthambore National Park has a relatively small area having rich flora and fauna that includes 272 birds, 12 reptiles, 30 mammals, 300 trees and 50 aquatic plants. Along with these a large numbers of Chital, Sambar, Gazzelle, Nilgai, Mongoose, Boars, Indian Hare, and Monitor Lizards are found in this park. Rich flora and fauna of this park provide a great experience to wildlife savvy a sit is one of the best place to e experienced.

Reach :
By Air - nearest airport is Jaipur 132 kms.
By Rail - nearest railhead is Sawai Madhopur.
By Road - nearest town is Sawai Madhopur 14 kms.

Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary

Established around 250 years ago this sanctuary is one of the finest bird parks in the world. This is a reserve named after Shiva temple within its boundaries and it offers protection to various faunal species. This bird sanctuary is inhabited by water birds, migratory birds, and water-side birds, along with Nilgai, Sambar, Chital, and Boar. This 29 sq.km park has more than 300 species of birds. The major attractions of the park include numerous migratory birds, which come from Siberia and Central Asia to spend their winters in Bharatpur.

Reach :
By Air - nearest airports are Agra & Jaipur.
By Rail - nearest railhead is Bharatpur 3 kms.
By Road - Agra 55kms, Delhi 212 kms.

Periyar: Most Picturesque Reserve

Periyar is one of India's most picturesque reserves. A dam constructed on the periyar river led to the submersion of a large forest area and the formation of a 55 sq. kms lake, which assured the local wildlife a perennial source of water and led to its rapid growth. The home of elephant, tiger, mouse deer, wild dog porcupine, lion tailed macaque, flying squirrel.

Reach :
By Air - nearest airport is Kochi
By Rail - nearest railhead is Kottayam 114 kms.
By Road - Kumily 4 kms. Kochi 200 kms.

Bandipur: Evergreen Open Forest

Part of the lushly-forested Deccan Plateau, Bandipur in Karnataka, offers a rich and varied wildlife habitat. Covered with a mix of deciduous forests, evergreen forests and scrub well irrigated by the Moyar river, the prominent fauna: Asian elephant, wild pig, four-horned antelope, black-naped hare. Bandipur has a fairly open forest floor, making it easy for visitors to spot wildlife.

Reach :
By Air - nearest airport is Bangalore.
By Rail - nearest railhead is Nanjangud .
By Road - Bangalore 60 kms, Gundulpet 20 kms, Nanjangud 55 kms.

Gir: The Wild Palace Of The King

The last surviving population of the Asiatic lion can be seen at the Gir National park. Located in the Saurashtra peninsula in Gujarat .Gir is composed of terrain with steep rocky hills, deep ravines and occasional stretches of grasslands. Irrigated by many rivers, the park supports a mixed semi-arid deciduous forest.

Reach :
By Air - nearest airport is Keshod.
By Rail - nearest railhead is Sasan.
By Road - Veraval 42 kms, Keshod 80 kms.

Manas: Blend Of Flora & Fauna

The Manas river divides the lush mixed deciduous forests that run through India to Bhutan. On both sides, the habitat is zealously protected as it houses no less than 20 species of birds and animals that are highly endangered and listed in the IUCN Red Data Book 'Manas' is also the primary habitat of the rare golden langur, wild buffalo, hispid hare, pigmy hog, capped langur, India one-horned rhinoceros, water buffalo, elephant, tiger and hog deer.

Reach :
By Air - nearest airport is Guwahati.
By Rail - nearest railhead is Barpeta Road.
By Road - nearest town is Barpeta Road 41 kms, Guwahati 186 kms.