India National Parks & Santuries Vacations and Luxury Travel Packages

Watching wild species is always a fun but looking for them across 80 national parks is always a tedious task. India has almost 80 national parks that have been maintained to provide safe and natural environment to the wild species. As it was not possible to visit all national parks in India, we visited only few and popular of them. About rest of the parks we just collected data from secondary sources in India only.
In our month long stay in India we visited Corbett National Park, Sundarban National Park, Rantambore National Park. Some of the best national parks of India include the Great Himalayan National Park, Dachigam National Park near Srinagar, Corbett National Park in Uttar Pradesh, which is also a famous tiger reserve, Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan, and Sundarbans National Park in West Bengal. In the eastern part of India, Kaziranga in the Assam is the best one.

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Arunachal Pradesh

Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Sanctuary
The largest of India's Tiger Reserves, the Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Sanctuary ( 3568 sq. km.); lies in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The terrain is rugged and winding gorges slice through the Mallamalai hills. Adjoining the reserve is the large reservoir of the Nagarjunasagar Dam on the River Krishna. The dry deciduous forests with scrub and bamboo thickets provide shelter to a range of animals from the tiger and leopard at the top of the food chain, to deer, sloth bear, hyena, jungle cat, palm civet, bonnet macaque and pangolin. In this unspoilt jungle, the tiger is truly nocturnal and is rarely seen.

Namdapha National Park
Tucked away in the northernmost state of Arunachal Pradesh is the Namdapha National Park. Three major rivers drain this area and flow into the Noa Dihing, a tributary of the Brahmaputra. The Park largely inaccessible has diverse habitats and flora and fauna that are typical of this area. The majestic gaur or mithun, elephant, Himalayan black bear, taking the wild goat peculiar to the Patkoi range, musk deer, slow loris, binturong and the red panda are all found here. The predators include the tiger, leopard, the rare snow leopard and clouded leopard in the higher reaches of the hills. A number of primate species are to be seen in the Park, such as the Assamese macaque, pig-tailed macaque, stumptailed macaque and the distinctive hoolock gibbon. Hornbills, jungle fow and pheasants flap their noisy way through the jungle, which harbours other colourful bird species. The inaccessibility of the greater part of the Park has helped to keep the forests in their pristine state. This is also a Tiger Reserve under Project Tiger.

Assam

Kaziranga National Park
Lying along the mighty Brahmaputra River, the Kaziranga National Park covers an area of about 430 sq. km. Its swamps and grasslands with tall thickets of elephant grass and patches of evergreen forest, support the largest number of rhino in the subcontinent. It was an alarming depletion in their numbers, due to hunting and poaching that led to the conservation of this area in 1926. In 1940, Kaziranga was declared a sanctuary. Though poaching still constitutes a major threat to the rhino population, the numbers of this species are fairly healthy. At Kaziranga, the open country makes wildlife viewing fairly easy. A day's outing is often sufficient for visitors to see most of the major species here.
Elephants take them into the Park at dawn. As the mist lifts and the rising sun touches the hills in the distance, herds of barasingha and wild buffalo are to be seen in the marshes. The most ferocious bovine in the world, the massive wild buffalo is impressive and can weigh up to 915 kg. Rhinos browse unconcernedly as the visitors pass by and an occasional herd of elephants or wild boar is also sighted. The grasslands are raptor country and the crested serpent eagle, the Pallas fishing eagle and greyheaded fishing eagle can be seen circling over the marshes. The water-bird variety includes swamp partridge, bar-headed goose, whistling teal, the Bengal florican, storks, herons and even pelicans.
Located along the main highway, Kaziranga is easily accessible and the chance to see animals in the wild at such close quarters, makes a visit to the Park a very rewarding experience .

Manas Tiger Reserve
While Kaziranga is known for the Rhinoceros, Manas National Park is famous for the Majestic Tigers. This park is the only Project Tiger in Assam. The Manas Reserve, located in the foothills of the Bhutan hills, far from human habitation, is a world in itself.The Manas River flowing through the Park demarcates the border between India and Bhutan. The Park has vast deciduous forests where the dense cover often cuts out the light. Its wet grasslands are the home of the rhino, water buffalo, elephant and tiger. Manas is noted for its population of the rare golden langur - found only in this part of the country. They are often spotted in the tall trees. Other primates in the Park include the capped langur, Assamese macaque, the slow loris and the hoolock gibbon. These are rarely seen but the whooping call of the hoolock gibbon can be heard resounding through the forest. The Reserve is also home to the attractive red panda but these are only seen occasionally in the higher elevations.Manas has a very special biosphere, for it harbours twenty species of birds and animals that are highly endangered and listed in the IUCN Red Data Book. These include the hispid hare and the pigmy hog. The lush forest canopy at Manshelters colourful birds - the giant hornbills, both pied and gray varieties, pheasants, jungle fowl and scarlet minivet being among them. The water-birds along the rivers include brahminy ducks, mergansers and a range of egrets, herons and pelican Over 2840 sq. km. in area, Manas is, a fascinating tiger reserve.The area of Manas has roughly 45 % grassland and 55 % tree land as wildlife habitat. The river course may have about 100 sq.km. of reparian forests of grass and primary succession of tree cover, which is probably the most suitable water buffalo habitat any where and providing by far the best habitat for the tiger, where the concentration of the species is the highest. Inter and inter specific relation of the prey and predator in this area is extremely interesting and awaits scientific study to understand population dynamics and other evolutionary processes at work. In this area the ever changing river course cause erosion and accretion at the same time providing extraordinary dynamism to the habitat/ecosystems sustaining very high productivity. The rain fall in this area is very high about 450 to 500 cm and the temperature is also very conducive to add to the productivity.

Gujarat

Rann Of Kutch
Gujarat is famous for its large herds of wild asses as it is for its lions. The Little Rann of Kutch Wildlife Sanctuary, can be from Dasada, 93 kms from Ahmedabad and on an important route. It has salt plains, caused by flooding of the Rann by sea, river and rain water; punctuated by highlands called beyts, above the monsoon flood mark where scrub flora and grasslands offer a refuge to wildlife. This is one of the largest wildlife sanctuaries in India, spanning some 4950 sq ft in area, and comprising a range habitats from saline desert plains, arid grasslands, rocky and thorn scrub to lakes and marshes.
This is the only home for the endangered Asiatic Wild Ass, which is the member of wild horse family. These animals are tall, chesnut brown and white in colour, and are exceptionally fast. They does not survive elsewhere in Indian lowlands, but also supports a thriving population of gazelle, blue bull, wolf, and Indian foxes, jackal, jungle cat, hare and birds from the houbara bustard, spotted & Indian sandgrouse, francolin partridge, bustard quails, desert wheatear, desert , larks, steppe eagle, imperial eagle, short toed eagle, 5 of vulture, laggar falcon etc to flamingoes, pelicans, ducks,cranes and storks . The 11th century sandstone of Jhinjwada, historic walled town of Mandal, Rajput at Patdi, intricate temples around Munsar tank at Viragam and Darbargadh of Dasada can be visited on the way from to the Rann of Kutch. Indian wild ass, panther, Black buck, Chinkaras, Blue bull, Jackals, wild boar, Ghudkhur and rare birds Houbara Bustard, Falcons, Larks are the others who can be seen in this sanctuary.

Ratanmahal Sloth Bear Sanctuary
Spread out over 56 sq km, Ratanmahal-on the Gujarat-Madhya Pradesh border-is the only exclusive slothbear sanctuary in Gujarat. And sloth bears are just part of the attraction: nature fulfills herself in many other ways. The River Panam criss-crosses beautiful small hamlets on the foothills of this sanctuary; lush green and thick woods full of natural goodness.
Kanjeta nestles at 230 metres above main sea level, offering a variety in terms of flora and fauna. Sloth bears (57 as per the latest census), panthers (9), large-size monkeys (900), langoors (800), jackals (100), antelopes (four) and hyenas (8), besides others numerous jungle cats, foxes, honey badgers, hare, porcupines and reptiles. To believe the beauty of flora and birds (120 species) you got to visit this place. And if you want to be on the hilltop-about 8 km from Kanjeta-you can do that as well, with the permission of the authorities.

Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary -Ahmedabad
Just 80 km. from Ahmedabad is Nalsarovar. The lake is spread over an area of 115 sq. km. It is known to harbour more than 250 species of birds. The sheer variety that can be seen at such places is rewarding by any standards. In Winter migratory birds descend on the Nal in their thousands. Visitors are ferried in small boats and to experience a sunrise or a sunset while gliding slowly through the silent waters.
Here you will see Kingfishers. Egrets, Darters, Storks and Cormorants spear or catch fish with their dagger shaped beaks. You will also get to see jacanas, moorehens, coots, grebes and ducks feeding mainly on plants, straining water from their specially designed beaks and keeping the food in. You will see the flamingos using their bug necks and legs to probe the waters and snipes and godwits probing into mud for food with their long bills. Visitors are also ferried in small boats to experience a sunrise or a sunset while gliding gently through the silent waters, with birds silhouetted in the golden orange glow will lift any sagging spirits.
It is easy to notice the sheer variety of colour, pattern and a cacophony of sounds that these birds use for recognition and courtship. They can be seen using the same devices for threats and aggregation as they vie with each other for nesting and feeding space. There just cannot be any place where one can see so much wildlife in a single day! A pair of binoculars and a Person well-versed in local bird life will surely make this one of the best outing.

Gir National Park
Located in the south west of the Saurashtra peninsula, the Gir National Park is a heaven to about 300 Asiatic lions. The 1,412.13 sq. km. Park has a rugged terrain and the steep rocky hillsides are covered in mixed deciduous forests. There are teak, ber, flame of the forest and banyan trees. Streams run throuh the deep ravines.The lions, a smaller more compact version of their African cousins, are best viewed at dawn or dusk when they are on the move. Gir has also nearly 210 leopards and numerous chital, nilgai, chinkara, the four horned antelope and wild boar. Marsh crocodiles are often seen alongits rivers. The forest is rich in bird lif and the paradise flycatcher, black headed cuckoo shrike, pied woodpecker, Bonelli's eagle, creste~ serpent eagle, painted sandgrouse, bush quail and grey partridge are among the variety that is found here .
Three unusual reserves, the Nalsarovar Lake and Sanctuary, where large numbers of water-birds can be seen; the bare saline flats o the Rann of Kutch, incredibly the home of the Indian wild ass and the spectacular Flamingo Island where nesting colonies of flamingoes are be seen, make Gujarat an exciting place for wildlife enthusiasts.

Velavadar National Park ( Blackbuck National Park )
Black Buck N.P. Velavadhar in the Bhal region of Saurashtra. The only tropical grassland in India to be given the status of a national park, Velavadar National Park is a 36 km patch of Savannah type grasslands and thorn scrub. The park is set between two rivers, a few miles from the Gulf of Cambay sea coast. The rich soil is believed to have origins in the sea. The principal attraction of the park is the massive population of blackbuck, the handsome Indian antelope, seen here in numbers running into thousands. The blackbuck is endemic to India and is rated among the most elegant antelopes and the fastest animals over a long distance. During the rule of the Maharajahs of Bhavnagar, Velavadar was harvested for grass to feed the royal cattle herds and the antelope were protected except for an occassional hunting camp. This is where His highness Krishnakumar Sinhji coursed blackbucks using cheetahs and flew falcons.

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