Top 10 Wildlife Sanctuaries in India

India is blessed with enchanting wildlife sanctuaries which consist of beautiful floral and fauna. More amazing is the animal wealth of India. Sadly, many of them are getting extinct rapidly. Thus wildlife sanctuaries in India as well as national parks aid in preserving the wildlife of India.  Watching untamed wildlife in its real and natural habitat is a treat and the destinations mentioned below offer the visitors to indulge in just that.

1. Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand

The Corbett National Park in Uttaranchal is undoubtedly the most sought after and popular wildlife tourist destinations of India. The oldest national park of Asia has had many documentaries made in its entourage. It is active in the Government of India’s initiative to protect the endangered and soon becoming extinct Tigers. The park has derived its name from the writer Jim Corbett, whose wildlife stories are very popular and unique as the park’s history itself.

2. Kaziranga National Park, Assam

The Kaziranga National Park in the state of Assam is one of the finest national parks that are working actively in conserving the rare One Horned Indian Rhinoceros. There are a lot of Rhinos in the park as well as some of the rarest breeds of wildlife of North East India. Kaziranga boasts the highest density of tigers among protected areas in the world and was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2006. The Kaziranga National Park is situated between the two districts of Assam, namely, Nagaon and Gola ghat.

3. Bandipur National Park, Karnataka

The famous Bandipur National Park is a famous national park of south India. It is located in the state of Karnataka. It is home to the Asian Elephants and one can see them in their natural habitat. It is placed in between the Deccan Plateau and the regal Western Ghats. Lush greenery and awesome backdrops make the Bandipur National Park the most beautiful national parks of India. The place is almost 80 km away from Mysore and Ooty and almost 215 km away from Bangalore.

4. Bandhavgarh National Park, Madhya Pradesh

The Bandhavgarh National Park is one of the most prolific national parks of Madhya Pradesh. It is also one of the most visited national parks of India, and rightly so. Located 197 km away from Jabalpur, it is quite easily reachable. The Bandhavgarh National Park is definitely one of the best places to visit to enlighten oneself of the preserved wildlife of India.

5. Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh

Kanha National Park is another of the famous national parks of Madhya Pradesh. It was established in the year 1955. The park has garnered a lot of attention due to its efforts in saving the rare and almost extinct species – the Swamp Deer, also known as Barasingha. It is also one of the best maintained parks in the whole of Asia. The other feature of the Kanha National Park is the Bamni Dadar, another name for Sunset Point. The view from this point, of the animals grazing, etc is something that the visitors never forget in their lifetimes.

6. Gir National Park and  Sasan Gir Sanctuary, Gujarat

The Gir National Park and the Sasan Gir Sanctuary of Gujarat are the only places in India having Asiatic Lions. The best time to visit the place and watch some lions strolling by is between the months of October and June. The park was established on 18th September, 1965 and had especially come up to preserve the rare Asiatic Lions. The National Park as well as the sanctuary has lots of rivers, streams, rocky hills as well as deep ravines.

7. Keoladeo Ghana National Park – Bharatpur, Rajasthan

The Keoladeo Ghana National Park in Bharatpur, Rajasthan was formerly known as the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary. The prolific national park houses many varieties of thousands of bird species. These flock in the winters and thus is the best season to visit the national park. Visitors get first hand knowledge on the various types of birds of India and get to see them in real life. It is the best trip for families who have school going children. They may have just learnt about the birds in their school books and this would be the perfect opportunity for a real life experience.

8. Periyar National Park, Kerala

The Periyar National Park is a very famous national park of southern India. It is located in God’s own country, Kerala and covers a total land area of 925 sq. km. It was established in the year 1950 as a wildlife sanctuary. It got transferred as a tiger reserve in the year 1982. The Periyar National Park is on the hills of Western Ghats and thus there is lush greenery everywhere. The animals live in their natural habitat. The main animals found here are elephants, Tigers, Nilgiri Tahrs, Nilgiri Langurs, etc.

9. Pench National Park, Madhya Pradesh

Nestled in the lower side of the Satpura hills, the Pench National Park sits beautifully. Established in the year 1975, the sanctuary was declared as a National Park due to its importance and role in giving shelter to many animal and bird species. The river Pench flows through the park and that is how the Pench national park got its name.

The major inhabitants of the park are sambhar, nilgai, wild boar, striped hyena, gaur, chowsingha and barking deer, and birds like  red-vented bulbul, racket-tailed drongo, magpie robins etc.

10. Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan

The Ranthambore National Park is situated in the south of Rajasthan, in the Sawai Madhopur district. Located at a distance of almost 130 km away from the nearest city of Jaipur, the Ranthambore National Park is one of the most celebrated national parks of not only Rajasthan, but the whole of India.

Source: Thrillophilia Team Blog