9 amazing forest adventures in India!
India boasts of a charming wildlife zone and many visitors come to the country wanting to see the tiger. Winter months approach the country and it is truly the best time to cherish an adventurous holiday in the wild with your family!
Kanha National Park | Madhya Pradesh
The inspiration behind Rudyard Kipling’s famous novel "Jungle Book", Kanha National Park is one of the best places to introduce children to India’s wildlife.
The park is not just great for sightings but its lush sal and bamboo forests, grassy meadows and ravines make for a great drive too. The main wildlife attractions in the park are tiger, bison, gaur, sambhar, chital, Barasingha, barking deer, black deer, black buck, chousingha, nilgai, mouse deer, sloth bear, jackal fox, porcupine, hyena, jungle cat, python, pea fowl, hare, monkey, mongoose, tiger, and leopard. But if one animal species were to represent Kanha, it would probably be the barasingha, or the swamp deer. If you are a birdwatcher, Kanha will give you hours and hours of fun!
Kaziranga National Park | Assam
Kaziranga Park is a World Heritage Site and hosts two-thirds of the world's Great One-horned Rhinoceroses. The park is home to large breeding populations of elephants, wild water buffalo, and swamp deer and apart from jeep tours one can indulge in elephant tours as well.
Compared to other protected areas in India, Kaziranga has achieved notable success in wildlife conservation. Locals of Assam are very attached to Kaziranga and it has been the theme of, or has been mentioned in, several books (including children’s story books), songs, and documentaries!
Nagarhole National Park | Kabini, Karnataka
Nagarhole National park derives its name from the combination of two Kannada words. 'Nagar,' meaning snake, and 'hole,' meaning streams. and true to its name, quite a few serpentine streams fork through the rich tropical forests of the park!
One can spot large mammals such as tiger, leopard, wild elephant, dhole (Indian wild dog), and gaur (Indian bison). Other species present are chital spotted deer, muntjac (barking deer), mouse deer, four-horned antelope, wild boar, sloth bear, hyena, mongoose, civet, otter, and many more.
Nagarhole is also one of the few parks that is open all year round!
Ranthambore National Park | Rajasthan
Once a popular hunting grounds of the Maharajas of Jaipur, Ranthambore is counted as the famous heritage site because of the pictorial ruins that dot the wildlife park.
Besides the tiger, there are many other animals to observe like the elegant and graceful spotted deer, huge sambhar, crocodiles basking around the lakes, vultures soaring in the sky, Serpent eagles scanning the ground from its perch or the kaleidoscope of waterfowl at the pools are all the interest for a visitor with sensitivity.
Ranthambore is also rich in bird life with around 300 species of birds.
Gir National Park | Gujarat
The sole home of the pure Asiatic Lions (Panthera leo persica), Gir National Park is popular for sightings of this rare beast.
Besides lions, the Gir is also home to a sizeable number of leopards, who are more visible here than in other wildlife sanctuaries of India. Other animals to look forward are the striped hyena, jungle cat, cheetal (spotted deer), sambhar, nilgai (blue bull), chousingha (four-horned antelope), chinkara, jackal, common langur, porcupine, hare, black buck and wild boar.
Bird lovers won’t be disappointed as the forest boasts of 200 species of birds and there is also a crocodile breeding farm close to the park!
Jim Corbett National Park | Uttarakhand
India’s first national park, Corbett National Park is one of India's most beautiful wildlife areas has a tiger population of around 160.
The most famous of Corbett’s wild residents are the Bengal Tiger and the Asiatic Elephant, but with about 600 species of avifauna Corbett is one of the richest bird regions of India. Tourist activities in Corbett include exciting jeep or elephant safari to spot wildlife and bird gazing. One can also enjoy angling in Ramganga River around Corbett National Park that offers ample opportunities for angling at various spots like Machula Bridge and Van ghat pools.
Keoladeo National Park | Rajasthan
Keoladeo National Park formerly known as the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, is a famous avifauna sanctuary that plays host to thousands of birds especially during the winter season. Over 230 species of birds are known to have made the National Park their home!
Bandhavgarh National Park | Madhya Pradesh
Bandhavgarh National Park is one of the best places in the world to see tigers in the wild. The park is small with 45 wild tigers who are accustomed to human visitors and vehicular noises and this makes it easier to spot one of these wild beasts.
There are about 37 species of mammals, more than 250 species of birds, about 70 species of butterflies and a number of reptiles, sure to keep your camera shutter busy!
Pench National Park | Madhya Pradesh
The park is named so after River Pench which flows through this area. Pench is especially famous for large herds of Gaur (Indian Bison), Cheetal, Sambar, Nilgai, Wild Dog and Wild Pig. The key predator is the Tiger followed by Leopard, Wild Dog and Wolf. Other animals include Sloth Bear, Chousingha, Chinkara, Barking Deer, Jackal, Fox, Palm Civet, Small Indian Civet, Jungle Cat, Hyena, Porcupine etc.
The park is also the hunting ground for crocodiles and turtles.