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National Parks & Sanctuaries in India

Pench National Park

Pench Tiger Reserve is named after the Pench River, which flows from north to south through the Reserve. The Reserve is located in the southern reaches of the Satpura hill range in the Seoni and Chhindwara districts in the Madhya Pradesh State of India. The terrain is undulating, with most of the area covered by small hills, steeply sloping on the sides.

The reserve is situated in an area that holds a significant place in the natural history of the Central India. The description of its natural beauty, richness if flora and fauna has appeared in numerous wildlife books dating back to 17th century. Books written in the 19th and early 20th century by famous naturalists like Captain J. Forsyth and Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book explicity present the detailed panorama of nature's abundance in this tract.

An extensive forest belt extends in three directions, east and south, covering forest tracts of Seoni, Balaghat and Nagpur districts. The contiguous forest forest on the southern side in the Maharashtra state of India, initially notified as Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru National Park has been recently included in the Project Tiger networkby the sane name as this Reserve. A dam has been constructed on the Pench River on southeastern boundary of the Reserve.

As the prey concentration is high along the Pench river, tigers usually inhabit this belt. Leopards, though, generally operate in the peripheral areas but are occasionally seen in deep forest also. Jungle cats are common seen. Leopard cats Small Indian Civets and Palm Civets are common but seen rarely.

Wild dogs are commonly seen in packs of up to 15, near Chhedia, Jamtara, Bodanala and Pyorthadi areas of the Reserve. Wild Boar is ubiquitous. Sloth bear occupy hilly, rocky out crops and favour mahul bel infested forst. Chinkara is present in very small number and is found in open areas around Turia, Telia, and Dudhgaon villages. Jackals are seen occasionally near Tekadi, Alikatta and Chhindimatta villages.

Ranthambore National Park

Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve in the Indian state of Rajasthan comprises distinct areas with varied conservation history and virtually separated geographically, with mere narrow corridors linking them to the core, Ranthambhore National Park, Keladeve Sanctuary and Sawai Mansingh Sanctuary.

Earlier the hunting preserve of the Maharajas of Jaipur, the Park at Ranthambore was once the scene of royal hunting parties. Today, it is famous for its tigers and is one of the best places in the country to see these majestic predators in the wild.

Ranthambore has large numbers of sambar, chital and nilgai. Among the other local fauna are the leopard, hyena, jackal, jungle cats, sloth bear and marsh crocodile. Jacanas. painted sto-k. hiaci-. stork, and white necked stork are seen along the water bodies.

Best Time to Visit: October to June.

Sariska National Park

Sariska Tiger Reserve lies in the Alwar district of the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is a prime a tiger country. The forest is typical dry deciduous, dramatically changing with the change in season. The terrain is undulating - plateaus and wide valleys. Besides tiger, herbivores like spotted deer, sambar and blu bull are commonly seen and found in a good density at Sarska.

The picturesque Siliserh Lake lies along the edge of the Sariska Tiger Reserve and a charming hunting lodge overlooking it, is a marvelous place for visitors to stay.

The dry Deciduous forests of the ancient Aravalli range, are excellent tiger country and Sariska, was once the royal reserve of the rulers of "Alwa''. Declared a sanctuary in 1955, it became a Tiger Reserve in 1979 under Project Tiger.

Best Time to Visit : October to June.