Top 10 Wildlife Sanctuaries In India- Safari, Trekking, Nature & More

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Wildlife sanctuaries in India are blessed with rich biodiversity, varying topography, and exotic flora and fauna. Ecotourism hotspots like Kaziranga National Park, Kanha Tiger Reserve, and Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary set amid beautiful landscapes let visitors get a true taste of nature and adventure!

Courtesy of the expansive forest cover and rich foliage in every corner of the country, there are plenty of animal reserves in India dedicated to protecting our natural resources as well as wildlife and birds, especially rare and endangered species.

According to National Wildlife Database India, there are currently 573 wildlife sanctuaries, tiger reserves, and bird sanctuaries in India covering about 4% of its total land area!

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Listed below are a few favorites of nature lovers, adventure seekers, and wildlife enthusiasts in India.

1. Bandhavgarh National Park, Madhya Pradesh

Literally meaning “Brother’s Fort”, Bandhavgarh is famed for the ancient fortress that Lord Ram had gifted Lakshman over 2,000 years ago.

Bandhavgarh is among the top tiger reserves in India with 4 demarcated tiger zones and over 520 tigers in a diverse terrain of tall grasslands, dense sal forests, and bamboo groves spread over an area of 105 sq km in the Vindhya Hills.

Other animals in the reserve include elephants, bison, gaur, wild boars, Indian foxes, chital, monkeys, langurs, leopards, nilgai, and antelopes along with over 250 bird species.

Best time to visit Bandhavgarh National Park: April to June (for tiger sighting)
Safari timings: 5:30 AM – 10 AM | 4 PM – 7 PM (Wednesday closed)
Other attractions: Bandhavgarh Fortress, Baghel Museum, Tala village, Mahaman Pond, ancient caves, temples
Activities: Jeep safari, elephant safari, trekking
Nearest airport: Jabalpur Airport (200 km)
Nearest railway station: Umaria Railway Station (35 km)

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2. Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan

Ranthambore is one of the best wildlife sanctuaries in India and a premier destination for tiger safaris, wildlife photography, and birdwatching in India.

Apart from being the Tiger Capital of India, Ranthambore is also home to leopards, nilgai, sloth bears, hyenas, marsh crocodiles, sambar deer, and over 300 bird species.

A jungle safari in Ranthambore takes you through the Aravali and Vindhya mountain ranges that change from clear rivers and deciduous forests to barren ridges and open grasslands in minutes!

This erstwhile hunting ground of the Maharajas of Jaipur is also famous for the 10th-century Ranthambore Fort, the Padam Talao Lake, and the legendary tigress Machli!

Best time to visit Ranthambore National Park: October to April (for tiger sighting)
Safari timings: 6 AM – 9:30 AM | 3:30 PM – 7 PM
Other attractions: Ranthambore Fort, Trinetra Ganesh Temple, Jogi Mahal, Padam Talao Lake
Activities: Jeep safari, canter safari, trekking, birdwatching
Nearest airport: Jaipur (167 km)
Nearest railway station: Ranthambore (15 km)

3. Landfall Island Wildlife Sanctuary, Andaman

Landfall Island Wildlife Sanctuary is nestled over the northernmost island of the Andaman archipelago and shelters a bizarre array of flora and fauna!

It is one of the most beautiful animal sanctuaries in India with multiple ecosystems including clear blue lagoons, dense mangroves, golden beaches, tropical rainforests, wetlands, and backwaters.

Home to the indigenous Aka-Chari tribe, this remote and untouched ecological hotspot spanning 30 sq km shelters peculiar wildlife like Andaman water monitors, hawksbill turtles, and green sea turtles.

It’s also a haven for birdwatchers owing to its population of rare and endangered species of aviaries like Andaman drongo, while-headed starling, Andaman crake, serpent eagle, and Andaman coucal along with a vibrant variety of marine animals and corals.

Best time to visit text: November and April
Other attractions: Coco Islands, estuaries, beaches, backwaters
Activities: Snorkeling, swimming, diving, hiking, photography, beach picnics, boating
Nearest airport: Port Blair (228 km)
Nearest railway station: Chennai (1,139 km)

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4. Eravikulam National Park, Munnar

The famous Eravikulam National Park is the home of the rare and endangered Nilgiri Tahr, a type of mountain goat found in the Western Ghats!

The park is 97 sq kilometers of Shola grasslands, forests, medicinal herbs, epiphytic orchids, and balsams sheltering animals like Nilgiri langurs, Indian bison, elephants, leopards, and even otters, along with birds like the Nilgiri flycatcher, white-bellied shortwing, and Nilgiri wood pigeons.

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The rare Neelakurinji flowers bloom here once every 12 years, turning the whole landscape purplish-blue!

The Anamudi Peak, the highest peak in South India at an elevation of 2,695 meters, also makes it one of the best wildlife sanctuaries in India!

Best time to visit Eravikulam National Park: September to February
Safari timings: 7 AM – 6 PM
Other attractions: Anamudi Peak, Lakkam Waterfall, Rajmala Hills, tea plantations
Activities: Safari, wildlife sighting, trekking, birdwatching, photography
Nearest airport: Cochin (111 km)
Nearest railway station: Angamali (106 km), Aluva (110 km)

5. Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh

Kanha National Park served as the inspiration for Rudyard Kipling’s famous Jungle Book! All the magical landscapes of Sal forests, bamboo groves, flower meadows, and ravines described in the book exist in reality in this sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh!

Kanha is considered one of the finest animal reserves in India for its large tiger population, commendable feats in ecological preservation, and several open meadows that give visitors a better chance at spotting the striped beast.

Sitting atop the Maikal Range of the Satpuras, it is home to animals like striped hyenas, chinkaras, gaur, palm squirrels, sloth bears, sambar deer, jackals, porcupines, and black buck.

However, the most notable appearances are of the rare and endangered hard-ground Barasingha (swamp deer). Also called the “jewel of Kanha”, this species is not found anywhere else in the world!

Best time to visit text: October to June
Safari timings: 5 AM – 10 AM | 3:30 PM – 6 PM
Other attractions: Bamni Dadar, Kanha Craft Center, Khatia Trail, Kawardha Palace
Activities: Tiger safari, trekking, birdwatching, sightseeing
Nearest airport: Jabalpur (150 km)
Nearest railway station: Jabalpur (165 km)

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6. Kaziranga National Park, Assam

One of the most unique wildlife sanctuaries in India, Kaziranga is the largest habitat of the One-Horned Rhinoceros in the world with over 2,000 of these majestic beings living here.

This World Heritage Site is tucked in the floodplains of the Brahmaputra River where its tributaries zigzag through a diverse vegetation of tropical moist broadleaf forests, marshlands, and tall elephant grass.

Its large concentration of Indian rhinoceros, Royal Bengal Tigers, Asiatic elephants, wild water buffalos, and swamp deer have come to be known as the ‘Big Five’!

The reserve also has over 500 species of birds like the Great Indian Hornbill, francolins, lesser adjutants, swamphens, storks, Pallas’s fish eagle, and several water birds that fly here from the cold north every year!

Best time to visit Kaziranga National Park: November to April
Safari timings: 7:30 AM – 10 AM | 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM
Other attractions: Kaziranga National Orchid and Biodiversity Park, Kakochang Waterfall, tea gardens
Activities: Jeep safari, elephant feeding, wildlife sighting, birdwatching, boating
Nearest airport: Guwahati (204 km)
Nearest railway station: Furkating Junction (86 km)

7. Gir National Park, Gujarat

Gir National Park is not just the best wildlife sanctuary in India, but also the only place in the world where you can see the majestic Asiatic lions in the wild!

Home to the nomadic herder tribe Maldhari, Gir boasts diverse vegetation and wildlife. Its rugged landscape consists of dry deciduous forests, rocky hills, and grasslands crisscrossed by rivers Hiran, Shetrunji, and Datardi.

Over 600 lions reside in the park along with several leopards, nilgai, sambar deer, chital, chousingha, wild boar, marsh crocodiles, snakes, striped hyenas, and four-horned antelopes.

You can also spot birds like crested hawk eagles, Bonnelli’s eagles, painted storks, kingfishers, great horned owls, and flamingos, especially near Kamleshwar Dam.

Best time to visit Gir National Park: December to April
Safari timings: 6 AM – 9 AM | 3 PM – 6 PM
Other attractions: Kankai Mata Temple, Kamleshwar Dam, Devalia Safari Park
Activities: Birdwatching, wildlife watching, Jeep safari, guided village tours, trekking
Nearest airport: Diu (63 km)
Nearest railway station: Junagarh (77 km)

8. Corbett Tiger Reserve, Uttarakhand

Tucked in the foothills of the Himalayas in Nainital, Corbett Tiger Reserve is a separate entity of the Jim Corbett National Park.

Corbett has a large population of Bengal tigers, elephants, leopards, deer, sloth bears, langurs, chital, crocodiles, monitor lizards, and over 650 bird species thriving amid dense Sal forests, lush hills, marshes, grasslands, and riverine belts.

One of the best wildlife sanctuaries in India, it’s also called the Elephant Corridor courtesy of its enormous elephant population that can easily be spotted in herds in many places here.

Both Corbett Tiger Reserve and Jim Corbett National Park are premier animal sanctuaries in India where the former is much lesser known despite being the birthplace of Project Tiger in India.

Best time to visit Corbett Tiger Reserve: November to June
Safari timings: 6 AM – 9:30 AM | 3 PM – 6 PM
Other attractions: Dhikala Zone, Corbett Museum, Corbett Waterfall, Garjiya Devi Temple, Kosi River, Sitabani Forest
Activities: Wildlife sighting, Jeep safari, canter safari, birdwatching, trekking, nature walks, fishing
Nearest airport: Pantnagar (76 km)
Nearest railway station: Ramnagar (12 km)

9. Keoladeo National Park, Rajasthan

Also called Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, Keoladeo National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and among the most eminent bird breeding and feeding grounds in the world.

It’s renowned for its rich biodiversity of aviaries, both endemic and migratory birds, that can be spotted near the man-made wetlands, thin forests, dry grasslands, and swamps inside the park.

Keoladeo shelters thousands of migratory birds in the winter season, including the majestic and critically endangered Siberian Crane. It can only be spotted in this region in the winter.

You can spot animals like Indian fox, nilgai, jackals, wild boar, pythons, and turtles along with over 370 bird species like storks, ibis, darters, cormorants, pelicans, herons, egrets, ducks, cranes, eagles, wagtails, kingfishers, robins, buzzards, and waders.

Best time to visit Keoladeo National Park: December to February
Safari timings: 6:30 AM – 5 PM
Other attractions: Keoladeo Temple, Bharatpur Palace, Bharatpur Government Museum
Activities: Birdwatching, wildlife sighting, biking, nature walks, boating
Nearest airport: Agra (54 km)
Nearest railway station: Bharatpur (5 km)

NOTE: Safari inside Keoladeo is only allowed via bicycle and rickshaw rides to conserve the ecosystem and not disturb the avifauna.

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10. Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary, Goa

Bhagwan Mahavir Sanctuary in Mollem, Goa, sits amid the scenic forests and hills of Western Ghats and is one of the most famous animal reserves in India.

Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary Goa is a power package of thrilling experiences. You can go on a jungle safari, spot animals and birds, trek to Dudhsagar Waterfall, hike to the Devil’s Canyon, and catch a gorgeous sunset at Sunset Point.

The park is home to various rare and endangered wildlife species living amid moist deciduous trees, semi-evergreen, and evergreen forests that cover most of its surface area.

You can find animals like Bengal tigers, leopards, deer, black panthers, bison, porcupines, pythons, monitor lizards, and cobras along with birds like Malabar pied hornbills, crested serpent eagles, drongos, kingfishers, and fairy bluebirds.

Best time to visit text: October to March
Safari timings: 8:30 AM – 10 AM | 3 PM – 5:30 PM
Other attractions: Dudhsagar Waterfalls, Tambdi Surla Temple, Sunset Point, Devil’s Canyon, Mollem National Park
Activities: Jeep safari, guided trekking, camping, birdwatching, nature photography
Nearest airport: Goa (58 km)
Nearest railway station: Kulem (2 km)

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So, which of these amazing wildlife sanctuaries in India will you visit first? Let us know in the comments below! Happy tripping!