India has diverse options for a nature and wildlife lover. An itinerary must be planned with a local expert, who will understand your needs, make recommendations accordingly and then make the necessary booking. Details below for some popular parks, often found on the itinerary of wildlife lovers:

Keoladeo National Park (earlier known as the Bharatpur Bird sanctuary)

The park is named after a Keoladeo (Shiva) temple within its boundaries. Initially, it was a natural depression; and was flooded after the Ajan Bund was constructed by Maharaja Suraj Mal, the then ruler of the princely state of Bharatpur, between 1726 to 1763. The bund was created at the confluence of two rivers, the Gambhir and Banganga.

The park was a hunting ground for the maharajas of Bharatpur, a tradition dating back to 1850, and duck shoots were organised yearly in honor of the British viceroys. In one shoot alone in 1938, over 4,273 birds such as mallards and teals were killed by Lord Linlithgow, the then Governor-General of India.

After India’s independence, the rulers of the princely states were allowed shooting rights until 1972. In 1982, grazing was banned in the park, leading to violent clashes between the local farmer and Gujjar communities and the government.

Today it is one of the world’s best bird-watching destinations. The Siberian Cranes come here during the winter season. Over 230 species of birds are known to have made the National Park their home. It was declared a protected sanctuary in 1971. It is also a declared World Heritage Site.

Gir National Park

Besides Africa this is the only place in the world where you can sight lions roaming free in the wild. It was notified as a wildlife sanctuary in 1965 in order to conserve the Asiatic Lion. It covers total area of 1412 square kilometers of which 258 Km forms the core area of the National Park.

Indiscriminate hunting by led to a drastic reduction in their numbers. While they were completely wiped out from the other parts of Asia, they were protected by the Nawabs of Junagarh on their own private hunting grounds.

As per a recent census in mid 2020, there are about 674 lions, a commendable rise from 20 lions in early 1900s.

Ranthambore National Park

Once a private game reserve of the royal House of Jaipur, Ranthambore National Park and Tiger Reserve is spread across 400 sq km and was declared a wildlife sanctuary in the year 1957. It gained
the acclamation of ‘Project Tiger’ in the year 1974 and got accreditation of national park in 1981.

Apart from the tiger, you can also spot sloth bear, leopard, caracal, jackal, fox, hyena and mongoose at and occasionally the elusive Indian wolf too, has been spotted here. The chital, sambhar deer, the blue bull, nilgai, rhesus macaque and langur are populated in abundance.

The landscape is dominated by the 10th century fortress of Ranthambore while the valleys have numerous cenotaphs, ruins and abandoned settlements overcome by nature