Location: Sawai Madhopur District, Rajasthan.
Area: 400 sq km approx./ 39,200 hectares.
Established: 1955 as a sanctuary, 1973 as a tiger reserve, 1981 as a national park.
Wildlife Found: Tigers, Leopards and Boars
Best Time to Visit: October – March and April to June
How to Get There: Jaipur is the nearest airport (170 km). Sawai Madhopur is the nearest Railhead (9km) with train services from Delhi.
Tourists Activities: Game Viewing, Tiger Spotting
Ranthambore National Park, the enchanting 400 square kilometer park in that state of Rajasthan has an astonishing copiousness of wildlife including rare and endangered animals such as tigers, leopards, Asian elephants and nilgai. Other species present are jungle cat, hyena, jackal, porcupine, wild boar, sloth bear, marsh crocodile, langur, Indian gazelle, spotted deer and sambar (Asiatic stag).
The Ranthambore National Park is the Rajasthan’s first Project Tiger Reserve. It is counted among India’s best national parks. Ranthambore derives its name from the 1,000 year old fort which stands within the premises of the park. The park is bounded by the river Chambal in the south and river Banas in the north. The three water features Rajbaugh lake, Milak Tank and Padam tank are a home to variety of migratory birds. They are adorned with the pink lotuses on which the Sambars often feed.
The landscape is covered with the belts of dry deciduous forests with ancient banyan trees, pipals, dhok, ranj, salai, ber and palm trees. Ranthambore is a very special biosphere for it harbors huge variety of species of birds and animals. Some of which are highly endangered and listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red Data Book. It is one such park where Tigers can also be spotted during the day time.
There is no better way to explore the park than by taking the exciting jeep safari. Get up early in the morning, hire a jeep for the day, go to the forest area and indulge in birding, game viewing or tiger spotting in the park. Do not forget to take the wildlife expert guide, who can give you the better insight of the jungle and wilderness.
