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India is one country whose diversity in wild life and vegetation is unmatched. Numerous species of animal are found in India of which some are rare and on the verge of extinction. Some live in the natural forest and some in the various parks and wild life sanctuaries spread all over the country. Some areas of India like Himalaya and mountain ranges like western ghat are covered with thick forests. These forest area are home to numerous wild animals. India’s national parks and wild life sanctuaries offer natural shelter to these wild animal. These wild animals are very elusive by nature. Most of them prefer to live in herds and are not very friendly with human.

Famous Sanctuaries & Parks

India has some of the hottest wild life tour destinations to choose from. There are around 96 national parks and 500 wild life sanctuaries spread all over the country. Most of these national parks and wild life sanctuaries were started under various conservation programs. Some of the popular national parks are Bandhavgarh, Kanha, Corbett, Gir, Ranthambore, Kaziranga, Periyar etc. All these national parks are famous for the variety of animals living there. Jim Corbett national park situated in the foothills of Himalaya is one of the oldest in India which was established in the year 1936. From this park the first ever tiger conservation plan was launched by the government of India. Apart from these, one can spot wild animals in the natural forests spread all over country. India’s majestic wild life is one of the most unique in the world.

Animals to look out in India

In India, there are around 89000 different species of animals. Around 536 different species of birds have been identified in India. A large number of reptiles too are found in India. The diverse climate and landscape of India makes it an ideal place for the different type of animals to survive. Important animals found in India are tiger, elephant, lion, rhino, leopard, wild boar, wild panda etc. India is home to 60% of the surviving tiger population of the world. The reduced habitat and poaching had considerably reduced the population of tiger but the various tiger conservation programs started by the government has yielded result and population of big cat is finally increasing. Bengal tiger species is the most popular one in India.

Tiger can be found in their natural habitat in numerous parks and wild life sanctuaries all over the country. Corbett national park, Bandhavgarh national park, Sunderban national park etc are some of the popular places where visitors can sight majestic tiger. King of the jungle, Lion is another popular animal which can be sighted in India. Gir national park is home to the breed of Asiatic Lion. After tiger they are the second largest of big cat family. Another animal which will be major attraction of your wild life tour to India is Rhinoceros. Great one horned Rhino is found in Kaziranga national park in Assam. These Rhino always prefer to live in isolation and seldom move around in group. Indian elephant is one of the largest mammal found in earth. Here elephant is found living in wild forest, as well used for the domestic purpose. The thrill of encountering majestic wild animal can be experienced on the wild life tour to India.

Tips for wild life tour

India’s diverse wild life offer wonderful opportunity to the visitors to experience wild animal from very close quarter. It is important to have good knowledge of these animal to understand them in better way. Indian wild animals are shy and elusive by nature. Majority of them prefer to live in groups and always keep distance from human. There is lot of difference in the behavioral pattern of these animal because of the diverse landscape of country.

While visiting various wild life areas of India, visitor need to take care of few things. The northern forest region has cold winter and extremely hot summer. In visiting these area tourists need to carry warm clothes in winter and carry sunscreen lotion during summer. A pair of shoes or boots will be very useful. Binoculars will of great help to observe animal from very close quarter. One should maintain calm atmosphere while visiting these wild life area so as not to disturb their natural habitat. It is also advisable not to wear colourful dresses as it may attract the attention of wild animal. Earth colours like green and brown are preferred. Almost all the wild life areas of country come under the Wild life protection act of India. There are certain rules and regulations which visitors have to follow and if law is breached there are provisions for punishment.

Wild Life Lodges

India has some of the finest wild life travel destinations. These majestic destinations are wonderfully complimented by the equally magnificent wild life lodges. Equipped with all the basic modern amenities these wild life lodges are always teemed with tourists through out the year. Some of the popular wild life lodges are Tiger Den resort-Bandhavgarh, Sawaimadhopur lodge-Ranthambore, The Claridges- Corbett, Periyar house resort-Periyar, Sundar Chittal Tourists lodge-Sunderbans etc.

In every national parks and wild life sanctuaries there are good number of resorts and lodges. Some of them are owned by the private parties while some are owned by the government. Visitors can expect best of facilities awaiting them in these lodges.

Best Time to Visit

India has vast variations in climate and geography. Each region has different vegetation compare to the other. Northern part of India experiences cold weather condition in winter and harsh summer. Central and southern region usually have sub-tropical climate. Himalayas, the highest mountain in the world offer wide range of landscapes. The plateaus and towering ghats with their thick forest also offer excellent vegetation for the wild animals.

Best time to visit various wild life sanctuaries in India will be from March to October. In some areas it would depend up on the climatic and weather condition. For example period of June-July is the best time to visit Dachigan wild life sanctuary in Jammu and Kashmir.