Best wildlife destinations in India
103 curated wildlife destinations across 27 states, each with the months it is worth going and the months it is not.
Best of wildlife India
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Thattekad (Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary)
Kerala
Salim Ali's richest peninsular birding forest on the Periyar
Peak: Nov to Mar
-
Shivpuri (Madhav National Park)
Madhya Pradesh
Scindia marble chhatris beside a crocodile lake and dry forest
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Bharatpur (Keoladeo National Park)
Rajasthan
India's top bird sanctuary, best seen by bicycle
Peak: Dec to Feb
-
Masinagudi (Mudumalai)
Tamil Nadu
Sigur plateau elephant country below Ooty's 36 hairpin bends
Peak: Dec to Apr
-
Chandubi Lake
Assam
Earthquake-born forest lake in Rabha country near Guwahati
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Bandipur National Park
Karnataka
Deccan teak and elephant country on the Mysuru-Ooty road
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Bhimashankar
Maharashtra
Jyotirlinga inside a giant-squirrel forest on the Sahyadri crest
Peak: Oct to Feb
-
Mangalajodi (Chilika Wetlands)
Odisha
Ex-poacher guides row you into Chilika's winter clouds of waterbirds
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Nal Sarovar
Gujarat
Shallow 120 sq km Ramsar lake of flamingos and punt boats
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary (Unnao)
Uttar Pradesh
Shallow migratory-bird lake halfway between Lucknow and Kanpur
Peak: Dec to Feb
-
Bakkhali & Henry Island
West Bengal
Quiet mudflat beach and a mangrove watchtower island
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary
Andhra Pradesh
Boardwalks and boat creeks in India's second largest mangroves
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Sattal
Uttarakhand
Seven linked lakes hidden in an oak and pine bowl full of birds
Peak: Nov to Mar
-
Sultanpur National Park (Bird Sanctuary)
Haryana
Ramsar jheel where Siberian migrants land an hour from Delhi
Peak: Dec to Feb
-
Barot
Himachal Pradesh
Trout-hatchery valley on the Uhl, off HP's tourist map
Peak: Mar to May and Oct to Nov
-
Hanle
Ladakh
India's first Dark Sky Reserve, home to a major observatory
Peak: Jun to Sep
-
Baghmara (Balpakram gateway)
Meghalaya
Someshwari river town under the Balpakram plateau
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Diglipur (Ross & Smith Islands)
Andaman & Nicobar Islands
Remote North Andaman turtle beaches and twin-island sandbar
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Dudhsagar Falls (Mollem)
Goa
310 m milk-sea falls under the Castle Rock railway line
Peak: Oct to Jan
-
Betla National Park
Jharkhand
Elephants and sal forest around two forgotten Palamu forts
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Harike Wetland (Harike Pattan)
Punjab
Beas meets Sutlej at north India's biggest man-made wetland
Peak: Dec to Feb
-
Namdapha National Park (Miao & Deban)
Arunachal Pradesh
Rainforest reserve climbing from 200 m riverbank to 4,571 m peaks
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Valmiki Nagar (Valmiki Tiger Reserve)
Bihar
Bihar's only tiger reserve, on the Gandak at the Nepal border
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Barnawapara Sanctuary
Chhattisgarh
Sal forest of gaur and sloth bears an easy hop from Raipur
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Manasbal Lake
Jammu and Kashmir
Lotus-choked lake under Nur Jahan's Jarokha Bagh terrace
Peak: Jun to Sep
-
Loktak Lake
Manipur
Floating phumdi islands, world's only floating park
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Pakhal Lake
Telangana
Kakatiya irrigation lake of 1213 ringed by sanctuary forest
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Thekkady (Periyar)
Kerala
Periyar Tiger Reserve - boat safaris around a forest lake
Peak: Dec to Feb
-
Bandhavgarh National Park
Madhya Pradesh
MP's highest tiger-density reserve, best big-cat odds
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Jawai Bandh (Bera)
Rajasthan
Leopards on granite hills above an Aravalli reservoir
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Pulicat (Pazhaverkadu)
Tamil Nadu
Flamingo shallows, sandbar beaches and Dutch tombs on a vast lagoon
Peak: Dec to Feb
-
Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary (Jorhat)
Assam
India's only ape, in a rainforest patch cut by a railway line
Peak: Nov to Mar
-
Dandeli
Karnataka
White-water rafting base on the Kali river
Peak: Oct to Feb
-
Velas (Turtle Village)
Maharashtra
Olive ridley hatchlings released on a Konkan village beach
Peak: Feb to Mar
-
Bhitarkanika National Park
Odisha
Mangrove creeks packed with 6 m saltwater crocodiles
Peak: Dec to Feb
-
Gir (Sasan Gir)
Gujarat
Dry teak forest at the heart of the Asiatic lion's only range
Peak: Dec to Feb
Every wildlife destination in the catalogue
- Agumbe Karnataka
- Bateshwar & Chambal Safari (Bah) Uttar Pradesh
- Binsar Uttarakhand
- BR Hills (Biligiri Ranganatha) Karnataka
- Buxa Tiger Reserve (Jayanti) West Bengal
- Chandoli National Park Maharashtra
- Chikhaldara Maharashtra
- Chilika Lake (Satapada) Odisha
- Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary Jharkhand
- Debrigarh (Hirakud Reservoir) Odisha
- Dibru-Saikhowa National Park (Guijan Ghat) Assam
- Dudhwa National Park Uttar Pradesh
- Gandhi Sagar (Chambal) Madhya Pradesh
- Gavi Kerala
- Gorumara National Park (Lataguri) West Bengal
- Jaldapara National Park (Madarihat) West Bengal
- Jim Corbett (Ramnagar) Uttarakhand
- Kabini Karnataka
- Kalakkad-Mundanthurai (Mundanthurai) Tamil Nadu
- Kalesar National Park Haryana
- Kanha National Park Madhya Pradesh
- Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary Uttar Pradesh
- Kaziranga National Park Assam
- Khichan (Demoiselle Cranes) Rajasthan
- Kumarakom Kerala
- Kumbhalgarh Rajasthan
- Kuno National Park (Sesaipura) Madhya Pradesh
- Little Rann of Kutch (Dasada) Gujarat
- Manas National Park Assam
- Mangar Bani Haryana
- Maredumilli Andhra Pradesh
- Meghamalai (High Wavy Mountains) Tamil Nadu
- Nameri National Park Assam
- Nangal (Sutlej Lake) Punjab
- Narara (Marine National Park) Gujarat
- Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary Andhra Pradesh
- Netravali (Neturlim) Goa
- Nilambur Kerala
- Panna National Park Madhya Pradesh
- Papikondalu (Godavari Gorge) Andhra Pradesh
- Parambikulam Tiger Reserve Kerala
- Pench National Park (Turia) Madhya Pradesh
- Pench Tiger Reserve (Maharashtra) Maharashtra
- Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (Chuka) Uttar Pradesh
- Point Calimere (Kodiakkarai) Tamil Nadu
- Ramanagara (Ramadevarabetta) Karnataka
- Rangat (Amkunj & Dhani Nallah) Andaman & Nicobar Islands
- Ranthambore Rajasthan
- Renuka Lake (Renuka Ji) Himachal Pradesh
- Sariska Tiger Reserve Rajasthan
- Satkosia Gorge (Tikarpada) Odisha
- Satpura National Park (Madhai) Madhya Pradesh
- Siju (Dobakkol Caves) Meghalaya
- Silent Valley National Park (Mukkali) Kerala
- Simlipal National Park (Baripada) Odisha
- Sundarbans West Bengal
- Tadoba Maharashtra
- Tal Chhapar Rajasthan
- Tirthan Valley (Gushaini) Himachal Pradesh
- Tso Kar Ladakh
- Tso Moriri Ladakh
- Tura (Garo Hills) Meghalaya
- Valley of Flowers Uttarakhand
- Valparai Tamil Nadu
- Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary Tamil Nadu
- Velavadar (Blackbuck National Park) Gujarat
- Wayanad Kerala
When to go
January, February and December are the months with the most wildlife places in peak season.
By state
Madhya Pradesh (8)Kerala (8)Rajasthan (7)Tamil Nadu (7)Karnataka (6)Maharashtra (6)Odisha (6)Assam (6)West Bengal (5)Uttar Pradesh (5)
Common questions
How many wildlife destinations are there in India?
This catalogue lists 103 tagged wildlife, across 27 states and union territories. It is a curated list, not an exhaustive one: places earn a spot on the strength of the landscape or the heritage.
When is the best time for a wildlife trip in India?
January, February and December put the most of them in peak season. Each place carries its own window, though, so check the one you are aiming at.
Which states have the most wildlife destinations?
Madhya Pradesh (8), Kerala (8), Rajasthan (7), Tamil Nadu (7) and Karnataka (6).
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