India Wildlife Tours

India is a country with a rich cultural and natural heritage. It’s the seventh largest in the world, approximately 3.25 million sq.km) and is known for its diverse range of climates and landscapes from the Himalaya in the north to the spice fields and biodiverse-rich tropical forests in the south. The Indian landmass is home to a large variety of flora and fauna. India has an amazingly wide variety of wildlife animals and birds that live in the diverse terrain of the country. From ferocious Royal Bengal tigers to Asiatic Elephants, India houses this huge variety of animals in its 89 national parks, 18 Bio-Reserves and more than 400 wildlife sanctuaries. 


However, due to irresponsible interference of humans with the ecosystem has resulted in the loss and extinction of many species. Due man’s interference with nature and the threats that have risen out of this, conservation of these biodiversity rich spots and their wildlife in India have become important. Due to this, national parks and wildlife reserves have come up in different parts of the country where a healthy interaction of humans and wildlife is encouraged. India, today, has as many as 15 biosphere reserves for the conservation of endemic and endangered species, out of which four are part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves. The Western Ghats, the Eastern Himalayas and Indo-Burma region are the three of the 34 most biodiversity rich spots in the world. According to a study, India is one of the 17 countries that host about 60 to 70 per cent of the world’s biodiversity.


The national parks of India are treasure troves for nature lovers, containing a wide range of geographical and climatic diversity. Within India’s boundaries you can find the soaring Himalayan mountain range, the lush rainforests of the Western Ghats, the arid Thar Desert, and 4,600 miles of coastline. Though the forest cover in India is only at about 22%, the subcontinent is home to about 10% of the world’s species.

Top Wild Animals in India

India is a country in South Asia with a rich cultural and natural heritage. It’s the seventh largest in the world, approximately 3.25 million sq.km) and is known for its diverse range of climates and landscapes from the Himalaya in the north to the spice fields and biodiverse-rich tropical forests in the south. Animals like the Asian Elephant, the Bengal Tiger, the Asiatic Lion, the Leopard and the Indian Rhinoceros are very important to Indian culture and are associated with deities. The popularity of such animals aid in conservation efforts and they are increasingly important for wildlife and ecotourism. As a result of this, many national parks and reserves are dedicated to preserving these animals.

A national animal of India, the Bengal Tiger is one of the largest and most impressive great cats. Their striped coats and expressive faces have made them among the most popular and charismatic of Indian wild animals. Since the 1970s, Project Tiger has been working to ensure that these rare animals continue to survive in viable populations.

Bengal Tiger

The rhinoceros is a famously bizarre-looking creature, with wrinkled gray skin, large heads, and a single horn made of keratin. An especially large Indian rhinoceros might weigh up to around 8800 pounds. Unfortunately, these unique animals are today vulnerable to habitat loss, and their historical range has been severely curtailed.

Indian Rhinoceros

These large, awe-inspiring animals are native throughout mainland Asia, from India and Nepal to Thailand and Vietnam. Asian elephants are intelligent; scientific research on elephant cognition suggests that they display numerous complex behaviors, from expressing grief to communicating and cooperating, and using tools.

Indian Elephant

These tawny-colored Lions are a truly majestic sight in the wild. Male lions either lead solitary lives or join up with one or two other males to form a small pride. Female lions typically live with several other females and their cubs in larger prides. Asiatic lions now only live in the Gir Forest National Park in the state of Gujarat.

Asiatic Lion 

The gaur, or Indian bison, is an extremely large and strong species of cattle with curved horns. Like elephants and rhinos, gaurs are among the largest land mammals on earth, and they are the largest known wild bovine. These impressive animals live in the Western Ghats of India, as well as in neighboring Bhutan and Bangladesh.

Gaur (Indian Bison)

Mysterious, agile and elusive, leopards are hard to spot. But when you do set your eyes on one, it is hard to look away. Their spotted coat, piercing eyes, and uncanny ability to scale trees leave people in awe. Despite adapting to a range of habitats, leopards are threatened by various factors.

Indian Leopard

Unlike Bengal tigers, Snow leopards are smaller, shorter, and lighter-weight. They have thick, spotted, grayish-white fur that keeps them warm in cold and mountainous environments. Seeing snow leopards in the wild is very challenging, as they are known to be shy and secretive, in addition to well camouflaged.

Snow Leopard

The Black Buck is an endangered antelope found only in India and Nepal. Nowadays, in India this animal is found in many national parks of India like Guindy National Park, Point Calimere and Vellandu Sanctuaries of Tamil Nadu, Rollapadu of Andhra Pradesh, few parts of Rajasthan and Haryana.

Blackbuck

Black Panther is also known as Melanistic Leopard, they generally prefer dense forest to live in and have very good eyesight. “The Ghost and the Darkness” can be a brand-new identity given to the Black Leopard. A black leopard is usually called black panther or jaguar, and presumably believed to be a different species altogether.

Black Panther

Peacocks in India are symbols of glory, beauty and poise. Its splendid beauty has inspired many Indian poems and songs. It is believed when a peacock dances and displays its impressive plumage, it’s a sign of incoming rains. The unique features of this vividly colourful bird coincide well with the vibrant culture and traditions of India.

Peacock

The spotted deer, or chital, is the most common deer species in Indian forests. The deer’s golden-rufus coloring is speckled with white spots, and it has a white underbelly. Its curved, three-pronged antlers extend nearly 3 feet and shed each year.

Spotted Deer (Chital)

The sloth bear is a fascinating animal native to India. Sloth bears’ shaggy fur and long, curved claws set them apart from other bear species. These bears make superb climbers and fast runners; cubs often hide up in trees to evade other predators such as leopards and tigers. Interestingly, sloth bears don’t really eat meat!

Sloth Bear

Wildlife National Parks in India

The list of India’s National parks is as vast and diverse as the terrain and traditions of the country. The official count of national parks in India currently stand at 166, having started from five in 1972. Besides the popular Jim Corbett, Ranthambore, Bandhavgarh, Kanha & Periyar, there are numerous lesser-known parks and sanctuaries spread all over India. Tiger Reserves and Elephant Reserves are found in huge numbers. Besides, these India boasts to be home to a Desert National Park, Bird Sanctuaries, Marine Parks and even a Floating National park! As the repositories of diverse flora and fauna, the national parks are exemplary models in the preservation of several endangered species as well as home to many others. Some of these national parks are named as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Wildlife enthusiasts and photographers will be in heaven at Ranthambore, one of the most famous national parks in Northern India. Once the former hunting grounds of Jaipur Maharajas, the park was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1957, gained the protection of “Project Tiger”.

Ranthambore National Park

There’s lots on offer in beautiful Bandhavgarh National Park, with 448 sq kms of lush meadows and Sal forests. Bandhavgarh was established in 1968 as a National Park, and later become a tiger reserve under Project Tiger in 1993. It is divided in three zones, the Tala, the Magdi, and the Bamera.

Bandhavgarh National Park

With its lush green meadows and thick sal forests, the Kanha National Park is home to the majestic Royal Bengal Tiger as well as a host of other animals including leopards, barasingha (swamp deer), sloth bears and sambar deer. It is one of the best maintained National Parks in Asia.

Kanha National Park

Pench is a vast wildlife haven covering some 758 sq km and is famous for inspiring Rudyard Kipling to write the Jungle Book including Baloo (Sloth Bear), Shere Khan (Royal Bengal Tiger), Akela (The Indian Wolf) and Raksha (the female Wolf). Other inhabitants include barking deer, foxes, four-horned antelopes, Indian leopards & more.

Pench National Park

The calm, quiet Satpura National Park is a haven for wildlife lovers, with its unique habitat, variety of rare species and wonderful setting amongst the Satpura Range. Also known as Satpura Tiger Reserve, this award-winning park opened in 1981 and is spread over 1,427 square kilometres.

Satpura National Park

A former Gond settlement, Panna is a small city in the heart of the country, which boasts of being the only city with diamond reserves. Panna is also most notably known for the Panna National Park which is a world heritage site and a significant initiative towards wildlife conservation in India.

Panna National Park

Opened in 1904 and declared a National Park 68 years later, the Kaziranga hosts two thirds of the world’s endangered Indian one-horned rhinoceros population, as well as having the highest density of tigers in the world. Other mammals you can spot are elephants, wild water buffalo and Swamp Deer.

Kaziranga National Park

Also known as Sasan Gir, is the only place in the world where you can still see Asiatic lions in the wild. It’s an amazing haven for wildlife due to its deciduous and dry terrain and is also home to over 300 species of resident and migrant birds, a variety of mammals including sambar deer and Indian Foxes, and a slippery and scaly selection of reptiles.

Gir National Park

A visual feast. Periyar is said to offer the visitor the best chance to see wild elephant in the whole of India. The park is also home to leopards and a small number of tigers. It is excellent for birds and there is also a good chance of seeing wild boar, gaur bison, sambar deer. Take a guided eco trail or go bamboo rafting to escape the stampedes.

Periyar National Park

One of 50 tiger reserves in India, Tadoba-Andhari national park is named after the local tribal word for god – ‘tadoba’. Yet with a river and a perennial lake, Tadoba offers refuge to numerous wild creatures; royal Bengal tiger, Indian leopard, sloth bear, Indian Gaur, ‘nilgai’ or blue bull antelope, striped hyenas, civet cats, among others.

Tadoba National Park

Unusually for a desert state this park has a stunning wetland, thanks to the Maharaja of Bharatpur who artificially flooded it in the 1700s and created a shooting ground for Maharajas and British viceroys. Luckily today, the only things you will shoot are photos, capturing the stunning array of over 360 bird species including the elusive fishing cat.

Bharatpur National Park

Corbett is India’s oldest and most prominent National Park, having been established in 1936. It was also the site of the first Project Tiger launch in 1973. The Park is named after Jim Corbett, a British wildlife photographer, hunter, tracker, naturalist and writer. It is one of India’s few tiger reserves that allows overnight stays in the National Park.

Corbett National Park

Nagarhole was once the Maharaja’s reserved forest and became a national park in 1955. It includes swampland, streams, moist deciduous forest, stands of bamboo and valuable timber in teak & rosewood trees. In addition to elephants, the park also has tiger, leapord, gaur, dhole, wild cats, four-horned antelopes and sambar deer.

Nagarhole National Park

Spread over 874 km, Bandipur National Park was established as a Tiger Reserve in 1974 under Project Tiger. The 14th Century Himavad Gopalaswamy Temple offers views from the highest peak of the reserve which is committed to protecting endangered species of animals such as Indian elephants, vulnerable tigers and wild boar.

Bandipur National Park

A part of the world’s largest delta formed by the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna Rivers, Sundarbans is crisscrossed by hundreds of tributaries and creeks, mudflats and tiny islands of salt-tolerant mangrove forests. The park is one of the world’s largest Tiger Reserves.

Sunderbans National Park

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