What is an ideal escape from the polluted cities and tiresome-busy life? Where can you experience the thrill and find nature absolute soothing calm? Well, that place is National Parks. National Parks are conserved areas by the government which help to protect the innocent wildlife and also the majestic forest land. These are the only places where you can watch and learn from nature.
Most of the national parks in various countries help to conserve the forest lands for animals and also offer safaris and other adventure activities to the tourists. Here you can see how beautiful and magnificent the nature is! There are many countries across the globe who have converted some of their forest lands in National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries. India is also among them.
Having almost 21.54% of its total land as forests, India is progressing towards forest and wildlife conservation. Today, there are over 104 National Parks in India alone and most of these parks are home to some of the rarest and endangered species of birds and animals such as the Bengal Tigers, Snow Leopards, One-horned Rhinoceros, and the Asiatic Elephant and much more.
If you want to know more about these national parks, here we have a list of Top 10 Popular National Parks In India just for you:
1. Jim Corbett National Park
The first and one of the most popular national parks on this list is the Jim Corbett National Park. It was named after the British hunter-turned-conservationist Jim Corbett. It is located in the state of Uttrakhand in the lower regions of Himalayas. It was established in 1936 and is spread over a large area of about 1,318.54 sq km.
The main attraction of this national park is its Tigers but it is also home to various animals such as Indian Monitor Lizard, Sambar Deer, Elephants, and Golden Jackel.
2. Ranthambore National Park
The next and very popular national park on this list is the Ranthambore National Park. It was established in 1955 as Sawai Madhopur Game Sanctuary and later got the title of Ranthambore National Park. It is located in Rajasthan and spans over an area of 1,334 sq km. The presence of Ranthambore fort also adds to the experience of the park!
The major attraction of this national park is its Bengal Tigers but offers a lot more, such as the Hyenas, Leopards and also Wild Boars. The whole experience of Ranthambore National Park is a treat.
3. Kanha National Park
If you have been a fan of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book, you are going to love the Kanha National Park because the whole book is based on this park! Founded in 1955, the Kanha National Park is one of the most popular national parks in India. It is located in Madhya Pradesh and is spread over an area of 1,067 sq km.
Just like the Jungle Book, here you will find the Bengal Tigers, Wolfs, Bears, Leopards, Pythons and many more wild animals, but no Mowgli. Kanha National Park is a great retreat for any nature lover.
4. Gir National Park
The next national park on the list of popular Indian National Parks is the Gir National Park. It is located in the state of Gujarat. It was founded in the year 1965 and the total conserved area is 1,412 sq km, but out of this 1,153 sq km is a wildlife sanctuary. The park has last of the world’s Asiatic Lions and is progressing towards their conservation.
Gir National Park has managed to increase the strength of Asiatic Lions and is continuing with the efforts. Other major attractions for the park are Crocodiles, Striped Hyenas, Leopards, and Peacocks.
5. Kaziranga National Park
The Kaziranga National Park is not only an important national park but also a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It was established in 1905 and is probably the oldest founded national park in India. It is situated in the state of Assam and spread across 403 sq km.
Kaziranga National Park has contributed tremendously well towards the conservation of One-Horned Rhinoceros and has about two-third of their population in the world. It is also home to a great number of wild species such as Swamp Deer, Wild Water Buffalo, and Asian Elephant.
6. Sundarbans National Park
The next national park we have on this list is the Sundarbans Nationa Park. It was named after the Sundarban delta formed by the river Ganga. It is located in the state of West Bengal. It was first established as a Tiger Reserve in 1973 and then converted into a national park in 1984. It is spread aross an area of 1,330 sq km.
The Bengal Tigers are its main treat but because of the optimal ecosystem, it has plenty of aquatic animals such as butterfish, horseshoe crabs, saltwater crocodiles, cobras, and frogs.
7. Hemis National Park
The next most popular national park is the Hemis National Park which also happens to be one of the highest national parks in the world at a height of 3,300 m to 6,000 m above sea level. It is located in the state of Jammu and Kashmir and is the largest national park by an area of 4,400 sq km. It was founded in the year 1981 and expanded in area by 1990.
The Hemis National Park is native home of two rarest species, the Mountain Weasel and Snow Leopard. It was named after the famous Hemis Monastery.
8. Great Himalayan National Park
The next national park is the Great Himalayan National Park and is also one of the highest national parks in India. It is located in the state of Himachal Pradesh. This national park is at 1,500 m to 6,000 m above sea level and covers an area of 1,171 sq km. It was founded in 1984 as to conserve its 31 mammals and 181 species of birds.
The Great National Park has its beautiful and rare birds as the main attraction along with the Himalayan Brown Bear, Blue Sheep, Himalayan Tahr.
9. Desert National Park
The second last name on this list is of the Desert National Park from the state of Rajasthan. It is also the second largest national park in India, after Hemis National Park, with an area of 3,162 sq km. It was founded in 1981. Though the area is very large because of the desert very few species survive here. It has very less of the flora and founa as compared to the other National Parks.
Even though their aren’t many animal and bird species, it is home to the rare bird species which can only be found here, such as the Sam Sand Dunes and Indian Bustard.
10. Bandipur National Park
Last but not the least, Bandipur National Park is the 10th most popular national park in India. It is located in the state of Karnataka. It has a total area of 820 sq km. It was founded in 1974 as a Tiger Reserve and later converted into a National Park. Because of its location near the Western Ghats, the Bandipur National Park has a great flora and fauna.
This National park is home to many wild animals such as Elephants, Tigers, Indian Crocodiles, Muntjac (a rare species of deer) and Dhole. The rivers flowing through the National Park add to its nice ecosystem.