Visiting a National Park is itself an amazing experience that every people desire to have once in their lifetime. The ambiance of wildlife is something which intrigues everyone more than mountains and oceans.
The famed Rajaji Tiger Reserve is both a national park and a tiger reserve. It is famous as an elephant habitat as there are around 600 elephants in Rajaji. The reserve also boasts 250 leopards and 16 tigers that will soon be outnumbered. Rajaji Tiger Reserve (earlier Rajaji National Park) is located in the Shivalik range of Himalayas and spread over 820 kms. It covers a part of over three districts of Uttarakhand: Haridwar, Dehradun and Pauri Garhwal. It now becomes the second Tiger Serve of Uttarakhand after Corbet.
Rajaji National Park
Among many national parks that the country has Rajaji is known to be the most popular among many tourists due to its unmatchable wild beauty and highly rich biodiversity. The Park is situated at Uttarakhand and is named after the famous freedom fighter and the first governor-general of the country Late Sri C Rajagopalachari.
Rajaji National Park Best Time To Visit
For the general mass, a national park has only one single attraction and that is the jungle safari and getting to these the wild animals roaming around and crossing their path. Such moments are considered to be a lifetime experience because you can hardly see animals coming out from the deep jungle for a visit.
Rajaji National Park Safari Timings
The jungle safari at Rajaji national park is itself the biggest attraction for tourists. It is important to know some basic facts about the activities in the jungle.
- One needs a proper permission from the department of the forest before starting the journey into the wild.
- The jeep safari is allowed for 3 hours each time in a day. It takes place once in the morning and then in the evening.
- There is another kind of safari which gets conducted from the morning to evening in open jeeps through the park in the jungle. The area is a rugged terrain and one can even see some wild animals and even various uncommon birds.
- River Rafting– One can even do river rafting out there. The session is conducted for three hours over a stretch of 12 km in the Ganges under the guidance of special trainers.
- Bird watching– There is also some special provision for bird watching at Rajaji National Park. The ranges of Chila and Gohari are for bird watching experience for 300 per hour with professional bird watchers.
Rajaji National Park Hotels
Rajaji national park offers some vibrant places for a stay. There are indeed innumerable options to stay in the jungle without any such hurdles.
- Eco-friendly cottages- There are eco-friendly cottages available at the wild book retreat near the Gohari range of the national park.
- Stay at Wild book retreat- This place is simply outstanding for your stay. The place is set in the midst of nalaini valley in the foothills of the Himalayas. The rooms in all the cottages are spacious and every basic amenity is provided. There is also provision for bird watching by sitting in the balcony in an easy chair. These cottages will also give the tourist a view of the core area of the jungle.
Flora and fauna at Rajaji National Park
Rajaji national park has a diversified range of flora and fauna. No other national park in the country has such a variety in comparison to Rajaji national park.
Rajaji is mainly a sal forest and is a habitat of various animals like Cheetal, Barking deer, Sambar deer, Wild Boar, Nilgai and of course the famous Asian elephants. The national park also reserves Royal Bengal tiger, jackals, hyena, Leopard cat etc.
The most astounding part of this national park is the variety of birds which stay here. There are around 315 species of birds that are available here. Peacock the national bird of the country can be seen the most in this park.
Rajaji national park also protects a wide range of flora like Rohini, Sal. Palash, Arjun etc. Not just the wild animals but the national park gives an amazing view to appreciate the beauty of nature. One can get overwhelmed by its beauty.
How to Reach Rajaji National Park
One can reach Rajaji national park by all the three means of transportation.
Airways- The nearest airport is Jolly Grant which is at Dehradun. The distance to the airport from the park is quite minimal.
Railways- The nearest railways station is Haridwar from there jeeps or other rental cars are available.
Roadways- The national park is located at a distance of 220 km from Delhi and from Lucknow it is around 550 km. one can also drive to the place.
So do plan up your next vacation in the midst of this huge jungle anytime soon.
