Chincholi Wildlife Sanctuary

Chincholi Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area in Chincholi Taluk, Kalaburagi District, Karnataka, covering about 134.88 sq km on the Deccan Plateau. Notified in 2011, it is the first sanctuary in the Kalyana-Karnataka region protecting dry deciduous forest. It is notable for its medicinal plant diversity, mixed dry deciduous vegetation, Chandrampalli Dam backwaters, and wildlife including blackbuck, four-horned antelope, hyena, wild boar and numerous bird species.

Visitors can expect a dry deciduous forest landscape with open scrub, teak and mixed woodland, interspersed with streams and the backwaters of Chandrampalli Dam. The sanctuary offers designated safari tracks, nature trails and watchtowers for wildlife and birdwatching. Sightings may include blackbuck, chinkara, four-horned antelope, wild boar, jackal, hyena and peafowl. Facilities are basic and the experience is focused on nature observation and photography in a quiet forest setting.

Notified as a Wildlife Sanctuary in 2011 under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, covering 134.88 sq km of reserve forest in Chincholi Taluk. It was the first wildlife sanctuary declared in the Kalyana-Karnataka (erstwhile Hyderabad-Karnataka) region, created to conserve the dry deciduous forest ecosystem and its associated flora and fauna.