18 places to discover
Bengal Safari Park, officially North Bengal Wild Animals Park, is an open-air wildlife safari park at 5th Mile, Salugara on Sevoke Road near Siliguri, West Bengal. Spread over 297 hectares adjoining Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary, it is the first safari park in North Bengal. It offers tiger, herbivore, elephant and leopard safaris, a gharial enclosure, aviary and nature interpretation centre focused on conservation and education.
Chilapata Forest is a dense forest reserve in Alipurduar district of West Bengal, located in the eastern Dooars region between Jaldapara National Park and Buxa Tiger Reserve. Covering part of an important elephant corridor, it is known for its sal and teak woodlands, diverse wildlife including elephants, leopards and one-horned rhinoceros, birdlife, and the ruins of Nal Rajar Garh. It offers jeep safaris and nature-based tourism managed by the West Bengal Forest Department.
Chilla Range is a designated tourism zone within Rajaji Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand, located between Haridwar and Rishikesh. Established as part of the merged Rajaji, Motichur, and Chilla wildlife sanctuaries in 1983, this 36-kilometer safari circuit traverses dense sal forests, riverbeds, and grasslands along the Ganga River. The zone is renowned for elephant sightings and hosts diverse wildlife including tigers, leopards, deer, and numerous bird species.
Dudhwa National Park is a protected national park and tiger reserve located in Lakhimpur Kheri district near Palia Kalan, Uttar Pradesh, along the Indo-Nepal border. Covering about 490 sq km of Terai grasslands, dense sal forests and wetlands, it is known for its populations of Bengal tigers, one-horned rhinoceros, swamp deer (barasingha), elephants and diverse birdlife. Established in 1977, it forms part of the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve and is a key wildlife destination in northern India.
Jaldapara National Park is a protected wildlife reserve located in Madarihat in Alipurduar district, West Bengal, on the banks of the Torsa River at the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas. Established in 1941 to protect the Indian one-horned rhinoceros, it was declared a national park in 2014. Spanning about 216.51 sq km of grasslands and riverine forests, it hosts the second-largest rhino population in India after Kaziranga, along with elephants, deer and diverse birdlife.
Dhikala Zone is the largest and most diverse safari zone within Jim Corbett National Park, India's first national park established in 1936. Located in the core area near the Ramganga River and Patli Dun valley, it offers exceptional wildlife viewing opportunities including Royal Bengal Tigers and Asiatic Elephants. The zone features historic forest rest houses and is accessible only through guided safaris or overnight stays.
Kaziranga Burapahar Safari Range, also known as Ghorakati Range, is the westernmost safari range of Kaziranga National Park in Nagaon district, Assam, along National Highway 37 near Burapahar. Part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for the greater one-horned rhinoceros, the range features grasslands, woodlands and Brahmaputra riverine landscape. It offers jeep and elephant safaris with opportunities to see rhinos, elephants, wild buffalo and diverse birdlife in a less crowded setting.
Kaziranga Central Safari Range, also known as Kohora Range, is the central and most visited tourism zone of Kaziranga National Park in Golaghat district, Assam. Located at Kohora on NH-715, it lies within the UNESCO World Heritage Site renowned for the world's largest population of greater one-horned rhinoceros. The range features tall elephant grass, wetlands, and woodlands and is the primary hub for jeep and elephant safaris.
Kaziranga National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Golaghat and Nagaon districts of Assam, centered around Kohora on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra River. Renowned for hosting two-thirds of the world's Indian one-horned rhinoceros population, it spans approximately 1,090 sq km of tall elephant grass, marshland and dense tropical forests. Declared a national park in 1974, it is also a Tiger Reserve and biodiversity hotspot.
Kaziranga Western Safari Range, known as Bagori Range, is the western entry zone of Kaziranga National Park in Nagaon district, Assam. Part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site famed for the world's largest population of greater one-horned rhinoceros, the range offers jeep and elephant safaris through grasslands, wetlands and woodlands. It is noted for high rhino sighting probability, diverse birdlife and accessible safari infrastructure near Bagori village.
Kodanad Elephant Training Centre, originally established in 1895 and later relocated to Abhayaranyam near Kaprikkad, is one of Kerala's largest elephant training and rehabilitation centers. Located on the southern banks of the Periyar River in Ernakulam district, the center now primarily focuses on rescuing, rehabilitating, and caring for orphaned, injured, and abandoned elephants. Visitors can observe elephants during bathing sessions in the river, learn about elephant care, and enjoy guided tours.
Manas Bansbari Safari Range is the central and main tourism range of Manas National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Tiger Reserve in Baksa District, Assam. Located at Bansbari, it serves as the primary entry gate for jeep and elephant safaris. The range is known for its rich biodiversity, including Bengal tigers, Indian elephants, greater one-horned rhinoceros and diverse birdlife within Himalayan foothill forests.
Manas National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Project Tiger Reserve located in Baksa and Chirang districts of Assam, with its main entry at Bansbari on the foothills of the Eastern Himalaya along the Bhutan border. Notable for its biodiversity, it protects endangered species such as the greater one-horned rhinoceros, wild water buffalo, pygmy hog, hispid hare and golden langur, and features grasslands, semi-evergreen forests and the Manas River.
Manas Panbari Safari Range is the westernmost tourism range of Manas National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Chirang district, Assam, near Panbari village. It serves as a key entry point for jeep and elephant safaris into the park's grasslands, semi-evergreen forests and riverine habitats. Notable for its relatively undisturbed wilderness, elephant and bird populations, and views of the Bhutan Himalayas, it offers wildlife viewing in a less crowded sector of the park.
Medla Watchtower is a wildlife observation tower located inside Gorumara National Park near Dhupjhora in Jalpaiguri district, West Bengal. Situated in grassland near the Murti River, it is one of the park's main watchtowers for viewing Indian rhinoceros, elephants, bison and deer. Visitors reach it by forest safari jeep or elephant ride and watch wildlife from the elevated platform, often combined with a bullock cart ride and tribal dance performance.
Orang National Park, also known as Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park, is a protected area on the north bank of the Brahmaputra River in Darrang and Sonitpur districts of Assam near Silbori. Covering about 79.28 sq km, it is often called Mini Kaziranga for its similar floodplain landscape. The park is notable for its population of greater one-horned rhinoceros, Royal Bengal tigers, wild elephants, pygmy hogs and diverse wetland birds.
Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary is a small wildlife sanctuary in Morigaon district of Assam, about 30 km east of Guwahati near Mayong on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra River. Covering about 38.81 sq km of alluvial grassland and wetlands, it is renowned for having the highest density of Indian one-horned rhinoceros in the world, along with wild buffalo, leopards and over 200 bird species, making it a key rhino conservation site in Assam.
Sonanadi Wildlife Sanctuary spans 301.18 square kilometers of prime Shiwalik Terai forests in the Pauri Garhwal district. Founded in 1987 and integrated into the Corbett Tiger Reserve, it serves as a critical habitat for Asiatic elephants, tigers, and over 550 bird species. The sanctuary offers jeep and elephant safaris through dense woodlands and grasslands along the Sonanadi River.