National Parks
 

Due to time constraints we are thinking of eliminating a visit to a National Park. We are going to do Kaziranga National Park (3 days). Of the four remaining parks, which one would everyone drop from their list:

Desert National Park (schedule 1 day visit)
Gajner Wildlife Sanctuary (schedule 1 day)
Kumbalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary (schedule 1.5)
Ranthambore National Park (schedule 2 day)

These parks are part of our India trip going from Delhi - Bikaner - Jaisalmer - Jodhpur - Udaipur - Jaipur to Delhi. At a later point in our trip we will do Keoladeo National Park.

We are birders but also like animals and plants.

Thanks for any suggestions,

Tom

Tom - you should really be more specific regarding the subject of your post. You'll get more relevant responses if you post a subject like "national parks in India" rather than just "national parks".

I can't help you regarding India, but I hope you have a great trip !

For birders like your group I would suggest that you follow the Great Indian Bustard trail.The desert national park & the Lala-Parjau sanctuary in western Kutch (Gujarat).This bird is on the endangered red list of IUCN due to its small and declining population. Indian bustard is the most endangered member of the bustard family in the world and the total population in wild may not exceed 700.I, for myself,haven't seen one ( probably will be visiting these places this year),but these are special moments for a birdie.Spend more time in Keoladeo ( Bharatpur )more your type of place.Ranthambore a must.Take a call betw Gajner & kubalgarh.

Hi Tom,
Bharatpur is DRY at present, and the great majority of winter birds have gone elsewhere.
Not a lot at Kumbalgarh, except for a few leopard, which are hard to find. Go through on horseback and see much more.
The desert park is little-used by tourists, so you should have good sightings.
Instead of Bharatpur, you could go to the Chambal Sanctuary, south of Agra. I saw plenty of birds, crocodiles,fresh-water dolphins, and others there

Ranthambore was closed to tourists due to poaching in December. It has now been reopened temporarily until a court case decideing if it can stay open is held on the 16th January. The information is on the parks website so check back there after the 16th to see if it is still possible to visit there.

Thanks for all the "current information". So many places to see and so little time. We are doing two weeks in Bhutan -- just to cool off and spend time in the great out doors.

Leaning toward visiting the Desert National Park -- we enjoy deserts. Tenatively will be in this area for four days.

Kumbalgarh would be an easy Park to miss and use the time else where.

Anybody spend any time and have comments on Gajner.

If Ranthambore is not open when we are traveling -- that will solve the problem of "to visit or not to visit".

Again, thanks for everyones input -- I hope I may repay each of you in kind in the future.

Tom

As your bird watching is adjunct to your tour itinerary, the destinations you mention are more or less fine.However, the appetite of a birder can hardly be whetted by these locations. To my knowlege you must add below places to any future visit:
a. Corbett, both buffer & core areas, criss crossed by the Ramganga, Mandal & Kosi valleys, home to almost 500 most colourful species. Some of these birds, which are on the list of highly endangered species, like the Ferruginous Pochard, Spot-Billed Eagle Owl, Tawny Fish Owl, Wood Snipe, Long Billed Plover, Black-Bellied Tern, Palla’s Fish Eagle, Pallied Harrier, Imperial Eagle, Red-Necked Falcon etc.
b. Nainital & the various lakes & valleys around it.
c. Keoladeo (sadly no water this year) & Band Beretha dams near Karauli in Rajasthan.
d. There is a spot called Sankhla near Junia, distt. Ajmer for indian bustard.
e. The Kullu & Sangla valley home to the various kinds of jungle fowls & pheasants.
f. Kalesar on the Jumna.
Best Wishes!