10 Amazing 10 Amazing Indian SafarisIndian Safaris

Hemis National Park

• Best for: Snow leopards, Tibetan argali sheep, Ibex, Urial (a wild mountain goat), Blue sheep, chukhar, snow cocks, golden eagles.

• Logistics: In order to popularize the plight of the snow leopard and show travelers what's at stake, researchers from the U.S.-based Snow Leopard Conservancy have teamed up with tour operators to organize winter treks through in park. It’s located in Ladakh, a trans-Himalayan region within the state of Jammu-Kashmir in northwestern India; the nearest airport is 30 mountainous miles away in the city of Leh.

Sasan-Gir Wildlife Sanctuary

• Best for: Asiatic Lions, leopards, hyenas, pythons, jackals

• Logistics: Located on Western India’s Gujarat Peninsula, across the Bay of Cambay from Mumbai on the Arabian Sea, this park’s rugged scrubland and forests are most effectively explored on a Jeep safari. India’s lions don’t sport massive manes like those in Africa, but they’re just as imposing. Peak wildlife viewing is from December to April; the park closes mid-June through monsoon season in mid-September.

Ranthambore National Park

• Best for: Tigers, spotted deer, wild boar, jackals, painted storks (300 bird species overall), plus impressive ruins, forts, and temples

• Logistics: A former royal hunting preserve, Ranthambore lies 111 miles south of Jaipur and 285 miles southwest of New Delhi. Access to the park is strictly limited to just 15 government-operated safari Jeeps per day, and you must make reservations two months in advance directly through the park (which can be a hassle). May is when to see cats; the park closes from June to October.

Kaziranga National Park• Best for: One-horned rhinoceros, tigers, (wild) elephants, wild

buffalo, monitor lizards, and water birds like the bar-headed goose, grey-headed lapwing, and spot-billed pelican

• Logistics: The grass literally grows as high as an elephant’s eye at this 106,000-acre park in Assam—the most easily accessible state in India’s far northeast. A five-hour drive from the state capital of Guwahati in east India (670 miles from Calcutta), the park lies northeast of the narrow neck of land between Nepal and Bangladesh along the shores of the Brahmaputra River. A bird census of nearly 500 species makes Kaziranga a must for ornithologists, while February boasts chances of seeing resident mega-fauna. Arrival of monsoon season in April determines park closures.

Kanha National Park• Best for: Tigers, swamp deer, mongoose, leopards, wild boar,

golden jackals, 300 bird species

• Logistics: The Jungle Book author Rudyard Kipling found inspiration in Kanha, and when you need a tiger fix, this park offers as close to a guarantee as you’ll get. Approximately 125 tigers reside in the park, and guides spend considerable amounts of time scouting their locations. More flights to Madhya Pradesh mean better access to central India; Jabalpur’s airport is 75 miles from the park. Good viewing months are from March to June; the park closes from June to September.

Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary

• Best for: Giant Malabar squirrels, (wild) elephants, guar (giant bison), bird life

• Logistics: Located in the Western Ghat mountain range, this picturesque, 192,000-acre wildlife sanctuary offers a supremely lush habitat in eastern Kerala on India’s southwest coast. Tiger sightings are uncommon, but there’s plenty to see and do. Birders enjoy the park for its tropical species; boaters can watch elephants gather at the water’s edge; and those on foot have a chance to meet the bashful guar up close. The park is open year-round, but is almost unbearably crowded from September to December.

Keoladeo Ghana National Park

• Best for: Storks, cranes, eagles, and hawks, pythons, porcupines, wild boar, nilgai (literally 'blue cow'), India’s largest native antelope

• Logistics: If there’s one Indian refuge truly for the birds, it’s this one in southern Rajasthan—31 miles from Agra and a three-hour drive from Delhi. Merely 11 square miles, the car-free park is navigable on foot or bicycle; or hire a cycle-rickshaw at the entrance. Open year round, the best birding is from September to March.

Bandhavgarh National Park

• Best for: Tigers, leopards, nilgai, hog deer, wild boar

• Logistics: Set amid the plains of Madhya Pradesh in central India, this is a relatively small preserve—with the country’s highest concentration of tigers. The park is open October to June; April, May, and June are ideal for tiger sightings. Bandhavgarh is a six-hour drive from Kanha National Park—an excellent twofer if you have time.

Manas Wildlife Sanctuary• Best for: Tigers, water buffalo, rhinos, (wild) elephants, golden

langur (a rare orange-furred monkey), Bengal florican (an endangered two-foot-tall bird)

• Logistics: Situated on the border between Bhutan and Assam, India, this refuge is a four-hour drive from the city of Guwahati (and near Kaziranga park). Safari options include Jeep tours and elephant rides, plus outboard raft excursions on the water. The park is open from October to April; January to March is peak period for fine weather and wildlife spotting.

Corbett Tiger Reserve• Best for: Tigers, wild elephants (as opposed to the ones you can

ride), crocodiles, 600 species of birds

• Logistics: India’s first official national park is in the state of Uttarakhand, some 200 miles north of New Delhi in the foothills of the Himalayas. Two main entrances (Ramnagar and Bijrani) welcome guests on the west side of the park. Mammal sightings are best from March to June, while birds are best seen from mid-December to March; most of the park is closed June 15-mid-November.

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