Ranthambore National Park

Situated at the junction of Aravalli and Vindhya hill ranges, the Ranthambore National Park is among the most visited wildlife parks in India. This park was declared a national park in 1957. In 1974, it became one of the few national parks in India where Project Tiger was initiated. This charming park is spread in area of about 400 sq. km in the foothills of the mountain range. The collection of banyan trees found inside the park area is said to be third largest in whole India. The park features mostly dry deciduous trees; however, some wetland areas are also present here. These wetland areas offer the resident birds and animals some respite from the heat during the summer months of May and June when temperatures start touching the 44°C mark.

Ranthambore became famous during 1980s for its high tiger population. However, in the past few years, a drastic decrease in the tiger population has been noticed due to poaching and other reasons. A special feature of the Ranthambore National park is that chances of sighting a tiger on a safari are very high compared to other national parks. The reason is that tigers here are usually not afraid of the human presence and therefore do not hide themselves deep in the jungle. You can watch here a wide variety of animals including leopards, chinkara, black bucks, langurs, Indian civets, and wild cats. Striped hyenas, sambar, macaques, squirrels, and rufoustailed hare have also made this park their habitat. Among the reptiles found here are chameleon, king cobra and desert monitor lizard, as well as vipers and Indian python. This park is also home to numerous bird species. According to some recent studies, more than 270 bird species including resident and migratory birds have been found in this park.

Within this park are present three important lakes including the Padam lake, Rajbag lake and Malik Talao lake. The Rajbagh Talao is said to be the most beautiful among the three lakes. It has a number of ruined structures near its edges. Near the Ranthambore park lies the Chauhan Fort that was built about 215 meter above ground level. You need to climb a number of stairs to reach this wonderful fort that has seen the reign of many rulers in its history including the Allaudin Khilji, Akbar, Aurangzeb, etc. Entry to the fort is done through the big door. The fort is now in dilapidated condition but features beautiful towers and domes as well as the fine Rani Mahal.