Exploring the rare wildlife in Indian woods has its own glee. From the regal beasts to the sweet chirping avifauna, the verdant beauty of this glorious country embraces everything that can rejuvenate and galvanize the senses of a nature aficionado.
National Parks in India are certainly wonderful for wildlife buffs to scout the engrossing exquisiteness of nature. All the protected regions in the country have beautiful vistas to offer. However, some of these protected areas are bejeweled with a number of inimitable features that make them unique. Let us explore some arresting national parks in India and see for ourselves what sets them apart.
Hemis National Park, Jammu and Kashmir
Hemis National Park is a high altitude national park located in eastern Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir. The north of this protected area is enclosed by the banks of River Indus. The area is an abode to an immense population of snow leopards. It does not receive heavy amount of precipitation. Therefore, the flora present in the park comprises arid woods of juniper, birch, fir, and populus salix. Apart from snow leopards, the flora of Hemis includes Bharal, Argali, Asiatic Ibex, Eurasian Brown Bear, Tibetan Wolf, Red Fox, etc.
Here are some points about Hemis High Altitude National Park that makes it unique:
- It is the second largest contiguous protected region of the country after Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve.
- The park incorporates a trekking route that is one of the prime attractions for tourists.
- The factor that draws wildlife lovers the most is the sight of snow leopards found in Hemis National Park. There are around 200 snow leopards in the region and witnessing them amid the fascinating snowy panorama gives great pleasure.
Snow leopards in Hemis National Park. Photo credit
Sundarbans National Park, West Bengal
Sundarbans National Park is a national park, biosphere reserve and tiger reserve located in West Bengal, India. The park is the part of Sundarban woods extended on Ganges Delta. The mangrove woods sheet the delta and make it look verdant. The main attraction of this park is the dense population of tigers that can be witnessed here. Apart from the tigers, the park is also home to Fishing Cats, Macaques, Leopards Cats, Indian Grey Mongoose, Wild Boar, Jungle Cats, Fox, Pangolin, Chital, Flying Fox, etc.
Here is why Sundarbans is considered to be unique:
- Sunderban is one of the largest reserves for tigers.
- It boasts around 400 tigers.
- In 2012, the camera traps in the park snapped the picture of an unknown animal. It was a never-seen-before cat in Sundarbans. This cat was smaller than a leopard and bigger than the wild cats.
Keibul Lamjao National Park, Manipur
Perched in the beautiful state of Manipur, Keibul Lamjao National Park stretches over 40 square kilometers of floating vegetation. Other than the rich topography and foliage, a major attraction that entices nature lovers to the park is the Loktak Lake. It is the largest freshwater lake in the country. The park also embraces an immense assortment of exotic fauna species. The area is the preferred abode of the brow altered deer. The reason why Keibul Lamjao is unique is - it is perhaps the only floating sanctuary of the world. The park has a 1.5-meter deep vegetation, which keeps floating. This floating foliage is known as Phumdi.
Floating phumids on Lake Loktak. Photo credit
Marine National Park, Gulf of Kutch
The Marine National Park is located seawards from the southern coastline of the Gulf of Kutch. The park is spread over an area of 458 square kilometers. It comprises a set of 42 islands. Few of the popular islands among them are Poshitra, Pirotan, Karubhar and Narara. The exotic wildlife of the national park attracts every nature admirer. The fauna that can be witnessed in the park includes Coral Lichen, Sea Slug, Painted Storks, Shelled Mollusks, Octopus, etc.
The exclusive traits of Marine National Park are:
- This national park is the first marine wildlife sanctuary and the first marine national park of India.
- Impressive sea creatures such as jellyfish, octopus and sea cucumber make the trip to the park unique and gratifying.
Namdapha National Park, Arunachal Pradesh
Namdapha National park, located in Arunachal Pradesh, is the largest protected region of the Eastern Himalayan Biodiversity Hotspot. Area wise, Namdapha is the third largest national park of India. The region is famous for its extensive Diterocarp forests. The park is an abode of a wide assortment of mammal species. Apart from the large predators, there are Wolves, Dholes, Mongoose, Asiatic Black Bears, Red Panda, Gaur, Sambar, Takin and many more. Interestingly, there is a local tribe called Lisu within the periphery of the park.
Here are the major facts that make Namdapha a unique protected area:
- This protected area is India's only national park credited with providing a haven to all the three top types of cat- The snow leopard, the clouded leopard and the Bengal tiger.
- It is the only national park that is a preferred habitat for Hoolock Gibbons.
- According to botanists, it will take around 50 years to complete a research on its varied botanical diversity.
Photo credit: unknown
The distinctive traits of the above-mentioned national parks make them perfect destinations for enjoying an out of the box vacation. Their uniqueness makes them a blistering hot attraction among the wildlife freaks and nature buffs!
This guest post is contributed by Tanmay Sharma, a travel enthusiast who is driven by the passion to discover new places, meet new people and experience exotic food. He had traveled frenetically across India, visiting wildlife sanctuaries, national parks and many other popular tourist destinations. He is also blessed with flair of writing and love to share his wonderful experiences with the world.
one of those pictures is definitely of Yosemite National Park...in the USA, not India.
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