Wildlife Tours of Rajasthan

Watch tigers, nilgai, and blackbuck in the wild on a wildlife tour of Rajasthan.
Some of the world famous nature reserves in Rajasthan are:

Ranthambore: This famous wildlife reserve is situated near the town of Sawai Madhopur, midway between Bharatpur and Kota townships. It is surrounded by the Vindhya and Aravali hill ranges and is very near to the outer fringes of the Thar Desert. The entire area has sprawling tracts of desert and semi-desert vegetation. Originally a hunting ground of the Maharaja of Jaipur, Ranthambore was declared a game sanctuary in 1955. In 1980, it became a national park and was listed among the reserves protected under Project Tiger (1973). Presently the Kaila Devi Sanctuary, also famous for its tigers, and Mansingh Sanctuary also form part of Ranthambore Reserve. Visitors, who have come to this reserve to see tigers in the wild, include U.S. President Bill Clinton.

Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary: the Maharaja of Bharatpur ironically created this spectacular bird sanctuary as a shooting reserve, in 1890. Realizing that the large number of migratory birds that came in winter to this region would make good sport, he had a large area enclosed with embankments and further divided it with earthen dams called 'bunds' creating a large number of marshes and lakes. Thus, Bharatpur is mainly an artificial creation. The government banned the indiscriminate shooting of birds in 1965. Conservation efforts originally started by the ornithologist, Dr. Salim Ali received a further impetus when the area was deemed a national park - the Koladeo Ghana National Park - in March 1982. In 1985, Bharatpur was accepted as a World Heritage Site. It continues to be home to thousands of migratory birds every winter, which are now shot only through the lenses of cameras. Bharatpur is one of the few places in the world where the rare Siberian crane can be seen in winter, when it flies south from its Russian habitat.

Sariska National Park: Situated in the backdrop of the Aravali Hills, Sariska National Park is 200 km from Delhi and 107 km from Jaipur. This park was declared a sanctuary in 1955. It came under the Project Tiger in 1979 and became a national park in 1982. The park has a significant tiger population and other interesting flora and fauna. There are also historical ruins and monuments within Sariska's confines that are symbolic of its past.