Wildlifeof India
Places
Where to see India's wildlife, from the Himalaya to the Andaman Islands.
Why the Himalaya
India's Himalaya runs from the cold desert of Ladakh to the rainforested ridges of Arunachal Pradesh. The west and the high plateau hold snow leopards, blue sheep and bearded vultures; the wetter east is one of the richest bird regions in Asia, with tragopans, red pandas and dozens of species found in few other places. Most high-altitude trips run in spring and autumn, while snow leopard trips go in the depth of winter.
Why the Western Ghats
The Western Ghats run for about 1,600 km down India's west coast and are one of the world's biodiversity hotspots. Rainforest, shola grassland and deciduous forest hold lion-tailed macaques, Nilgiri tahr and great hornbills, and most of India's frogs are found here and nowhere else. The dry-season forests of the eastern slopes, such as Nagarhole, are among the best places in Asia to see dhole, leopards and elephants.
Why the Northeast
Assam's floodplain grasslands and the hill forests of the seven north-eastern states are India's wildest corner. Kaziranga holds most of the world's greater one-horned rhinos, and the forests beyond hold hoolock gibbons (India's only ape), clouded leopards, golden langurs and a long list of hornbills and pheasants. Many parks close for the monsoon, roughly May to October.
Why Central India
The sal and teak forests of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and eastern Rajasthan are classic tiger country. Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Tadoba, Pench and Ranthambore give some of the best chances anywhere of seeing a wild tiger, alongside leopards, sloth bears, dhole and gaur. Core zones of most tiger reserves close during the monsoon, usually from July to September.
Why the West
India's dry west is desert, salt flat and scrub forest, and it holds animals found nowhere else in the country: the last Asiatic lions in Gir, Indian wild asses on the Rann of Kutch, and the critically endangered great Indian bustard in the Thar. Winter brings huge numbers of cranes, harriers and eagles from Central Asia.
Why the Terai and the Ganges plains
Along the foot of the Himalaya, the Terai's tall grasslands and sal forests hold tigers, swamp deer and rhinos, and Corbett, India's first national park, sits where the foothills meet the plains. The rivers of the plains are home to gharials and Ganges river dolphins, and wetlands like Keoladeo fill with storks, cranes and ducks each winter.
Why the coasts
India's coastline runs from the mangroves of the Sundarbans, where tigers swim between islands, to lagoons, reefs and turtle beaches. Odisha has some of the world's largest mass nestings of olive ridley turtles, Bhitarkanika holds big saltwater crocodiles, and Chilika Lake has Irrawaddy dolphins and vast winter flocks of waterbirds.
Why the Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Far out in the Bay of Bengal, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have their own set of endemic birds, reptiles and mammals, plus coral reefs, sea turtles and saltwater crocodiles. Most visitors stay around Port Blair and the nearby islands; much of the Nicobars and many tribal areas are closed to tourists, and permit rules change, so check before you plan.