10 Wildlife Sanctuaries In Uttar Pradesh That Every Nature Lover Must Visit

OT Staff

Dudhwa National Park

Located in the Terai-Bhabhar region bordering Nepal, this is Uttar Pradesh’s only national park. It is home to tigers, leopards, antelopes, elephants, jackals, hyenas and rhinoceros, among other animals.

Light filtering through the trees in Dudhwa National Park | salman.dudhwa/Instagram

Ranipur Wildlife Sanctuary

This wildlife sanctuary in the Chitrakoot district is where visitors can observe blackbucks, chinkaras, sambar deer, chital, bears, leopards, dholes and nilgai. It is one of Uttar Pradesh’s four tiger reserves.

Dholes are native to South, East and Southeast Asia | Shutterstock

Parvati Arga Sanctuary

Parvati and Arga are two interconnected water bodies that can be found near the Gonda district. The sanctuary's diverse avian population is its biggest draw, with 153 species of birds having been identified here.

A black drongo. They can be found in the Parvati Arga Sanctuary | Shutterstock

Samaspur Bird Sanctuary

Covering a relatively small area of 780 hectares, this sanctuary was established in 1987. Home to over 250 species of birds, permanent residents include kingfishers, spot-billed ducks and whistling teals.

A common teal at a pond | Shutterstock

Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary

Encompassing the Khaadar, Khola and Bangar regions, you are likely to find barasingha, Indian hog deer, the sarus crane, pythons, turtles, crocodiles, otters and the Ganges river dolphin in this wildlife sanctuary.

The sarus crane is the state bird of Uttar Pradesh | Shutterstock

National Chambal Sanctuary

Also known as the National Chambal Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary, this reserve crosses three states. It is a habitat for the critically endangered gharial, the red-crowned roof turtle and the Ganges river dolphin.

The gharial is protected under India's Wild Life (Protection) Act of 1972 | Shutterstock

Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary

Part of the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, this wildlife sanctuary is lush with sal and teak forests, grasslands, steaming swamps and wetlands. It is home to wild boar, elephants, leopards, jackals, langurs, porcupines and otters.

A smooth-coated otter | Shutterstock

Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary

This Ramsar Site in the Unnao district is a haven for birds, with 25,000 waterbirds regularly recorded and 220 resident and migratory species documented here, such as the Egyptian vulture and Pallas’s fish eagle.

A Pallas’s fish eagle | Shutterstock

Kaimoor Wildlife Sanctuary

Situated within the Kaimur Hills range, this sanctuary has gorgeous waterfalls (Mukka, Karkat and Telhar), ancient cave paintings, and animals like sloth bears, sambar deer, chital, tigers, chinkaras and leopards.

A Chinkara looks into the camera | Shutterstock

Chandra Prabha Wildlife Sanctuary

Boasting picturesque picnic spots, dense forests, and stunning waterfalls like Rajdari and Devdari, this sanctuary is home to chital, sambar deer, nilgai, wild boar, porcupines, gharials, pythons and chinkara.

The Rajdari Waterfall in the Chandra Prabha Wildlife Sanctuary | Shutterstock

Here Are The Top 10 Bird Sanctuaries In Uttar Pradesh

A red-crested pochard | Shutterstock
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