view
Nanda Devi (7,816 m/25,645') in Gharwal Himalaya is the highest mountain in Northern India.

Part 2. Northern India

The northernmost part of India is the world of high mountains. This is a cold place, where travel is difficult or impossible in winter months. So if you visit the country in winter, the best place to go is Siwalik Range, which goes parallel to the Great Himalaya across northern India, Nepal and Sikkim.
view view
Views of the Himalaya from Sivalik Range above Naini Tal, Uttarkhand.
view
Village in Sivalik Range, Uttarkhand.
Parts of Siwalik are forested, and in winter those forests are full of migratory birds from further North. There are a few Nature reserves in Siwalik. By far the most interesting is Corbett National Park in Uttarkhand (formerly Uttaranchal) State. view
River valley in Corbett National Park, Uttarkhand.
bird bird bird bird bird bird
Birds of Naini Tal area, left to right: white-capped redstart (Phoenicurus leucocephalus), black-capped sibia (Heterophasia capistrata), green-backed tit (Parus monticolus, two photos), red-headed tit (Aegithalos concinnus), chestnut-bellied nuthatch (Sitta castanea).
view
Hills of Corbett National Park.
Corbett is the oldest national park in India, and one of the largest (521 sq. km). In addition to common wildlife readily seen in other Indian reserves - deer, tigers, wild boars, wild elephants - it also has some rare species such as gharial. termites
Termite colony, Kateraniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttar Pradesh.
view
Corbett National Park.
view
Forest of sal (Shorea robusta), CNP.
bird
Indian black ibis (Pseudibis papillosa), KWS.
Most of the park is hill forest, but there are also open river valleys with tallgrass flooplains. otter
Oriental small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinereus), KWS.
otter otter
Oriental small-clawed otters playing with pebbles, KWS.
otter
Oriental small-clawed otters playing with pebbles, KWS.
These floodplains are the best place to see large animals (at dusk and dawn), as well as countless smaller creatures, including three otter species. otter
Oriental small-clawed otters playing with pebbles, KWS/.
view
Terai dawn, KNP.
bird
Jungle owlet (Glaucidium radiatum), CNP.
South from the Siwalik is the belt of wet lowlands known as terai or tarai. Sparsely populated until recently due to malaria, they have a lot of natural habitats left - forests, sawannas and swamps. bird
Jungle owlet, CNP.
bird bird
Black-necked storks (Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus), KWS.
bird
bird
Indian grey horbills
(Ocyceros birostris), KWS.
bird
Indian grey horbill,
KWS.
Some of the best Nature reserves in Asia are in the terai: Chitwan and Bardia National Parks in Nepal, Kateraniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, Dudhwa and Kaziranga National Parks in India. bird
Wolly-necked stork
(Ciconia episcopus), KWS.
bird
Stone-curlew (Burhinus
oedicnemus
), KWS.
rhino rhino
Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), KWS.
bear
Sloth bear (Melursus ursinus), KWS.
Terai parks and reserves tend to be a bit remote, but they are the only places to see Indian rhinoceros, wild Asian buffalo, Bengal floricans, etc. Unfortunately, many of them are closed in summer, which is the most interesting time. rhino
Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), KWS.
bear bear
Sloth bears, KWS.
hyena
Striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena), KWS.
South from the terai is the Gangetic Plain, the most overcrowded and boring part of the country. Known elsewhere in India as "the Cow Belt", it is basicallly one huge city, with virtually no natural habitats left, but it has some beautiful architecture. hyena
Striped hyena, KWS.
hyena hyena
Striped hyena, KWS.
bird
Brown crake (Amaurornis akool),
Sultanpur National Park, Harayana.
Permanent lakes of the Plain used to be world-famous waterbird breeding and wintering areas. The most spectacular one, Keoladeo Ghana National Park, a World Heritage Site, has been totally destroyed by the corrupt local government, which allowed diverting all water supply to the ever-growing cities and farms. Nowadays it is usually dry in winter - just a patch of dry tropical forest with two or three small ponds, and very little wildlife. The much smaller Sultanpur National Park still has water all year, and there are lots of wintering ducks, geese, and other Palearctic birds there. birds
Red-wattled (Vanellus indicus) and
sociable (V. gregarius) lapwings, SNP.
bird bird
Cotton Pygmy Geese (Nettapus coromandelianus), Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Rajasthan.
view
Sunset in Sasan Gir National Park, Gujarat.
Western India is arid land, mostly destroyed by overgrazing. Sasan Gir National Park (famous for its Asiatic lions) is the last large natural area left there. view
Dawn in Sasan Gir National Park.
porcupine
Indian porcupine (Hystrix indica), SGNP.
tracks
Porcupine tracks, SGNP.

The Great Thar Desert further west is the most overpopulated desert in the world, with over one million people and very little wildlife.
porcupine
Indian porcupine, SGNP.
onager
Indian wild ass, or khur (Equus hemionus khur),
Little Rann of Kutch Wildlife Sanctuary, Gujarat.
antelope
Four-horned antelope, or chousingha
(Tetracerus quadricornis), SGNP.
gazelle
Indian gazelle, or chinkara (Gazella gazella bennettii),
Desert National Park, Rajasthan
wolf
Indian grey wolf (Canis lupus pallipes), LRKWS.
Small Nature reserves in the desert are a good place to see the distinctive Indian subspecies of grey wolf, almost extinct elsewhere. wolf
Indian grey wolf, LRKWS.
birds
Sarus cranes (Grus antigone), KGNP.

Part 3: Amritsar

Back to Part 1

Home