Askot Musk Deer Sanctuary

Location :Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand
Coverage area : 600 sq km
Main attraction : musk deer
Best time to visit :April to September
Nearby excursions :
Nearby cities :Didihat

Known as ?The Green Paradise of India?, Askot Musk Deer Sanctuary is indeed a heavenly experience. Secured beautifully at 5412 feet amidst the snow-capped peak in the Kumaon Himalayas, Askot Musk Deer Sanctuary is one of the out of the ordinary tourist places. It is a pure bliss for the nature lovers to travel to the sanctuary, especially during the spring when nature blesses the region with its best. The blood red color of Rhododendron

forest is hypnotizing, so are the forests of pine and deodar.

Set up in the year 1986, the main aim of the sanctuary was to preserve the Musk deer.The name Askot is derived from AssiKot, that means 80 forts still spotted in Dharchula. The entire region is spread over three major watersheds of Goriganga, Kali and Dhauli with Panchchuli and Chhiplakot range at the background, it offers enough diversity of nature to try your luck with.

Location of Askot Musk Deer Sanctuary

Askot Musk Deer Sanctuary is located 54 km from Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand. With an altitude of 2,000 ft to 22,654 ft, the sanctuary covers a total area of 600 sq km. The River Kali acts like an international boundary keeping Nepal in the east, West Almora Forest Division at the west, Tibet at the north and Pithoragarh Forest Division at the south.

Climatic conditions

The region enjoys a sub-arctic climate. The Askot Musk Deer Sanctuary experiences extreme weather conditions with severe winters as the higher areas of the sanctuary get covered in snow. The maximum temperature can reach upto 30 degrees Celsius, while winters go sub-zero. The area is also prone to heavy rainfall.

Best time to visitAskot Musk Deer Sanctuary

You can visit this place any time of the year other than monsoons, though the best time to visit Musk Deer Sanctuary is from April to September when the climate is the most favorable, and the terrain is visually the best to catch the wilderness of the Himalayan hideout. Tourists and wildlife enthusiasts can make the most of the place during these months without any climatic mess.In winters, the higher altitudes of Askot receive regular snow fall till March. One can also visit this place in summers as it s normally colder than other regions of North India.

Animals that inhabit the sanctuary

The sanctuary was primarily the preserving area for musk deer and its habitat, a rare species of deer that live mainly in forested and alpine scrub habitats in the mountains of southern Asia. Apart from this rare species of deer which makes the region famous, other mammals found in this sanctuary include the Bengal tiger, snow tiger, Indian leopard, Himalayan jungle cat, Himalayan leopard, black Himalayan bear, civet, barking deer, serow, bharal, monkey, lemur, bonnet macaques, goral and Himalayan brown bear which make the Askot Musk Deer Sanctuary unique in its own.

The avifauna is equally interesting and exotic. The delightful scene of high altitude birds flying up in the sky scattering different hues is a pure bliss to the eyes and soul. Snow cock, monal, fowl, chukor, pheasant, sparrow and white throated tit are some of the most spotted birds here.Reptiles like darter, cobra, black eagles, little cormorants, krait and viper are some of the most common reptiles found in this sanctuary.

Distance of Askot Musk Deer Sanctuary from major cities:

Nainital, 181 km
Ranikhet, 165 km
Haldwani, 212 km
Dehradun, 226 km
Bareilly, 270 km
Delhi, 505 km
Lucknow, 506 km
Shimla, 676 km
Kolkata, 1440 km
Mumbai, 1789 km
Bangalore, 2362 km
Chennai, 2402 km

How to reach the National park ?

Open All

Close All

Airways

The nearest airport is only 60 km away, located at NainaSani in Pithoragar.
Taxi services are available which would take you to the sanctuary.
Delhi airport, at 505 km away, is well connected to domestic as well as international cities.

Railways

Tanakpur is the nearest railway station located 204 km away.
Taxi services and car rentals are easily available from the railway station.

Roadways

Askot Musk Deer Sanctuary is reachable via two different routes
Haldwani-Almora route from Haldwani railway station that is 235 km from the sanctuary, and Almora is 117 km away.
Tanakpur-Pithoragarh route, Tanakpur railway station is 204 km away.

Accommodation facilities

Though there are not many accommodation places in Askot, one can find a number of viable budget hotels, mid priced hotels and resorts with all the basis amenities. One can also find hotels and rest houses in places like Tejam, Rugling, and Kaflani.

Things to do

Treat your eyes with the beautiful flora

The 54 km stretched route from Pithoragarh is an absolute bliss for the nature lovers, especially during the spring when the region is filled with the blood red color of Rhododendron forest.

Discover the demographic variations

While the altitude range from 2,000 ft to 22,654 ft stretching to an area of almost 600 sq km, demographic variations are seen with River Kali flowing by, as peaks like Panchchuli, Neodhura, Naukana, Chhiplakot, Najirikot stare down and the passes Lipulekh, Lumpiyalekh and Mankshanglekh add to its beauty. The forest blocks namelyRugling, Jyotigad, Hiragumarhi, Duk, Sobla, East Ghandhura, West Ghandhura, Maitham, Akla and Daphia contribute to the biodiversity affluent surroundings.

Religious and historical places

There are many religious places here - Bhanar, Chiplakot, Niirikot, Panchachuli, Kalapani and ChotaKailash (AdiKailash) are the most prominent ones. Askot, or AssiKot meaning 80 forts can still be traced in Dharchula. Lakhanpurkot is a village on the bank of River Kali speaks for the ruins of the forts as well as for the civilization that once ruled here.

Fauna and avifauna

Needless to mention is the heavenly fauna and avifauna that nature has bestowed the region with and the sanctuary has been preserving some of the rarest species of animals and birds.

Conclusion

Want some tranquility in the lap of nature with its full swing of demographic variation? Askot Musk Deer Sanctuary is the perfect place to go for your next summer vacation. Don?t miss to take your camera along ? as there would be some of the unprecedented views to capture forever.