Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary

Location :Telangana
Coverage area : 812-sq-km
Main attraction : Tiger, Panther, Gaur, Sambar, Cheetal, Nilgiri, Black Buck
Best time to visit :October to April
Nearby excursions : Ramappa Temple, Ramappa Lake, Jampanna Vaagu
Nearby cities :Warangal

The Eturnagaram wildlife sanctuary is one of the oldest wildlife sanctuaries in Telangana State at a distance of 109 Kms from Warangal and 253 Kms from Hyderabad. With the rigorous efforts of the Bhupalpally district forest officer (DFO) T Ravi Kiran and his team, it is today one of the best eco-tourist destinations in the region. Located near the border of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Telangana, it was declared as wildlife sanctuary in 1952 by Hyderabad Nizam Government.

Spreading over an area of 806 sqkm, the Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary is dominated by the thick vegetation of teak (Tectonagrandis) and Nallamaddi (Terminaliaalata) timber species. The keystone species in the sanctuary are Indian gour and giant squirrel. Situated in the dense forests of the sanctuary in Tadvaimandal is the tribal shrine of Sammakka-Sarakka of Medaram. There

is also the beautiful Laknavaram Lake which is one of the most sought tourist destinations in the State and is located on the fringes of the sanctuary.

Eturnagaram Sanctuary has a water source called DayyamVagu that separates the sanctuary into two parts. Known to house the largest population of gaurs or the Indian bison in the state, the place has a healthy range of wild life. The presence of the DayyamVagu River makes the area more congenial for the wild life. Source of rich bio and marine diversity, the Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary is indeed an asset that needs to be preserved. A visit to this place is definitely going to add freshness from the regular city life.

Thesanctuary does not organize any tours and safaris but, visitors can hire a private Jeep to explore the forest with proper permission from Eturunagaram Forest Officer.

Climatic conditions

Etunagaram wildlife sanctuary generally experiences a hot climate all throughout the year with summers being extremely hot and winters settle somewhere pleasant. The temperature often records up to 40?C and there is an all time high of 44?C during summers. Northeast and Southwest monsoon are known to hit the sanctuary in the months of October to December.

Best time to visitEturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary

The ideal time to visit Etunagaram is from October to April when the temperature is comparatively pleasant and the heat is less interfering with fun.

Animals that inhabit the sanctuary

This sanctuary provides the dwelling ground for Tiger, Leopard, Jackals Sloth Bear, Panther, Wolf, Wild Dogs,Chousingha, Sambar, Spotted Deer, Black Buck, Nilgai, Four Horned Antilope, Chinkara, Black Buck, Gaur and Giant Squirrels. The sanctuary is also one of the finest places to a wide range of bird species.

The sanctuary is watered by the perennial river DayyamVagu. The surplus amount of water in the sanctuary helps to support the large population of reptiles that is found here. These include cobra, krait, crocodiles, python, monitor lizard, star tortoise and more.

Vegetation

The land of Eturnagaram Sanctuary being an undulating terrain, it is one the primary examples of tropical dry deciduous type of vegetation. This region is quite famous for its teak plantation where the trees of height reach more than 60feet covering the whole place. One more specialty of the place is the various forms of climbers.

The perennial river DayyamVagu makes the region covered with thick lush greenery. Apart from teak, tirman, anduk, kodesa, gumpena, abnus found in this tropical dry deciduous forest, some of the major trees include:

Bamboo
Madhuca
Terminalia
Pterocarpus

Distance of Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary from major cities:

Warangal, 112 km
Hyderabad, 250 km
Vishakapatnam , 453 km
Chhattisgarh , 703 km
Chennai , 747 km
Bangalore , 831 km
Maharashtra , 839 km
Goa , 928 km
Mumbai, 985 km
New Delhi, 1547 km

How to reach the National park ?

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Airways

Hyderabad is the closest airport which is about 250km far from the sanctuary.

Railways

Warangal is the closest railhead that is placed at a distance of 100 km from the sanctuary. There are transfers available to the wildlife sanctuary from the railway station.

Roadways

A number of bus services maintained by RTC which run at regular intervals from Warangal. In fact, there are private transfers also which come to and from Warangal. The state provides impressive connectivity through the state run buses that ply from various strategic locations of the nearby towns and help tourists reach the Sanctuary.

Accommodation facilities

There are cottages and rest house at Tadvai where tourists can book their stay. Also, the forest rest house at Warangal and ITDA (Integrated Tribal Development Agency) Guest house at Eturnagaram is one of the top choices for many visitors. HarithaKakatiya Hotel in Warangal City handles the tourist flow to the heritage city of Warangal and is closely located to the other tourist attractions.HarithaKakatiya Hotel in Warangal City offers one of the best places to enjoy delicious food.

The forest rest house and the tourist huts also arranges for day trip to the Wildlife Sanctuary.