Ranthambore National Park Rajasthan

The Ranthambore National Park is situated in the Sawai Madhopur district in the southern part of Rajasthan. This national park covers an extensive area of 392 sq. km. and if the area of Sawai Man Singh Sanctuary is included then the total area is approximately 500 sq. km. The park is wonderfully located in the meeting point of the two mountain ranges ? Aravalli and Vindhya.

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Geographical Landscape of the National Park

The landscape of this national park is hilly and rugged and thus, the vegetation type here is tropical dry deciduous and thorn forests. Fortunately, there are many lakes present here, which make the living of the inhabitants a bit more comfortable during the dry and hot summers. The lakes in the park are named as Padam Talab, Malik Talab, Raj Bagh Talab, etc. The historical and magnificent Ranthambore Fortress is present inside the park premises on a hilltop. This 10th century fort stands 700 feet above the ground surface and the ruins of this fort is an attractive site for tourist visits.

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Nearby Wildlife Sanctuaries

The Mansingh Sanctuary and Kaila Devi Sanctuary are located adjacently to this park and in 1991, these two sanctuaries were included in the area of this national park.

This wildlife park experiences an arid sub-tropical climate. The summer starts at the end of March and lasts till June with the day temperature rising often above 40 degrees. The monsoon season stretches from July to September, but the area receives scanty rainfall and often suffers droughts. From November to February, the winter season prevails with the night temperature going as low as below 10 degrees. Rainfall and fog during the winters are common in Ranthambore. This area experiences extreme weather conditions where the summers are extremely hot and dry and the winters are bitterly cold.

The period from October to June is the best time to visit the national park. The summer months are considered ideal for exploring the park as the chances of sighting the wild animals, especially tigers becomes high. The monsoon months are considered to be the breeding season of the animals and thus, the park remains closed for the public from July till the end of September.

Ranthambore National Park is best known for its large population of Royal Bengal Tigers. The best part is that the tigers in this park are not at all afraid of the humans and hence, they openly roam in the jungle area and therefore, easily sighted by the tourists, much to their delight. The tigers here have got their pet names, which are quite famous ? Machli (T16), Machli Jr., Dollar (T25), Sitara (T28), Bina One, Bina Two, Krishna, Star, Mala, Noor, Bumburam, etc. Other than tigers, various other species of animals have made this park their home.

Wild animals

There are 40 species of mammals, 320 species of birds, 40 species of reptiles, 50 species of butterflies, and 2 amphibian species present in the national park and these good numbers are a major attraction for the global tourists, undoubtedly. A large number of Indian Leopards are there in the park. Other animals include - Wild Boar, Nilgai, Sambar, Jackals, Rhesus Macaque, Chital, Chinkara, Jungle Cats, Sloth Bear, Gray Langur, Striped Hyenas, Caracals, Black Bucks, Common Palm Civets or Toddy Cats, Rufoustailed Hare, Yellow Bats, Fivestriped Palm Squirrels, Desert Cats, Indian Flying Fox, Indian Fox, Indian Gerbilles, Indian False Vampires, Indian Mole Rats, Indian Porcupines, Small Indian Mongoose, Common Mongoose, Small Indian Civets, Ratels, Longeared Hedgehogs, etc. The 2 amphibian species include the Common Frog and the Common Indian Toad.

Birds

320 species of both resident and migrant birds could be seen here and many migratory birds flock to this land. Peacocks, Graylag Goose, Great Indian Owls, Woodpeckers, Indian Gray Hornbills, Bee Eaters, Cuckoos, Spoonbills, Partridges, Kingfishers, Parakeets, Asian Palm Swift, Nightjars, Pigeons, Gulls, Terns, Sandpipers, Cranes, Dove, Snipes, Great Crested Grebe, Herons, Eagles, Darters, Egrets, Cormorants, Crows, Ibis, Bitterns, Flamingos, Shrikes, Wood Shrikes, Cuckoo-Shrikes, Orioles, Storks, Pelicans, Pittas, Treepies, Mynas, Bulbul, Falcons, Finches, Munias, Wagtails, Minivets, Flycatchers, Drongos, Ioras, Pipits, Sparrows, Bayas, and many more species of birds could be spotted in this national park.

The best bird watching areas in the forest are the lakes ? Padam Talao, Malik Talao, Rajbagh Talao, the Ranthambore Fort area, and Jhalra area. Also, you can spot numerous birds in the surrounding areas of the forest ? Mansarowar Lake, Soorwal Lake, Amlideh (Banas River), And the Helipad area.

Reptiles

A huge population of snub-nosed marsh crocodiles inhabits this national park. Also, there are Indian Chameleons, Tortoise, Desert Monitor Lizards, Ganges Soft-Shell Turtles, North Indian Flap Shelled Turtles, and snakes like King Cobra, Indian Python, Rat Snakes, Saw-Scaled Vipers, Russel?s Vipers, Common Kraits, Banded Kraits, etc.

Thanks to the presence of many lakes within the premises of this national park, varieties of fishes can be seen inhabiting these beautiful lakes.

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The Natural Vegetation or Flora

There are 300 species of plants and 539 species of flowering plants in this forest. The vegetation comprises of trees like Banyan, Neem, Mango, Imli, Jamun, Khajur, Babul, Dhok, Dhak or Chila, Khair, Kadam, Mohua, Khejda, Karel, etc.