Shoolpaneshwar Wildlife Sanctuary Gujarat

Shoolpaneshwar is mainly located in Gujarat with some of its parts lying in Maharashtra and at the same time sharing a common boundary with Madhya Pradesh. Covering a total area of about 607.71 sq km of lush green forests, the sanctuary lies in the Dangs Forest region and the Vindhya and Saputara hill ranges. The sanctuary runs over a huge, undulating terrain, ever-pervading greenery, silent hills and cliffs, youthful streams, royal waterfalls giving rise to an overall breathtakingly beautiful landscape congregating at the Vindhyan-Satpura hill ranges.

The physical aspect of the wildlife sanctuary is dominated by Rajpipla Hills with Dhanmal at the highest peak (882 m) located in the east. The general slope is mostly towards west.

The climate is mostly moist deciduous rainforests ecoregion. The summers are hot and humid, and practically exhaustive for the travelers. The monsoons are unpredictable and slushy, and hence must be avoided. The winter is pleasant and cool and most enjoyable for a nice winter holiday.

The best time to travel to Shoolpaneshwar Wildlife Sanctuary is during the months of October to March. It is best explored just after the rains in the months of October and November when the entire forest turns luxuriously green and rich in vegetation. You can also spot birds and animals at waterholes. Winter vacation is best sorted out from December to March.

TDry deciduous scrub, moist teak forest, dry bamboo brakes, moist mixed deciduous forest, and dry tropical riverside forest ? you will find it all merging together in the sanctuary to make it an excellent habitat for a wide diversity of animals, reptiles, birds and insects.

The sanctuary was initially setup to preserve the sloth bear. You can spot a number of animals in the sanctuary including the Indian civet cat, rhesus macaque, leopard, common mongoose, pangolin, flying squirrel, chital, Indian porcupine, barking deer, four-horned antelope and tortoise to name a few. Some of the fastest species of leopard are found here in the sanctuary. The barking deer is also one of the main attractions of the sanctuary.

Alexandrian parakeet, red jungle fowl, shikhara, sparrow hawk, gray hornbill, sparrow hawk, crested serpent eagle, grey jungle fowls, great-horned owl, grey hornbill and more form the major avifauna of the region. Several species of snakes, pythons and lizards account for the reptiles population of the sanctuary.

The sanctuary is thickly forested and houses tribes (Vasavas) who are solely dependent on the forest and land for subsistence. The sanctuary is thickly forested with deciduous trees like karanj, mahuda, amaltas and teaks along with bamboo in abundance. There are 575 types of flowering plants all across the sanctuary.