Planning for wildlife photography? Are you looking for a place to start your photography? If yes, let us dive in to find out more from this article. We have listed the 10 best places for wildlife photography in India along with all the essential details about the location, the best time to visit, species, and activities you can do in those places. All you need is to dive in to grab the details. Once you have gone through it you will get the best places for the perfect shots of the animals for your photography gig.
Kalyan Verma is India’s renowned wildlife photographer, filmmaker, and environment explorer. He works with many leading publications and broadcasting networks across the world such as Nat Geo and BBC. He has been working for over 8 years on documentaries and books related to conservation and activism and also worked with scientists, conservationists, and educators.
How Can I Start Wildlife Photography in India?
Wildlife photography is interesting work as you get a chance to explore the beauty of nature. If you are interested in beginning your career in wildlife photography then you can understand animals in a better way by studying subjects like Zoology and Biology. You can gain knowledge of geography, history, cultural context, and custom settings of nature by studying subjects Geography, Environmental Science.
10 best places for wildlife photography in India you should explore
1. Jim Corbett National Park
About: Jim Corbett National Park was established during British rule in 1936 and was earlier known by the name Hailey National Park after William Malcolm Hailey, a governor of the United Provinces. It was renamed Corbett National Park after the name of hunter Jim Corbett who founded this national park. The national park is spread across hills, riverine belts, marshy lands, grassy lands, and lakes covering 520.8 km2. This unique tiger territory is being honored as the place with the first Project Tiger in India to safeguard the tigers. It is one of the 10 best places for wildlife photography in India.
Located in: Nainital district of Uttarakhand
Best time to visit: October to February
Famous for: Tigers
Species to see: Asiatic black bears, Langurs, sloth bears, wild boars, Indian gray mongooses, jungle cats, elephants, chitals, barking deer, and nilgai
Activities to do: Jeep Safari, Elephant Safari, Camping, Trekking, Fishing, Biking, River Rafting, Rock Climbing, admiring Waterfall, Bird Watching & many more.
2. Kaziranga National Park
About: Kaziranga National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with two-thirds of the world’s Indian rhinoceroses. As per the latest census conducted in March 2018, the Forest Department of the Government of Assam and a local wildlife NGO team found that there are 2,613 rhinos in this national park with 1,641 adult rhinos and 385 calves. This national park is spread over 1,090 km2. The park was built with the recommendation of Mary Curzon, the wife of the Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon of Kedleston. Under the law, the maximum protection has been granted to Kaziranga National Park for wildlife conservation.
Located in: Golaghat and Nagaon districts Assam
Famous for: Horn Rhinos
Best time to visit: May to October
Species to see: Rhinos, Tigers, Swamp deer, Elephants, Wild Buffalo
Activities to do: Tiger Sighting, Birdwatching, River Rafting & Wildlife Trekking
3. Ranthambore National Park
About: With 1,334 km2 of land, Ranthambore National Park is bordered to the north by the Banas River and to the south by the Chambal River. The park is named after the historic Ranthambore Fort, which lies in the park. Earlier it was established as Sawai Madhopur Game Sanctuary spread over an area of 282 km2. It has 539 species of flowering plants and 35 species of reptiles, 40 species of mammals, and 320 species of birds as well as migratory species.
Located in: Sawai Madhopur district, Rajasthan
Famous for: Large Tiger population
Best time to visit: October and March
Species to see: 35 species of reptile, 40 species of mammals, and 320 species of birds as well as migratory species.
Activities to do: Seeing wild animals, Bird watching, Jeep safari, Hot air balloon, seeing Rajiv Gandhi Regional Museum, Ranthambore School of Art, and Jogi Mahal
4. Gir Forest National Park
About: Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary are also known as Sasan Gir. It is a 1,410.30 km2 wildlife sanctuary, of which 1,151.59 km2 is protected as a wildlife sanctuary and 258.71 km2 as a national park. Gir forest is known for its diverse ecosystem, it consists of 40 mammal species and 425 bird species. As per the census in 2015, there are 106 male, 201 female, and 213 sub-adult lions present here.
Located in: near Talala Gir in Gujarat
Famous for: Asiatic lion
Best time to visit: December to March
Species to see: four-horned antelope, sambar, chital, nilgai, and wild boar.
Activities to do: Jungle safari, bird watching, enjoying the beach, and tribal festivals
5. Sundarbans National Park
About: West Bengal is home to the Sundarbans National Park, a national park, a tiger reserve, and a biosphere. On the Ganges Delta, it is a section of the Sundarbans and is adjacent to Bangladesh’s Sundarban Reserve Forest. It has a variety of bird, reptile, and invertebrate species. The history of 200-300 AD and it is believed that the Sunderbans were given to the residents on lease. Sundarban National Park was declared a tiger reserve under the Tiger Project in 1978.
Located in: West Bengal
Famous for: Royal Bengal Tiger
Best time to visit: October and March
Species to see: There are extremely few opportunities to witness river terrapins, estuarine crocodiles, Ganges and Irawadi dolphins, and the Royal Bengal Tiger.
Activities to do: spotting Bengal tiger and river dolphins, boating, and jeep safari
6. Kanha National Park
About: Kanha Tiger Reserve is also known by the name Kanha–Kisli National Park. In India, it is known as the largest national park and tiger reserves. It is spread over 940 km2 in Mandla and Balaghat, two districts of Madhya Pradesh. Kanha Reserve has over 1000 species of flowering plants and 300 species of birds. It was declared a reserve in 1879 and a wildlife sanctuary in 1933.
The reintroduction of Barasingha has been started to preserve Barasingha by introducing 500 Barasingha who were relocated here from various locations.
Located in: Near Mandla, Madhya Pradesh, India
Famous for: the dominance of male tigers
Best time to visit: October and March
Species to see: Bengal tiger, Indian leopard, Bengal fox, sloth bear, dhole, and Indian jackal
Activities to do: Wildlife safari, Kanha Museum, Trekking, Nature Trails, Cycling Trails
7. Bandhavgarh National Park
About: In the Vindhya hills, Bandhavgarh National Park is spread over 1117 sq km in Madhya Pradesh. It is famous for Royal Bengal Tigers as this national park has the highest density in India and world as well. Earlier this national park was the hunting preserve for Maharaj Rewa and now it is a natural hub for white tigers. White tigers were discovered in Rewa. It has 37 species of mammals, 80 species of butterflies, and above 250 species of birds. The reintroduction of gaur is done in the Bandhavgarh National Park in 2012 from Kanha National Park as earlier it had a small population that died due to the disease passed to them from cattle.
Located in: District Umaria, Madhya Pradesh
Famous for: Royal Bengal tigers
Best time to visit: October to March
Species to see: Tiger, chital, sambar, wild boar, chinkara, Barking Deer, sloth bear, wild dogs, wild boar, and langur
Activities to do: Jeep Safari, Sightseeing, trails, Baghel Museum, Bird watching
8. Periyar National Park
About: Periyar National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary (PNP) is spread over 925 km2 out of which 305 km2 area is declared as the core zone in the year 1982. It is located along the border with Tamil Nadu in the Cardamom Hills and Pandalam Hills of the South Western Ghats and mostly visited from 10 best places for wildlife photography in India. This national park is known as the repository of rare, endangered, and endemic flora and fauna. It has 35 species of mammals, 40 Bengal tigers as per the 2017 census, 266 species of birds, 45 species of reptiles, 40 species of fishes, 160 butterfly taxa, and many more.
Located in: Idukki, Pathanamthitta in Kerala
Famous for: herds of Asian elephants
Best time to visit: October to June
Species to see: Wild Pigs, Dole or Barking Deer, Mouse Deer, Sambar, Gaur, Indian Wild Dog, and Tiger.
Activities to do: Jeep safari, elephant ride, bamboo rafting, camping, strolling, Thekkady Lake Cruise, and boat safari
9. Bandipur National Park
About: Bandipur National Park covers 868.63 km2. It was set as a tiger reserve in the year 1973 under Project Tiger. Since 1986, this national park has been part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. In the year 1931, the sanctuary of 90 km2 was created by the Maharaja of the Kingdom of Mysore and was named Venugopala Wildlife Park. Later on, 800 km2 was added to this national park after it was established as a tiger reserve under Project Tiger. It supports a wide range of bamboo trees and is home to a wide range of flora and fauna.
Located in: Chamarajanagar district, Karnataka
Famous for: second highest population of tigers in India
Best time to visit: In mid of July and September
Species to see: Bengal tiger, gaur, chital, Indian elephant, and sambar deer species
Activities to do: safari, trekking, visiting hill stations, bird watching, camping, Pykara Falls, exploring the riverside, and elephant rides
10. Dudhwa National Park
About: The Dudhwa National Park is a national park that stretches over 490.3 km2 out of which 190 km2 is the buffer zone. It is situated at the Indo-Nepali border in Lakhimpur Kheri District. This national park has a diverse and productive ecosystem with many endangered species, obligate and species with less distribution. It became a tiger reserve in 1979. Earlier, it was established as a wildlife sanctuary for swamp deer in 1958. Billy Arjan Singh founded this area and notified it as a national park in the year 1977. Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary and Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary together form the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve.
Located in: Palia Kalan, Uttar Pradesh
Famous for: rhino population
Best time to visit: February and April, 15 November to 15 June,
Species to see: Tiger, Turtles, Kakar, Wild pig Rhinoceros, Elephant, Rhesus monkey, Langur, Blue bull, Porcupine, Otter, Sloth bear, Swamp deer, Sambar, Hog deer, Cheetal, Python, Monitor lizard, Mugger, Gharial, etc.
Activities to do: Jungle safari, bird watching, elephant rides, Boat Safari in Kataraniaghat, visiting Sathiyana, and interacting with local tribes
Conclusion:
So, if you are planning to go on a trip for wildlife photography, then you should cover these above-mentioned 10 best places for wildlife photography in India. You will get the best experience of flora and fauna. Don’t forget to carry your telephoto lenses to capture the amazing wildlife sights. Wishing you luck that you get the best shots of wildlife.
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