» Rajaji National Park

Rajaji National Park is located in the Western Himalayan state of Uttaranchal. The Rajaji National Park is named after the first Indian Governor General of India and well-known freedom fighter, C. Rajagopalachari or Rajaji, as he was popularly known.

The park was established in 1983 after amalgamating three wildlife sanctuaries, namely, Rajaji, Motichur, and Chilla in the southern foothills of the Himalayas. Today, the park boasts of the highest concentration of wild elephants in the entire Uttaranchal.

As the park runs along several major cities of Uttaranchal like Dehradun, Haridwar, and Mussoorie, the number of visitors to the park has always been high. There are excellent lodging, eating, and access facilities. The park also offers some breathtaking views of Himalayan mountain range and an option to move into other wildlife sanctuaries of the region.

» Major Attractions of Rajaji National Park

The park is rich in floral species and its vegetation consists of plants, under-wood, and undergrowth species. The main species of plants in the park are the sal (Shorea robusta), baki (Anogeissue latifolia), sain (Terminalia tomentosa), haldu (Adina cordifolia), bachera (Terminalia ballerica), jhingan (Lannea coromandelica), kharpat (Garuga pinnata), phauri (Lagerstroemia parviflora), bula (Kydia calycina), badal (Stereospermum chelonoides), tun (Cadrela tonna), gutel (Trewia nudiflora), gular (Ficus glomerata), etc.

Rajaji National Park is also rich in faunal wealth. The main groups of animals are mammals, birds, reptiles (snakes and lizards), amphibians (frogs and toads) and fishes, and scorpions, centipedes, odonata (dragon and damselflies), hymenoptera (wasps, bees, etc.), isoptera (termites) and lepidoptera, which comprises more than 60 species. India's national bird peacock is found here in abundance. In all, the entire park has around 49 species of mammals, 315 species of birds, 49 species of reptiles, 10 species of amphibians, and 49 of fish fauna.

» Best time to visit Rajaji National Park

Rajaji National Park is open to visitors between November and June. The months from December to March are usually the best time to visit, as the weather’s at its best. Beyond April, things start hotting up, though it never gets unbearably hot.

» How to Get there

Air : The city is also on the air network and connected to Delhi. The park has seven entry points accessible from all of the four cities mentioned above by road.

Rail & Road : The park is easily accessible from Haridwar, Dehradun, Rishikesh, and Mussoorie. Dehradun (where the headquarter of the park is located) can be reached from most of the important places in India by rail or road.

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