Jungle Book - 5 selected wildlife sanctuaries of India

India's 100 national parks and 560 wildlife sanctuaries cover 5 percent of the country's land area, and are home for a diverse range of animal species, including tigers, elephants, Asiatic lions, leopards, one-horned rhinoceroses, swamp deer, gibbons, crocodiles, and over 1,300 bird species

- Punita Malhotra

India’s forest and tree cover spans 827,357 sq. km, accounting for 25.17 percent of the country’s geographical area. In the South, the Western Ghats rise like a living wall, their rainforests now a UNESCO World Heritage Site harbouring rich flora and fauna. To the East, the Sundarbans stretch out, a watery labyrinth of mangroves and tidal rivers where tigers slip silently between land and sea. In central India, teak and sal tree jungles stand like sentinels of deep time, their roots entwined with fossil records dating back 200 million years. And far to the North, the Himalayan alpine woods and conifer valleys host rare birdlife and the elusive snow leopard.

India’s 100 national parks and 560 wildlife sanctuaries cover 5 percent of the country’s land area. Classified as one of the world’s 17 ‘megadiverse’ countries which harbour most Earthian species in a relatively small area, India is home for a diverse range of animal species, including tigers, elephants, Asiatic lions, leopards, one-horned rhinoceroses, swamp deer, gibbons, crocodiles, and over 1,300 bird species. For families especially with children stepping into these forests is like entering a living jungle book. Each forest has been shaped by ancient rivers, volcanic eruptions, shifting tectonic plates, and the cumulative impact of generations of human stewardship. Every rustle, footprint, and birdcall is part of a story that began long before the birth of humankind and continues to unfold today.

In this dispatch, I present my shortlist of the country’s five must-visit wildlife sanctuaries, internationally renowned for the wealth of their flora and fauna and the experiences they offer.

1. Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan