About Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary
Hear the wild symphony!
Home of the majestic Tiger, Sariska is one of the many protected
sanctuaries in India where Project Tiger met with success. Set amidst the
scrubby Aravali Hills, the Sanctuary sprawls across dry thorny deciduous
forests, covered almost ninety per cent by the Dhok tree. Sariska was
declared a Sanctuary in 1955 and became a Tiger Reserve under in 1979.
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The residence of the royal cat : Its most popular resident, the Tiger
along with other wildlife including the Leopard, Jungle Cat, Jackal, Hyena,
and Wild dog, inhabit the Sanctuary. In an endeavor to make Sariska more
animal-friendly, the authorities have plans to create artificial waterholes,
divert the roads that disrupt the serenity of the Reserve and find ways to
curtail the biggest threat, poachers
» Flora & Fauna : The forest type is dry
deciduous, represented by dhok (Anogeissus pendula), khair (Acacia catechu),
tendu (Diospyros melanoxylon) and ber (Zizyphus maudrentiana). It remains
lush green during the monsoon period and dry in summer.
Today the tiger population in Sariska is around 25 (as per government
census of 1995). That's not much, but it's also not bad considering the fact
that tiger population is shrinking everywhere. The best time to spot tigers
is in summer, when they move to waterholes and there's not much foliage to
camouflage their stripes.
The other cats living here are jungle cat, caracals (a reddish-brown
wildcat with black tipped ears) and the rusty spotted cat. Nilgai (large
Indian antelope; blue bull), cheetal (spotted deer), sambar (large Asiatic
deer), jackal, chowsingha (four-horned antelopes),and ratel (honey badgers)
are easily spotted.
» Jeep Safari! : Within Sariska, jeeps can be hired
from the Forest Reception Office to tour the park. The other option for avid
wildlife-watchers is to hire a machan or `hide' near one of the waterholes.
Location, Access & Geographical Details
The
town closest to Sariska is Alwar, and the park itself lies off the
Delhi-Alwar-Jaipur highway, just over 100 km from Jaipur, and about 200 km
from Delhi. Alwar, a mere 21 km from Sariska, is the nearest railhead, and
has frequent trains from Deeg, Bharatpur, Jaipur and other towns. In
addition, the high-speed Shatabdi Express comes daily from Delhi, except on
Sundays. The train stops only for two minutes at Alwar, so you'll have to be
quick on your feet, getting on or off.
The nearest airport is Jaipur, which, by virtue of its being the state
capital, and an important tourist destination, is well connected to the rest
of the country.
Regular buses connect Alwar to Delhi and to other towns and cities within
Rajasthan as well. From Alwar, there are buses to Sariska, and rented
vehicles or taxis can be taken to get to the park.
» Temperature : 36.0°C - 46.0°C (Summers)
5.0°C - 32.9°C (Winters)
» Altitude : 260 mts
» Rainfall : 70 cms
Best time to visit
Open year round, the best period being November-April, especially
March-April.
