Pablakhali Wildlife Sanctuary

One such place is the Pablakhali wildlife Sanctuary which exposes you to the best views of wildlife and natural beauty. Situated in the Rangamati District in the Chittagong region, this has been existing since the year 1983 and is a well developed and settled sanctuary today. Spanning over an area of around 420 square kilometers, this sanctuary though small in size offers some of the best views for the tourist. So get to see the capped langur, the Asian elephant, the hoolock, the gibbon, the rhesus macauque, the tiger, the wild boars, otter, Indian muntjak, guar, the sambar and the Indian python. Then the bird lovers would surely love to come to this haven of avifauna where you will have the best views of the herons, the little grebe, the common  coot, the egrets, the waterfowl, the common moorhen, the Asian open bill stork, the white winged wood duck and many more such beautiful varieties of birds.

Besides this place also has a great variety of cats, dholes, and many other fascinating animals in this region. With variations in altitude and with proper water facilities, this is a lovely place to visit in Bangladesh.

The most ideal time to visit this sanctuary is between November to May. There are bird safaris as well as jungle safaris providing the tourist the options to choose from. Accommodation is not much of a problem and it is easily available in the form of two rest houses here. The spoken language here is either English or Bengali, so locals don’t find it a problem to come here.

Bhawal National Park

Located on the Gazipur village in the division of Dhaka, the Bhawal National Park is a great national wealth. Existing since the year 1974, the park had the main objective of taking care of its wildlife. Besides it was recreated as a region of recreation for the locals here. Covering a greatly wide area, this is a place where you could get everything you wanted. Earlier it was covered by a canopy of the Sal trees. Today, there has been lot of deforestation, and there is not as much greenery as there was earlier. Today there have been a lot of replantation techniques to augment the growth here. The coppice sal forest remains the unique tree here. It is a magnificent sight and a wonderful place to observe. Earlier Bhawal National park was famous for having the best variety of creatures like the elephant, the clouded leopard, the elephant, the black panthers, the sambar deer, the peacocks and the tigers. Today most of them are not seen in this pristine land, and whatever that remains today remains a luxury for those who visit this park.

A perfect getaway spot for most people in Dhaka, the Bhawal National park provides great travel memories.

Thus Bangladesh has its own share of wildlife haven, the Pablakhali National Park and the Bhawal National park being two interesting zones here.

The main symbol of wildlife in Azerbaijan is the Karabakh horse. This is a horse that originates from the mountain steppe and is in fact found only in Azerbaijan. Originally a part of the region of Azerbaijan, this has been existing since the 5th century. The animals in Azerbaijan are found in the areas where the climate is favorable and where there is the right kind of food available for them. Some of the species populate in special areas while others are found across the country. Passerines are located across the entire area of Azerbaijan. Then you have the Protozoa parasites that are also found in many areas of the country. Then you have the jeyran gazelles which are mainly found to dominate this area. The Caucasian region is inhabited by the Caucasian goats. In fact Azerbaijan is a region which has the maximum number of mammals in the European region. More than 107 types of mammals are found here, for example the Caucasus goats, and the moufflons which are so popular in this region.

While here in Azerbaijan, you can find the eastern European hedgehog, the long eared hedgehog, the Levantine mole, the bicoloured shrew, and the east central hedgehog. You can also see the European free tailed bat and the Kuhl’s pipistrelle and the common pipistrelle besides the whiskered bat and the serotine bat. The Greater Horseshoe bat and the Geoffroy’s bat is also very commonly found here.

Then you have the rodents like the house mouse, the pigmy field mouse, the grey hamstere, the social vole, the yellow breasted mouse, the Euphrates jerboa, the Libyan jird and then the carnivores like grey wolf, the golden jackal, the red fox, the beech marten, the least weasel, the brown bear, the striped hyena, the pine marten and the wild cat.

The Azerbaijan wildlife zones have more than 97 species of fish and most of these fish are found in the Kur River and the Mingechevir reservoir. The salmon,  the stellate sturgeon and the beluga are all parts of the aquatic fauna here and it is interesting to find all these under the same roof here. The most famous avifauna here include the Golden Eagle and the Nakhichevan which are found here in Azerbaijan.

Anyone who comes on an adventure tour to this place gets all the excitement and thrill that is related to this place and the potential for perfect adventure is great here in this part of the world. The Caucasus Mountain with its beautiful peaks and lovely gorges and caves make this place a tourist’s delight . Added to this, the hiking and trekking and the innumerable trails that so form a part of this place, ensure that the traveler coming here for adventure would never go back disappointed.

Azerbaijan thus offers an unforgettable adventure experience here in this part of  the world and gives you all the reason to be a part of this magnificent hub of wildlife here in this land of surprises and wildlife pleasures.

The southern and the south western portion of Armenia is the mainstay for the survival of another interesting species – the Persian leopard. In the entire Caucasus, this species is still existing. The entire Persian leopard population in Armenia is not more than 10 or 20 in number. The juniper filled forests of Armenia are home to these fascinating creatures and their extremely rugged habitats have cliffs surrounding the entire zone and there are traces of the existence of these leopards by the trails they leave such as the scrapes, tracks and scats. The entire region of Armenia is subject to lot of threat of these animals getting extinct so efforts are being made to curb activities that would lead to this. The Shikahogh State Preserve houses some of the more precious existing Persian leopard.

In the southern part of Armenia, there are evidences of a carcass being found and it has been identified as the carcass of a hyena thus confirming the presence of hyenas here in this part of the world. The species has become extinct in this region and today the earlier hyena habitat has got converted into cropland.

Human influences are the major factors which affect the wildlife in Armenia and it is required that these are attended to thus contributing to more wildlife views in Armenia tourism.

For example there are orchards in the regions of Syunik and Meghri provinces where the brown bears are found to the excitement of the tourists coming here. These are registered under the Red Book of Endangered Species. These orchards are protected and taken care of by the residents of the villages and there are various techniques to take care of them. The Arevik National Park is another wildlife park here in Armenia which houses some of the wild animals and ensures that they are taken care of.

Tourists are also impressed by the Armenia Tree Project which is a program to ensure that the wildlife here have enough greenery and seeks to reduce deforestation. The biologically diverse areas of the Caucasus regions need a lot of greenery for the kind of wildlife that exist here. So tourists coming here find at least 3, 50,000 trees planted here and it are a satisfaction that these are not being ignored.

Much of the livestock has originated from Armenia and it is interesting to note that the wolves and the Caucasian bear and the lynx are all species that used to exist in the Armenian forests. Besides the native species of Armenia has the Short Toed Eagle and the Syrian Brown bear as an attractive feature of wildlife tours here.

The main funding was given by USAID which encouraged the creation of the park with the help of Wildlife Conservation Society which conducted the wildlife surveys here. The park’s boundaries and limitations were marked and the local communities and provincial governments also contributed to getting it established.  The WCS developed the entire plan and helped the government to assist the local rangers and provided assistance to the Afghan Government and designed the law which enabled the creation of the park.

Thus the Band-e-Amir national park protects one of the best natural zones of Afghanistan. There are six beautiful lakes here which are separated by natural dams which are made out of travertine. Such travertine systems are seen only in a few areas in the entire world. Most of these are on the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites. These are major attractions in international tourism.

Band-e-Amir National Park is a favourite destination for all the tourists since the year 1950s and had a lot of visitors in the seventies. There was no tourism here in the years 1979 to the year 2001. However Band-e-Amir is today a place that is visited by many Afghan tourists, pilgrims, many foreigners and tourists from across the world, come here and come to the bamyan Valley where the giant Buddha statue is located. This was once destroyed by Taliban but today has been reconstructed.

The Band-e-Amir National Park is an enterprising initiative that patronizes the international community. This is a verdant expanse that has been created by Afghans, for Afghanistan and by the Afghans. This is the first national park in Afghanistan and is a great example for the future national park system.

The USAID has appreciated the NEPA for the creation of this green stretch. The USAID has the belief that all green areas are to be protected and is a main way to preserve the entire natural resources to improve the local livelihood.

The wildlife here has been comparititively lost yet there are surveys that have been taken recently which show that there was a species of wild goat called the ibex that has been found here. Then there was the urial which is a type of wild sheep and also the wolves, fish and mammals and innumerable bird species. Snow leopards were found in Afghanistan once but today they are no longer there. There was excessive hunting during the eighties and today one doesn’t find the snow leopards here.

The lakes in the national park are under threat of pollution and other human related causes yet there are efforts that have been made to protect them.

Afghanistan got a lot of international recognition due to this Band e Amir national park and has paved the path for the wildlife rich area with the surrounding areas of Pakistan, China and Tajikistan bordering it.

Thus this national park is a great input for all kinds of tourist generated revenue and has also ensured that the local communities get something to do towards protecting this world class landscape that the park consists of.

The Makalu National park has the dubious distinction of being the only protected zone in the entire world which has an elevation of more than 8000 m. there is a tropical forest that enclosed it and the snow capped peaks only add to the beauty of the entire area.

The national park lies at a close proximity of the international border with Tibet. So the northern part of the park lies close to the Tibetan border. The Makalu Barun Conservation Area lies in the southeastern and southern border. The peaks of Makalu are anywhere between 8,463 m and 6654 m. The Mount Chamalang, the fifth highest mountain in the world lies here. Then you have Baruntse, Mera which are also high rising peaks here.

Makalu National park is a biodiversity of flora and fauna. The idea to create such a place rooted in the year 1980. Then the park got accomplished in 1990 and in the year 1991, the park was gazetted. The buffer zone was declared in the year 1999, and an inhabited conservation area became a part of this park. More than 35,000 people live here in around 12 kinds of development committees. These include the Chhetri, the Brahmin, and the magar, the Tamang, the Gurung, Rais and the Sherpas.

The Department of national parks and Wildlife Conservation takes care of the wildlife here. There are two valleys here one belonging to the Barun River and the other to its tributary the Saldima. Here is where you would find some of the best forest and alpine regions of this place. These are today under the protection of the Strict Nature Reserve which is the first of its kind in Nepal. This area strives to protect the natural eco system and the other related process, and helps in maintaining this place as an undisturbed study for all those who are interested.

Typically characteristic of this park, the vegetation here varies from the dipeterocarp monsoon forests to the subalpine conifer which is at a height of around 4000m in height. The forests here are predominantly tropical, sub tropical, the lower and upper temperate zones and the subalpine meadows.

The tropical region has sal trees, the subtropical zone has broad-leaf forests, the lower and upper temperate has evergreen vegetation and the subalpine region has the conifer forests. Besides, the rhododendron, the orchids, the primroses, the oaks, bamboos, and other fodder trees are found here in plenty.

The fauna here includes the red panda, around 315 species of butterflies, 16 varieties of amphibians, and more than 43 kinds of reptiles. Notwithstanding the 78 fish species and the 440 varieties of birds that are found here.  So you can find the blue napped pitta, the Blyth’s kingfisher, rose ringed parakeet, the pale blue flycatcher, the silver eared mesia, the Sultan tit, the white napped yuhina to name a few. The park also has the snow leopard, the jungle cat, the clouded leopard, the Himalayan tahr, the jackal, the Himalayan wolf, the marmot, the otters, the spotted linsang, flying squirrels, the weasel, the Himalayan serow, the muntjak, the Himalayan goral and the Assam macaque.

This place is a must see if you ever get an opportunity to visit Nepal.

Then there was another area of around 750 square kilometres that was a buffer area which had private lands and forests. With a plethora of ecosystems which is inclusive of the hills of Churia, the ox bow lakes here add to the beauty. The Rivers Rapti, Narayani and Reu have formed fertile river plains which also form a part of the national park. The western side of the Chitwan National park is made up of the rugged hills of Someshwor. The Parsa Wildlife Reserve is a part of the western border of the park.

With beautiful tropical and subtropical forests, the Chitwan National Park comprises of more than 70% of the park. Leaves of the Sal tree are used for making plates that are used for religious occasions. 20% of the land is covered with grass and with around 50 types of grasses the elephant grass is very popular here. Known for its tall height and its capacity to grow up to 8 meters, the other variety of short grass is also popular here. The shorter grass is utilized for thatching roofs and making ropes and mats and also for making paper. With more than around 50 kinds of mammals here, the park has more than 525 birds and around 55 kinds or reptiles and amphibians. The mesmerizing scenery coupled with the beautiful hues of natural effects makes this place a great haven for all wildlife enthusiasts.

Local villagers cut the thatch grasses here in the month of January and in the months of February and April and September and November, the migratory birds come here and provide a great experience for all wildlife lovers. The lush vegetation, the Palas tree or the flame of the forest and the cotton trees give the right kind of scenic splendor for this pristine wildlife haven.

With a great amount of facilities arranged for all kinds of activities in and off the site, the Chitwan National Park comes across as a great tourist destination for all those who visit this region of Nepal. There is the Visitor Centre at Sauraha which gives the ideal information of wildlife and other programs on conservation. There is a souvenir shop which gives great information of all the kinds of handicrafts and local souvenirs and gifts that are found here.

There are elephant safaris here that give a greater chance to have a view of all the endangered animals like the one horned rhino for example. Then you could also get to see the Bengal tiger if you are lucky.

Then there are the crocodiles and the turtles that add to the excitement.

With all this in tow, the Chitwan National park is a must visit spot in Nepal.

Traversed by the Rivers Dudh Koshi the entire park has the Great Himalayan ranges in the north, with the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China also included here, and goes up to Monjo in the south.

With the beautiful landscape which has lovely cut valleys, glaciers and young mountains, the place is a hub for sedimentary rocks and granites. The national park is predominantly made up of six types of altitudinal vegetation, ranging from mosses and lichens to oak forests. There is lot of barren grazing land here and most of the vegetation is as that found in the vegetation areas of Nepal. So you have the subalpine, the upper alpine, lower alpine, and the lower subalpine type of vegetation in the park. Oak trees were the dominating feature here but today there are many more that have taken over. The flora here is predominantly made up of hemlock and pine forest in the lower heights. Then you have the rhododendrons, the birch, juniper, silver fir and other fine vegetation.

The wildlife here does not have many mammals apart from a few like the jackal, langur, wolf and also other wildlife like the yellow throated marten, the masked palm civet, the Himalayan weasel, the Indian Muntjac serow, the Himalayan musk deer, the goral, Himalayan tahr and the Sambar. The other mammals like the Tibetan water shrew, the short tailed mol, the marmot, the Himalayan water shrew, the house mouse, the rat and the woolly hare are also found here.

Then the avifauna includes around 152 types of birds, out of which 36 species are the breeding type. At high heights, the breeding is facilitated so Nepal is famous for protecting such birds. There are small lakes in this national park like the one at Gokyo, and these are great venues for migrant birds. Some six amphibians and seven kinds of reptile species are found here.

The Sherpas dominate the population of the areas in and around the park. The Sagarmatha National Park got recognized as a national park in the year 1979, as World Heritage.

One can take part in activities like nature walk, trekking from the Kala Pathar peak to the valley of Gokyo and Chukung. Around the park you could go and see the beautiful gompas and monasteries that are a feast for the eyes.

Also visit the Park Visitor Centre at Mendalphu, and the heritage museum for natural history. You can also go to the Thame Gomba which is a great religious hub. Festivals like the Mani Rimdu are celebrated here in the month of May.

Visit the Khumjung Gomba which is also a great place to be in and enjoy the Dumje festivals here at the Pangboche and Namche monasteries.

With the pristine surroundings of glaciers and snow clad mountains, the park is a perfect haven for all. One can reach here by taking a flight to Lukla, or Tumlingtar, Phaplu or Syangboche and come here by walk or bus.

For here in Mudumalai National Park lies the famous tiger reserve and the pristine wildlife sanctuary. Set against the background of the Nilgiri Hills, Mudumalai boasts of greenery only an ignorant person would want to dispute about.  Lying around 160 km to the northwestern part of Coimbatore, Mudumalai actually means the first hills. One of the first Indian wildlife sanctuaries the Mudumalai sanctuary has 5 ranges. They are the Nellakota, the Mudumalai, the Kargudi, the Masinagudi and the Thepakadu.

Famous for housing herds of endangered elephants, the place is also a home for the vulnerable Chital and the Gaur. A great paradise for the Bengal Tigers and the other species which are threatened, the Mudumalai Sanctuary is a hub of around 266 kinds of birds. The long billed vulture and the The Indian White rumped vulture are greatly endangered but are found here.

The strategic position that it has, is what makes it a great wildlife habitat. There are only sanctuaries and national parks, around the Mudumalai national park and thus it is no wonder that it is being considered as a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO.  With an elevation range of around 960metres to 1266 metres, the sanctuary with its savanna and tropical climate is an ideal place for the wildlife to thrive here.

IN the year 1972, the Government of Tamil Nadu recognized Mudumalai as a Tiger Reserve with more than 48 tigers found here. The sanctuary has three kinds of forests – the southern tropical dry thorn forests, the tropical dry deciduous forests and the tropical moist deciduous forests. There are also some tropical semi evergreen forests with intermittent bamboo brakes. One can see the mangifera indica, the Indian rosewood, and bamboos here. Then you can also find plants like the wild rice, turmeric, ginger, solanum, cinnamon, guava, pepper, and mango thus making it generally a gene pool for these plants.

This natural reserve has a cornucopia of fauna with around 50 kinds of fish, 34 kinds of reptiles and 21 species of amphibians. More than 227 bird varieties and 55 mammals are found here. The peacock is the favourite view of all the bird lovers.

Mudumalai Tiger Reserve is famous for having one tiger for every 8 square kilometres. The Indian Leopard is found in the Kargudi region. Then you also have the Dhole, the Golden Jackal, the Striped Hyena, the Indian elephants and the Sloth bear as the main wildlife variety here. The gray langur, the panther, the Bonnet Macaque, the sambhar deer, the Indian Muntjac, the Chital Deer, the Gaur, the Wild Boar and the Indian Spotted Chevrotain, are also found here.

Rodents like the Indian Giant Squirrel, and the Red Giant Flying Squirrel are also found in the sanctuary. The reptiles include the pythons, spectacled cobra, the python and the flying lizard besides of course the Asian Pit Vipers and the Monitor Lizard and the Krait. Mudumalai is the oldest wildlife sanctuary of India. It also houses the best varieties of birds and a plethora of flora.

Visit Mudumalai for the best wildlife experience.

Ensconced in the Siwalik Hills, the country of Nepal also gives you the best kind of wildlife not only because of its surroundings and but also due to the natural vegetation found here. The Bardia National Park is one such place that is on the list of Nepal tourism sites to visit. Founded in the year 1988, this was started with the name of The Royal Bardia National Park. Spanning over around 968 square kilometres, this place is totally undisturbed and is on the banks of the River Karnali.

The Bardia National Park in the district of Bardia in Nepal and is surrounded by a kind of fresh vegetation. The Siwalik Hills form a boundary for this national park on the northern side. The highway connecting Nepalgunj to Surkhet forms the southern limit while the River Karnali branches out as the Geruwa and is the western boundary of the park. The River Babai forms the southeastern limit. Thus the national park of Bardia has the most pristine of boundaries and the most exotic of surroundings.

The Bardia National Park and the Banke National Park nearby together comprise the 1437 square kilometres of the area. This grassland of alluvial soil and deciduous forests comprises the Tiger Conservation Unit in the country of Nepal.

History of the national park goes back to the time of the British when the British took over Nepal through the Treaty of Sugauli. The park was part of India till the year 1860. In the year 1860, the park got into the hands of the region of Nepal when the British gave it in appreciation of the suppression of the movement of independence in India by the country of Nepal. Thus the area of the annexed portion even today is known as the new country or the Naya Muluk. In the year 1969, around 368 square kilometres of the park was segregated to form the Royal Hunting Reserve. This was named as the Royal Karnali Wildlife Reserve in the year 1976. It was in the year 1982 that the name came to be known as The Royal Bardia Wildlife Reserve.

With a great vegetation of savannah grassland and the riverine forest, there are innumerable ferns also found here. You can see the mugger crocodiles and also the gharials. Around 23 species of the reptilian and amphibian clan are found here. The One horned rhino, swamp deer, wild elephant, Gangetic dolphin, Bengal Tiger, Asian Bull Elephants named Raja Gaj and Kanchha, besides the lovely Bengal florican, bar headed geese, white rumped vulture, silver eared mesia , the Sarus Crane and the peacock are the main flora and fauna found in the Royal Bardia National Park.

With all this in tow an experience of Nepal tourism through this Bardia national Park becomes must on your travel list.

Existing since the year 1978, Bannerghata national Park, is a huge 25,000 acre land that has many wild animals living here. You can find the lions and the panthers, the tigers and the other wild animals. The birds too live here happily and you have the best variety of birds here. You can actually feel the thrill of being in this place and just go and tested your excitement quotient in one of those safaris you would take. You have the lion safari and the tiger safari. These safaris take you round the forest and you can get closer to nature. Enjoy the surroundings and the ambience in which these trails take place. The trees form a great canopy here and the intermittent water bodies like a pond and the rest of the scenic beauty makes the place look like a total paradise. There is a zoological garden here which helps the tourist to see many animals in one place. There is a great reptile collection here. There is in fact a snake part which you could go to and get up close and personal with the animals here. The children who come here need not get disappointed as there is a spherical corner for them to make them feel less scared. If you are a trekker then do go to to Uddigebande and also the Hajjamana Kallu. Besides the Mirza Hill also gives you a good travel experience. The Uddigebande is around 3.5 km from Bannerghata. Just enjoy the thrill here. Then see the Hajjamana Kallu which is a natural rock formation. The Mirza Hill also lens beauty to the surroundings.

There are around ten reserve forests belonging to the Anekal Range in the division of Bangalore. The hills here are also more attractive because of the presence of temples here. Then you also have the Suvarnamukhi stream flowing by the park. The origin of this river is the hills of Suvarnamukhi. These hills actually look like a huge rock and stretch for a long distance. Then you also have the Champaka Dharna Swamy temple which is a typical Dravidian temple. The temple belongs to the age of the Hoysalas. The presiding deity in the temple is Lord Vishnu and he is seen standing here with his wife Sri Devi, and Bhu Devi.

While at Bannerghata National Park enjoy nature and see the beautiful Mother Nature blooming in joy.