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India is a land of many seasons. The weather around the country keeps changing every 3 or 4 months. Of all the seasons in India, the monsoon is everyone’s favourite. The weather is neither too hot nor too cold during this season, and the rains offer much-needed relief from the heat of the summer months and transition into the pleasant autumn season. The monsoon season in India begins in the first week of June and continues till the last week of September. The rains are crucial for flora and fauna in India. Many people prefer to visit beaches and Wildlife Sanctuaries during this season. In this article, we will discuss the most amazing places in India to watch wildlife during the monsoon season. We will also talk about why the monsoon season is the best time in India to go for wildlife watching.
There are many reasons you must go to watch wildlife during the monsoon season in India. The weather enhances the overall experience, and you can find the largest variety of flora and fauna during the rainy season. The animals found in rainy season might also be rare and seen only during this period. The following are the top 5 reasons you must visit National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries during the rainy season.
India has a considerable amount of greenery and a diverse range of fauna and birds. National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries can be found throughout India's different states. The majority of them are known for a single species, while others are home to a diverse range of animals. In this section, we will look at the list of National Parks that you can visit to watch the rainy season animals in India. The following are the most scenic National Parks during the Indian monsoons:
Monsoons are a good time for visiting these National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries in India. You can plan your trip by finding out the details related to the same and enjoy the Indian monsoon season in the best National Parks in the country. Watching the wildlife during the monsoon season can be a wonderful experience if you plan your trip well and on time to avoid any hassles.
We now have an idea of the National Parks to be visited during the rainy season to spot the monsoon creatures. To help you plan the perfect trip to these destinations, we will share all the required details. We will talk about the location, places to stay and activities you can enjoy at the above-listed National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries.
Situated in Karnataka, this National Park derives its name from the Kannada words Nagar and Hole, which translate to snake and streams. Nagarahole, an important Karnataka Tiger Reserve, is a must-see national park for wildlife enthusiasts and photographers, since the forest safari gives a good chance to see Bengal Tigers and Asiatic Elephants in their native habitat.
You can reach Nagarhole National Park via train, flight and road transport.
The animals that can be spotted in this National Park in Karnataka are tigers, sloth bears, wild dogs, leopards, hyenas, elephants, jungle bison, giant squirrels and many other animals.
There are 3 types of Safaris or rides that you can do here- Vehicle safari, boat safari and Coracle ride.
These rides are available in the morning and evening.
Trekking, Boating in Kabini River, Wildlife Photography
Reach the forest gates before dusk to avoid road blockages.
06:45 am to 08:45 am to 04:00 pm to 06:00 pm
INR 150 per person
Wayanad National Park, Kabini Lake, Bandipur National Park
Orange County Resort, The Kings Sanctuary, The Bison Kabini Resort, Waterwoods Lodge.
Kabini Tiger Reserve is one of the National Parks in Karnataka that was once a hunting ground for the Maharaja of Mysore. Most nature enthusiasts and adventure seekers flock to the Kabini Forest Reserve. It attracts a large number of tourists each year due to its accessibility, lush terrain, lakes, and elephant and tiger sightings.
Kabini Tiger Reserve can be accessed by road, rail and flights.
You can spot tigers, leopards, sambhar dear, spotted dear, panther, cheetal, Nilgiri wood pigeon, white-backed vultures and many other animals and birds.
You can enjoy three types of safaris at this place- Jungle Safari, Elephant Safari, Boat Safari
Safari timings:
The timings for these safaris are as follows
Trekking, Boating, Bird Watching
You must carry your ID proof ad safari vouchers, without which entry will be prohibited.
Kabini River Lodge, The Serai Resorts, Kaav Safari Resort
Ranthambore National Park is the most popular destination for watching wildlife in North India. The Ranthambore tiger reserve is well-known among wildlife enthusiasts for its nocturnal tigers, which means visitors can easily glimpse a tiger during their day safari.
The best way to reach Ranthambore National Park is by road. You can also reach it by flight or by train.
Tigers are the main attraction of this North Indian National Park.
You can do a jungle safari in a jeep or a canter in this National Park.
The safari timings change every few months depending on the season.
Hiking to Ranthambore Fort, Bird watching, Hot air ballooning
You must avoid visiting this place during the summer season.
06:00 am to 07:00 pm
Jaipur, Agra
Sawai Madhopur Lodge, Sher Bagh, Dev Vilas
Hemis National Park is a well-known wildlife destination in Ladakh, known for its large number of snow leopards and diverse bird species. The park, which covers 3,350 square kilometres, is a must-see not only for animal aficionados, but also for photographers and hikers, with options available for both.
You can reach this National Park by flight and travelling by road from Leh.
The most commonly spotted animal here is the Snow Leopard.
You can visit this National Park between 09:00 am to 05:00 am.
Bird watching, Trekking to Gotsang Gumpa
INR 20 per person.
Hemis Monastery, Ganda La
Set against the majestic Himalayan peaks, the Valley of Flowers National offers tourists an enchanting view and a memorable experience. The National Park covers an area of 87 square kilometres in the Chamoli district and is one of the two core zones of the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve.
Valley of Flowers is not connected by roadways. You will have to do 17 kilometres trek from Govinndghat to reach Valley of Flowers.
Red fox, Himalayan Black Bear, Himalayan Brown Bear
This National park can be visited from 08:00 am to 05:00 pm
Hiking, Wildlife photography
INR 150 per head
Hemkund Sahib
Set high at the Western Ghat ranges, Periyar National Park is a must visit National park in South India. In 1978, the Periyar Wild Life Sanctuary was designated as a Tiger Reserve. This sanctuary provides an opportunity to observe and photograph wild elephants up close.
You can reach Periyar by road or by train.
You can spot elephants, tigers and many other wild animals in this National Park.
You can enjoy four different types of safaris in this National Park in Kerala- Boat cruise safari, night safari, all day safari and elephant safari.
The timings of these safaris are as follows
Trekking, Bamboo Rafting, Jungle camping
06:00 am to 07:00 pm
INR 45 per person
Cardamom Hill, Pandalom Hills, Periyar Lake
Spice Grove Resort Thekkady, Lake Palace Thekkady, The Elephant Court Thekkady.
Dachigam National Park, about 22 kilometres from Srinagar, is home to the endangered Hangul of Kashmir Stag and a variety of other Himalayan wildlife species. Dachigam Wildlife Sanctuary, with its varied flora and animals, is one of the best destinations for wildlife lovers to visit near Srinagar in Jammu & Kashmir.
You can reach Srinagar by train, flight or road and then drive to this National Park.
Leopard, musk deer, Himalayan Brown bear, Himalayan Black bear
No vehicles are allowed inside the park.
10:00 am to 05:00 pm
INR 25 per person
Baltal Valley
The picturesque Jim Corbett National Park, located near the popular hill station of Nainital in the Himalayan foothills, is home to the highest number of tigers among any national park in India. The Corbett National park is one of India’s most famous places for watching wildlife during the monsoon season.
You can reach Corbett by rail or train road
The main attraction at Corbett is Tiger. Other animals here include sambhar deer, leopard, elephant, etc.
You can enjoy a jeep or canter safari in Corbett National Park.
River rafting, Rock climbing, Bridge slithering
The timings of this National park change as per the seasons.
INR 200 per person.
Nainital, Bhimtal
Dhikala Rest House, Sultan Rest House
Covering 625.4 square kilometres, Tadoba National Park is Maharashtra's oldest and largest national park. You can see tigers, panthers, hyenas, sloth bears, wild dogs, jackals, barking deer, bison, and sambar, as well as a stunning scenery of steep cliffs, marshlands, and lakes in the park.
You can reach this National Park by rail, road or flight.
Spotted deers, wild boars, hyenas, barking deer, gaurs
You can enjoy a jeep safari at this National Park.
The timings for the jeep safari are as follows:
Boating in Irai lake, Loghut stay in Tadoba
The timings of this National Park change according to the seasons.
INR 20 per person
Nagpur
Svasara Jungle Lodge, Irai Safari Retreat, Serai Tiger Camp
Declared as a Wildlife sanctuary in 1996, Panidhing Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam has a rich wetland ecosystem. Bird lovers can relax here and watch the colourful birds go about their everyday lives. The white-rumped vultures and endangered griffons that have been observed here are the major attractions.
You can reach Panidihing National park by road from Sivasgar town.
You can spot around 70 different species of migratory birds here. Fishing eagles are a major attraction here.
Joy Sagar, Devi Dol, Vishnu Dol, Shiva Dol
Hotel Piccolo, Kaziranga Golf resort
The Tiger Reserve is designed like the letter E, albeit slightly distorted due to the Baba Budan hills separating the two large halves of the sanctuary. The Lakkavalli range occupies the upper half of the segment, while the Muthodi range, also known as Jagara Valley by locals, covers the lower half. The Bhadra river runs through the sanctuary, which has a combination of damp and dry deciduous flora. The Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, with its diverse flora and animals, is a refuge for wildlife enthusiasts, birders, photographers, and trekkers.
You can reach this Tiger Reserve by road or take a train to Kadur Junction or a flight to Mangalore.
You can spot tigers, elephants, gaurs, black leopards, jungle cats and many more animals here.
You can enjoy a jeep safari at this Tiger Reserve.
Enjoy sunset, Boating inide Bhadra Reservoir
06:30 am to 06:00 pm
INR 400 per person for Jeep safari
Belavadi, Chikamagalur
You can stay in the nearby cities of Bhadravathi and Shivamogga.
This Wildlife Sanctuary is located at the banks of Gobind Sagar and is very close to the Bhakhra Nangal Dam. Govind Sagar sanctuary, which spans ten hectares, is known for prominent fish species such as Singhara, Catla, Jhalli, Grass Crap, Kuni Rohu, Guj, Ticto, and Sarina, to name a few. Aside from fish, the refuge is home to a variety of reptiles and mammals.
This place can be reached by trains, flights, and road.
You can spot the wild boar, sambhar, red jungle fowl, and many other animals here.
Fishing, skiing, sailing, water scooter, kayaking
Naina Devi
Neelam Hotel, Joshi Lodge, Chitrakoot Hotel
Bandipur National Park is one of India's most beautiful and well-managed national parks. Apart from Asiatic wild elephant and tiger, this national park is home to a variety of endangered animals like sloth bears, gaurs, Indian rock pythons, jackals, muggers, and four-horned antelopes.
You can reach Bandipur National Park by road, train or flight.
Tiger, jungle cat, wild boar, leopard, elephant and golden jackal
Minibus safaris and jeep safaris can be enjoyed by you.
Trekking, Exploring the riverside, Visiting Ooty hill station
06:15 am to 06:30 pm
INR 300 per person
Mysore, Bangalore, Chennai, Coorg
MC Resort, Bandipur Safari Lodge, The Serai
Kali Tiger Reserve, in Karnataka's Uttara Kannada district, is a wildlife lover's delight. It is the second largest wildlife sanctuary in the state, with an area of 834.16 square kilometres. It was designated as a National Wildlife Sanctuary in 1956 and is home to a diverse range of flora and fauna, including tigers, woodpeckers, hornbills, kingfishers, leopards, elephants, and other animals. In 2015, it was renamed Kali Tiger Reserve from Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary.
The most convinient way to reach Kali Tiger Reserve is by road.
Bengal Tiger, Black panther,
Jeep Safari
06:00 am to 09:00 am; 03:00 pm to 06:00 pm
Bird watching, Jungle camping
06:00 am to 06:00 pm
INR 40 per person
Shri Mallikarjuna Temple, Supa Dam
The sanctuary, which covers 345 square kilometres, is home to a diverse range of vegetation and fauna. It is Kerala's second largest wildlife sanctuary, as well as one of Peninsular India's most bio-geographically diverse areas. This sanctuary is an integral part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
The easiest way to reach here is by road, but you can also travel by train or flight.
Deers, elephants and tigers are some of the animals that are commonly spotted here.
07:00 am to 05:00 pm
Bird watching
INR 150 per person
Located in Ballari District, this sanctuary is the only place in India where you can spot these sloth bears. Tourists can see jackals, wild boards, mongoose, black-naped hares, leopards, and other species during their visit to the sanctuary.
This Sanctuary can be reached by rail or flight and road.
Sloth Bears are the main attraction of the sanctuary.
06:00 am to 06:00 pm
INR 50 per person
Hampi
Hampi Wilderness Resort
Located in Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka State, this Tiger reserve gets its name from an ancient temple that you can visit along with the tiger reserve.The sanctuary is home to eco-systems that are unique to both the Western and Eastern Ghats due to its location at the confluence of the two mountain ranges. The Karnataka government designated the area as a Tiger Reserve in January 2011.
You can reach Biligiri Ranga Hills by road, rail or flight.
Tigers, Gaurs and elephants can majorly be spotted here.
Jeep safari can be enjoyed at this Tiger Reserve.
You can take a jeep safari here from 06:00 am to 08:00 am or from 04:00 pm to 06:30 pm.
Bathing elephants, Bird watching
06:00 am to 06:00 pm
INR 100 per person
Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple, BR hills
River Tern Lodge
Known as ‘Land of the Jungle Book’,this National Park gets its name from the Pench River. Pench Tiger Reserve, a magnificent expanse in Madhya Pradesh, is home to a dense population of chetal, followed by leopard, sambhar, gaur (Indian bison), chousingha, chinkara, barking deer, small Indian civet, and porcupine, as well as migratory birds like the Malabar pied hornbill, Indian pitta, and osprey. The Pench Tiger Reserves' key attractions include jungle walks, night safaris, trekking, wildlife viewing from Machaan, and village tours.
You can reach Pench National Park by road or train, or flight.
Tiger, leopard, wolf, hyena, Indian wild dog and many other animals can be spotted here.
Jeep Safari
The safari timings differ depending on the season.
Elephant ride, Bird watching, Walking safari, Jungle walk
The timings of this park keep changing over the year.
INR 15 per person
Sitaghat, Alikatta, Chhindimatta Road, Kanha National Park
Pench Jungle Camp, Tuli Tiger Corridor, Tiger Valley Resort
In the previous section, we looked at the various National Parks you can plan to visit to watch wildlife during the monsoon season. Let us now understand how you can plan your monsoon wildlife safari.
You must conduct proper research and find out the National Parks that are open during this season and then choose the one that you wish to visit among them.
Once you have decided on the location, you must check all the prices, including the price of hotels and resorts, the National park’s entry fees, and the charges that will be applicable for the jungle safari and various other activities.
When packing for this trip, you must consider the weather and the activities you will be doing there. You must have some items when going for a monsoon wildlife safari. These include comfortable and breathable clothing that is not too brightly coloured, a good pair of binoculars, comfortable walking and trekking shoes and so on.
You can see the following monsoon creatures in National Parks during the rainy season:
This is an important question as before we venture into the animals’ natural habitat, during this season; we must also understand what might happen to the wildlife during the monsoon season. While monsoons and rains are important for all, sometimes, they also lead to flooding and the loss of life and property. Along with this, animals are also lost, and many animals even die. But there are also many positive effects of flooding for these animals. For example, in Assam, the floods in 2019 took away the lives of many rhinos, but this was also a good method of natural selection as only the rhinos that were the strongest and the fittest survived. This will further lead to these rhinos breeding and reproducing rhinos with the best genes.
We hope this guide on planning your monsoon safari has helped you finally decide on the next trip that you will be taking. We hope that this list of places you can go to to watch wildlife during the monsoon season will help you finalise a destination and plan the perfect trip.
You can see the following monsoon creatures in National Parks during the rainy season:
The monsoon season is both beneficial and harmful for wildlife. Excessive rains can be deadly for the animals.
Flash floods lead to the weak, ill, injured and old animals dying, and only the fittest animals remain and breed to reproduce.
The following wildlife sanctuaries can be visited during the monsoon season:
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