Dudhwa National Park

Dudhwa National Park comprises of sal forests, marshes and grasslands which harbour a wide variety of wildlife। The Park is famous for the reintroduced one horned rhino and swamp deer (barasingha)

Dudhwa National Park, in Lakhimpur-Kheri District of Uttar Pradesh, adjacent to Nepal border, is one of the major projects for wildlife preservation in India। Spread over an expanse of approximately 811 sq।kms of marshes, grasslands and dense forests, it is a home for over 38 species of mammals, 16 species of reptiles and numerous species of birds. It has two core areas: Dudhwa National Park and Kishanpur wildlife sanctuary. They are 15 kms. apart with agricultural land between them. Unlike other major national parks in India like Corbett, Kaziranga etc., its un commercialized environment makes it an ideal place for animal and bird lovers to spend a day or two in peace, closest to nature.After independence of India in 1947, the locals starting encroaching the wilderness of the jungle and the forests started being replaced by paddy and sugarcane. Its location on the Indo-Nepal border provides ideal environment for poachers who hunt for the animals here and sell their products in Nepal, which being a tourist place gives them a huge market for these things. It was a heaven for poachers, game lovers and locals. It is due to the untiring and single-handed efforts of 'Billy' Arjan Singh that this park now stands with its richness. The area was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1965 which received a lot of criticism from the people benefiting from the area. Standing up to the point of being obsessive, Billy favored the decision and went on to convince the erstwhile Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, to declare the forest as a National park in 1977. In 1984-85, seven rhinos were relocated from Assam and Nepal to Dudhwa to rehabilitate a rhino population which lived here 150 years ago. Four years later, it was declared a Tiger Reserve under the Project Tiger and currently is a major habitat for tigers in India.
Dudhwa National Park Attraction Details:
Apart from the swamp deer, there are at least 37 species of mammals and 16 species of reptiles. Dudhwa Wildlife Sanctuary is said to have 101 tigers and four leopards. Recently, the hispid hare has also been spotted in the area. It was here in 1984 that a major rhinoceros rehabilitation project was started since these forests had been the habitat of the rhinoceros 150 years ago. Five rhinos were relocated from Assam but two of the females died due to the strain of transportation. These were replaced in 1985 by four more females from Nepal. Dudhwa's birds, in particular, are a delight for any avid bird watcher. The marshlands are especially inviting for about 400 species of resident and migratory birds including the Swamp Partridge, Great Slaty Woodpecker, Bengal Florican, plenty of painted storks, sarus cranes, owls, barbets, woodpeckers, minivets and many more. Much of the park’s avian fauna is aquatic in nature, and is found around Dudhwa’s lakes- especially Banke Tal.The major vegetation types in this region are tropical semi-evergreen forest, tropical moist deciduous forest, riparian and swamp forest and dry deciduous forest. The dominant tree species are Shorea robusta, Terminalis tomentosa, Adina cordifolia, Terminalia belerica, Eugenia jambolana, Dalbergia sissoo, and Bombax malabaricum. The various types of forests throughout the park are interrupted by wide stretches of mesophyllous grasslands locally called the phantas. SafarisThe forest provides no jeep safaris or guides. Jeeps and mini buses can be hired to move around inside the park. Elephant rides through the Park are also available and moreover the mahouts or Elephant drivers also double up as guides. Other Attractions The park is conveniently located at an easily approachable distance from all the major tourist attractions of the state. Travel to the historic city of Lucknow or pay a visit to the shimmering water of the Ganga at Varanasi. You can also visit Agra, home of the Taj Mahal.
Best Time to Visit Dudhwa National Park:
November to May (The park remains closed from July to October)
How to reach Dudhwa National Park:
Air :Lucknow is the most convenient airport. Indian Airlines operates a number of flights to Lucknow from major cities across the country. The timings of flights from Delhi are 9:30 (except Tuesday), 10:00 (Tuesday), 16:05 (throughout the week) and 17:30 (Wed, Fri, Sun). Air Sahara flies from Mumbai to Lucknow at 19:30. Outside India, Nepal at 35 kms is the nearest airport. Rail : The nearest railheads are Dudhwa (4 kms), Palia (10 kms) and Mailani (37 kms), however the most convenient way would be to travel to Lucknow (conveniently connected to most of the Indian cities) and hit the road or take a train to any of the nearer stations from there. Some of the important daily trains from Delhi to Lucknow are Kaifiyat Exp. (19:25), Lucknow Mail (22:00), Shramjeni N Exp. (13:15), Vaishali Exp. (19:50), Gorakdam Exp. (20:15), Sapt Kranti Exp. (16:45) and Bihar S Kranti (14:40). Other daily Mumbai-Lucknow trains are Kushinagar Exp. (22:55) and Pushpak Exp. (8:20).Road : The State Roadways buses and private bus services link Palia to Lakhimpur Kheri, Shahjahanpur, Bareilly and Delhi. Buses are frequent between Palia and Dudhwa. The most convenient way to travel to the park, if you are coming in from India, is to make your way to Lucknow, either by air or by rail and take a bus or train to Dudhwa, which is just 4 km from the entry gate of the park. For foreign tourists looking to start their journey of India from Dudhwa, it is advisable to travel to the Nepal airport and take one of the number of transport means available from there. To travel by road from Delhi, take the NH24 to Shahjahanpur via Ghaziabad, Moradabad, Rampur and Bareilly. A district road from here will take you to Dudhwa via Pawayan, Kutar, Mailani, Bhira and Palia.
Where to stay in Dudhwa National Park:
Accommodation in the park is available at log huts, lodges and forest resthouses at Dudhwa, Sathiana, Bankatti, Kila and Sonaripur. All are pretty minimalist (except the one at Dudhwa, which has a small canteen attached to it), and charge a nominal tariff of a couple of hundred bucks a night. Also in the park, on its southern periphery, is a lodge owned by `Billy’ Arjan Singh, the conservationist who has largely been responsible for the setting up of Dudhwa. Another option is to stay outside the park; Palia has a handful of hotels, and luxuries that you won’t get in the park- provisions, medical facilities, and telephones included. The hotels in the town, obviously charge more than what you’ll pay in Dudhwa; about Rs 500-700 a night is a fair estimate.