Where to Find India's Incredible Wildlife

From Himalayan ranges in the north to the tip of Kanyakumari in the south and everywhere in between, India is home to vast and diverse swathes of landscape marked by rich and diverse wildlife, including endangered and rare species. Culture Trip throws the spotlight on some of the beautiful places visitors can find India’s incredible wildlife.
Sundarbans National Park, West Bengal
Forest, Park

Named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Sundarbans National Park is one of the largest tiger reserves in India. With dense mangrove forest, marshy lands and over 400 tigers, this park attracts a great number of naturalists. The real draw to Sundarbans is the Royal Bengal Tiger. Other species include Leopard cats, Flying fox, Fishing cats and Jungle cat, as well as aquatic fauna, like horseshoe crab, sawfish, Gangetic dolphins and electric rays. The park is also a must-visit for bird lovers, as it is home to numerous birds, like openbill storks, black-headed ibis, black-capped kingfisher, pariah kites, herring gulls and white-bellied sea eagles, to name a few.
Best Time to Visit: September-May
Entry Fee: INR 15 for Indian and INR 150 ($2) for foreigners; Additional INR 300 ($5) for camera
Sundarbans National Park, Dayapur, Gosaba, West Bengal, India. +91 090079 95888

Sundarban National Park | © Dibyendu Ash / Wikimedia Commons
Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan
Forest, Natural Feature, Park

Best Time to Visit: November to May
Entry Fee: INR 100- Indian; INR 800 ($12) for foreigners; Gypsy Safari Fee: INR 244 per head for Indians, INR 984 ($15) for foreigners; Canter Safari Fee: INR 129 for Indian, INR 869 ($ 13) for foreigners; Additional guide fee: INR 83 for Gypsy Safari and INR 30 for Canter
Gir Forest National Park, Gujarat
Park

Best Time to Visit: 16th October- 15th June
Entry Fee: INR 4,900 for up to six Indian nationals travelling in a Jeep Safari; INR 12,400 ($ 192) for up to six foreign nationals travelling in a Jeep Safari
Jim Corbett National Park, Uttrakhand
Park

Best Time to Visit: November 15- June 15
Entry Fee: INR 200 for Indian; INR 900 ($14) for foreign nationals
Kaziranga National Park, Assam
Park

Best Time to Visit: November 1- April 30
Entry Fee: INR 50 for Indian; INR 500 ($8) for foreigners
Bandhavgarh National Park, Madhya Pradesh
Park

Best Time to Visit: October 15- June 30
Entry Fee: INR 2000 for up to six Indian nationals travelling in a Jeep Safari; INR 4,000 ($62) for up to six foreign nationals travelling in a Jeep Safari
Periyar National Park, Kerala
Park

Best Time to Visit: October- April
Entry Fee: INR 25 for adult Indian, INR 5 for kids; INR 300 ($5) for adult foreigner, INR 105 ($2) for children
Bandipur National Park, Karnataka
Forest, Park

Nestled in Gundlupet taluq of Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka, the Bandipur National Park is one of the state’s popular and impressive national parks due to its wide variety of flora and fauna, and scenic natural beauty, which is a treat for your eyes. It is home to endangered species, like Indian elephants, sloth bears, tiger, gaurs, jackals and Indian-rock python, along with more than 200 bird species, including peafowl, grey junglefowl, drongos and crows. With several types of biomes, mainly dry deciduous forest, this park is a perfect spot for various flora and fauna to survive and thrive.
Best Time to Visit: July; September-November
Entry Fee: INR 300 for Indian; INr 1,500 ($23) for foreigners (Inclusive of Safari)
Bandipur National Park, Gundlupet, Chamarajanagar District, Bandipur, Karnataka, India. +91 082292 36043

Bandipur National Park | © vaidyanathan / Wikimedia Commons
Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh
Forest, Park

Owing to its grassy meadows, bamboo forest and diverse, rich flora and fauna, the Kanha National Park is the most vivid and popular national park in India. Testament to its popularity is that the forest described in The Jungle Book, a famous novel by Rudyard Kipling is based on the jungles of this park. Best known for its tiger, barasingha (Swamp Deer), Indian leopards, Indian wild dog, 300 species of birds and over 1,000 species of flowering plants.
Best Time to Visit: mid-October to June
Entry Fee: INR 1530 for Indians; INR 3060 ($47) for foreigners
Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh, India. +91 076422 50760

Kanha National Park | © Davidvraju / Wikimedia Commons
Volcanic Iceland Epic Trip
meet our Local Insider
Hanna

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A GUIDE?
2 years.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR JOB?
It's the personal contact, the personal experiences. I love meeting people from all over the world... I really like getting to know everyone and feeling like I'm traveling with a group of friends.
WHAT DESTINATION IS ON YOUR TRAVEL BUCKET-LIST?
I have so many places on my list, but I would really lobe to go to Africa. I consider myself an “adventure girl” and Africa feels like the ULTIMATE adventure!


Every CULTURE TRIP Small-group adventure is led by a Local Insider just like Hanna.


KEEN TO EXPLORE THE WORLD?
Connect with like-minded people on our premium trips curated by local insiders and with care for the world
Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.
Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.
Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.
Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.
We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.