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Dudhwa National Park
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From mosaic grasslands and
dense sal forests to swampy marshes, the terrain of Dudhwa
National Park is as diverse as the wildlife population it
harbors. While the northern edge of the Park lies along
the Indo-Nepal border, the River Suheli marks the southern
boundary. The park is spread over 490 sq km.
A Tiger Reserve since 1879, Dudhwa became a National Park
in 1977 and adopted the Project Tiger in 1988. Although
the Tigers at the Park are numerous, sightings are rare
due to the thick forest cover of 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.
A library at the Dudhwa office provides information about
the park. A nature shop located near by sells books and
other souvenirs.
All visitors to the park require an entry permit, which
can be obtained from the director of the park, district
headquarters, Lakhimpur-Kheri.
Flora:
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.
Fauna:
There are at least 37 species of mammals and 16 species of
reptiles. The Sanctuary is said to have 101 tigers and
four leopards. Recently, the hispid hare has also been
spotted in the area. Besides Tigers, Leopards, Hispid
Hares, Swamp Deer (Barasingha), Nilgais, langurs, sloth
bears, otters and Rhinos thrive amidst the vegetation.
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.
Best time to visit:
During and after the monsoon, the park is pretty much
submerged and the kuchha roads are in bad shape. So the
park is open for visitors only from 15 November to 15
June.
Safari timings:
Park timings are from 0700 to 1000 hr and 1500 to 1800 hr.
Go there for:
Tihgers, Rhino, Swamp Deer, Chital, Hog Deer and Sambar.
How to reach:
by road:
To travel by road from Delhi (410 km), 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.
The most convenient way to travel to the park is to make
your way to Lucknow, either by air or by rail and take a
train to Dudhwa, which is just 4 km from the entry gate of
the park.
by rail:
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. Lucknow to park is 180 km. 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).
by air:
Lucknow is one of the most convenient airports. Air India
and Sahara operate 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.
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© 2008, Banjara Camps & Retreats Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi. All rights reserved.
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