India is blessed with diversity which exists in the myriad of cultures, languages and even flora and fauna. Despite urbanisation over the years, the rich biodiversity of the country is still preserved in national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, which are nothing less than a wildlife photographer’s delight. For the shutterbugs who love shooting with the camera, the following places are the best for spotting wildlife.

Kanha National Park

Home to the majestic Royal Bengal Tiger, the vast expanse of grassland and forested area of Kanha National Park is situated in Madhya Pradesh. Besides tigers, the national park also has bisons, hyenas, leopards, sloth bears, deer, jackals, wild pig, elephants, peacocks and birds of many varieties. The biggest attraction of the park that lures photographs is the sunset point, also known as Bamni Dadar, a place that abounds with natural beauty and offers panoramic views as backdrops to sambhars grazing against the setting sun.

Kanha National Park

Kaziranga National Park

This national park is now a world heritage site and boasts of being home to over two-third of the world’s population of one-horned rhinoceros. It is popularly known as the home of the ‘’Big Five’’- rhinoceros, elephant, tiger, swamp deer and wild buffalo.

While the West range of the park abounds with rhinos, the East range offers a good chance to click migratory and resident birds like pelicans, bar-headed geese, Palla’s eagles etc.

Jim Corbett National Park

With 586 species of animals, birds and aquatic life, the legendary Jim Corbett National Park located in Uttarakhand is a promising land for amateur and professional wildlife photographers alike. Although the Bengal tiger remains the main attraction, tuskers taking a mud bath, gharials resting in the shallow waters, sambhars standing in the shade of trees or deer prancing in the grasslands are added bonuses. The sub-Himalayan landscapes offer spectacular views and serve as amazing backgrounds for your photographs.

Jim Corbett tiger reserve

In the midst of the lush jungles and by the side of a sparkling river, meandering blissfully stands the Corbett Treetop Riverview waiting to host you on your wildlife adventures.

Gir National Park

If you want to capture the lion in your lens, there cannot be a better place than the Gir National Park! A park that gives you the feel of the jungles of Africa, Gir National Park in Gujarat is possibly the only other place where you can behold the king of the jungle roaming in the wild, its proud mane swaying in the air. Besides the ‘mane menu’, leopard, sambhar, chousingha, hyena, and jackal are the side dishes found in Gir. Due to its exotic flora, it also gives shelter to over 200 varieties of birds. If it already sounds like a full house, the park also boasts of over 40 species of reptiles and amphibians.

Sariska National Park

Once the hunting grounds of the erstwhile maharajas, Sariska National Park is famous for the tiger reserve it harbors. A weekend is Sariska is all you need to capture all the wildlife species such as leopard, sambhar, chital, nilgai, antelope, hyena, quails, and crocodiles as well. The ruins of medieval palaces still stand ground within the park and offer a picturesque backdrop to wildlife photography. They are a reminder of the time when mankind and wildlife co-existed in harmony. if you have the time, also check out the other things to do in Sariska apart from the sanctuary.

diversity-of-birds-and-animals-in-Sariska-Tiger-Reserve

After a daytime full of chasing exotic birds and animals with your lens, retire for the night at Tiger Heaven, a Sterling resort situated very near the park and wake up to the sound of birds chirping outside your window!

Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary

The most famous sanctuary of South India is located at Thekkady in Kerala and is renowned both as an elephant and a tiger reserve. Being the watershed of two very significant rivers- Periyar and Pamba, the park is a receptacle of rich and diverse flora and fauna. The sanctuary surrounds a 26 square kilometer man-made lake, which forms an exotic spot for photographing wildlife. Photography enthusiasts can even take a trek with the village tribal through the jungle for some very striking pictures.

if you are visiting this Periyar wildlife sanctuary, stay at Woods and Spice, located near the perimeter of Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary and enjoy the experience of a warm and hospitable stay in the lap of wilderness.

Bandhavgarh National Park

The tiger is not only one of the inhabitants of this park but the spirit of this place. Known as the tiger capital of the country, Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh is a wildlife photographer’s heaven. The park gets its name from Bandhavgarh Fort, the majestic ruins of which can still be seen and offer and enigmatic backdrop to photographs. Besides the tiger, jackal, nilgai, sambar, gaur and some very exotic birds can be captured in the lens by shutterbugs.

These are our top wildlife destinations that are ideal for shutterbugs. Have we missed out on something? Let us know about other spots that render a mention.