Rajaji National Park is situated along the hills and foothills of Shiwalik ranges in the Himalayan foothills and represents the Shiwalik eco-system. On the map it is located between Haridwar (Latitude 290 56’ 40”) and Dehradun (Latitude 300 20’ North) and 790 80’ E Longitude
(Dehradun 780 01’ 15” E (Ramgarh), Chillawali- 770 54’ 30” East). Rajaji National Park is distinct for its pristine scenic beauty and rich bio- diversity. A paradise for nature lovers and wildlife enthusiasts, the wildlife of the park is blessed with elephants, tigers, leopards, deer and ghorals as its best known life forms.
This national park is spread over an area of 820.42 sq
Kms., Rajaji is a magni- ficient ecosystem nestled in the Shivalik ranges and the beginning of the vast Indo – Gangetic plains, thus representing vegetationof several distinct zones and forest types like Sal forests, Reverine forests, Board –leaved mixed forests, Scrubland and grassy. It posses as many as 23 species of mammals and 315 birds species. The abundance of nature’s bounties heaped in and around this park, are bound to attract a large number of wildlife conservationists, nature lovers and eco-friends to visit this most breathtaking wilderness area. Rajaji National Park is accessible from many directions by road, rail and air. Bus services and overnight trains are available for Dehradun and Haridwar from Delhi and
Lucknow. It is very well connected by road from Saharanpur which in turn is very well connected by rail to Delhi,
Lucknow, Amritsar, Jammu Tawi and Calcutta. Jolly Grant Airport which is only a few kilometers away from the Northern Boundary of the Park has a daily 50 minutes flight from Delhi.
Three distinct seasons; winter, summer and rainy.
Accommodation & Facilities
Rajaji National park takes pride in offering its guests a peaceful and tranquil heaven. There are 10 Forest Rest Houses, where visitors can stay to enjoy the beauty of splendour of the park. Each Forest Rest House is adequately furnished for a comfortable stay.
Several important herbivores like Asian elephants, spotted deer,
sambhar, barking Deer, goral, blue bull (Neel Gai), hog deer, wild boar, Rhesus monkey and common langur occur in the park. Among the important carnivores areTiger and Leopard, the smaller carnivores as copredators are Leopard cat, Jungle cat , Civet cat and Yellow Throated Martin. Besides, other mammals like
hyaena, jackal and bengal fox are not an uncommon sight and work as scavangers in the park. In all 49 species of mammals belonging to 42 genera, in 21 families and nine orders have been recorded. According to census done in 1999 there are 445 elephants, 32 tigers and 177 leopards, besides thousands of other wild animals in the park. 315 species of birds are reported to occur in the park. Birds like ducks, teals, cormorants, egrets, lapwing, pond herons, pea fowl, jungle fowl, various species of partridges and pheasants,
drongo, crows, owlets and nightjars, birds of prey, etc, are quite common. Twenty eight species of snakes, 12 species of turtles & tortoises and 9 species of lizards among Reptilia are being recorded from the park.
As many as 49 species of fish fauna have been recorded from from the wetlands of the Park, including a small loach Nemacheilus doonensis as new to the park, and another species Berilius dimorphicus as new to science(ZSI,1995) . The butterfly fauna of the Park is very rich and repersented by as many as 60 species under eight families, out of the known nine families of the Butterflies known from the adjoining ares chiefly Garhwal And Kumaon hills of the
How to reach
Jolly Grant, Dehradun is the nearest airport from the national park.
Nearest railhead is situated at Haridwar/Rishikesh.
Rajaji National Park is accessible from many directions by road, rail and air. Bus services and overnight trains are available for Dehradun and Haridwar from Delhi and
Lucknow. From Delhi-231 kms. (Mohand Gate No.2) From Lucknow - 509
kms. (Ranipur Gate no.4).