Just like my previous post on the forum about how many wildlife sanctuaries there are in India? I would also like to find out how many tiger reserves there are in India? India is famous for its tigers and as the years go on the number of tigers is reducing. So I would like to visit a few tiger reserves and love to spot a few tigers and observe them. Out of the tiger reserves you mention which ones do you suggest I should visit on my trip to India?
Hello there, welcome to the forum! As of January 2016, there are 49 tiger reserves in India. All of these tiger reserves are under the management of Project Tiger, which has been in operation since 1973. The first national park to be declared as a tiger reserve was the Jim Corbett National Park. In 1974, only about 9 tiger reserves were part of the project. Fast forward to today, this number has increased and so has the numbers of the tigers in these reserves. India has 70% of the population of tigers in the whole world, which accounts for about 2,266 in number. Here's a complete list of the tiger reserves in India: 1. Uttarakhand Corbett National Park & Rajaji Tiger Reserve 2. Madhya Pradesh Bandhavgarh National Park, Kanha National Park, Panna National Park, Pench National Park, Satpura National Park & Sanjay Dubri National Park 3. Uttar Pradesh Amangarh Tiger Reserve, Dudhwa Tiger Reserve/National Park & Pilibhit Tiger Reserve 4. Karnataka Bandipur National Park, Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, Biligiri Ranganatha Tiger Reserve, Dandeli-Anshi National Park & Nagarhole National Park 5. Assam Kaziranga National Park, Manas National Park, Nameri National Park & Orang Tiger Reserve 6. Maharashtra Bor Wildlife Sanctuary, Melghat Tiger Reserve, Nawegaon Nagriza National Park, Pench National Park, Sahyadri Tiger Reserve & Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve 7. Rajasthan Mukundra Hills National Park, Ranthambore National Park & Sariska Tiger Reserve 8. West Bengal Buxa Tiger Reserve & Sunderbans National Park 9. Jharkhand Palamau Tiger Reserve 10. Odisha Satkosia Tiger Reserve & Simlipal National Park 11. Kerala Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary & Periyar National Park 12. Chhattisgarh Achanakmar Wildlife Sanctuary & Indravati National Park 13. Arunachal Pradesh Namdapha National Park & Pakke Tiger Reserve 14. Tamil Nadu Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Mudumalai National Park & Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary 15. Bihar Valmiki National Park 16. Mizoram Dampa Tiger Reserve 17. Telangana Amrabad Tiger Reserve, Kawal Wildlife Sanctuary & Nagarjunsagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve 18. Andhra Pradesh Nagarjunsagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve And then, here are the top five tiger reserves in India: 1. Bandhavgarh National Park - This national park has the highest density for sighting tigers. There are about 68 tigers in the national park. These tigers are from the royal Bengal tiger species. Although in the past, specifically in 1951, there was a white tiger captured in the national park, named Mohun. The Tala Zone of the park is home to many royal Bengal tigers. You might need to have more than one safari but some visitors did see tigers even in their first try. Other animal species that you can spot here are leopards, sambars, barking deers, jungle cats, hyenas and jackals. Reptiles such as cobras, pythons and rat snakes also reside in the park. Open from - October to June Possibility of seeing tiger - High Park safari timings - 6:00 am to 10:20 am and 15:00 pm to 18:00 pm 2. Kanha National Park - This is a large park and the chances of seeing tigers are lower than in the Bandhavgarh National Park. Don't let that discourage you though because this is also one of the most beautiful parks, teeming with wildlife and greenery. There are about 89 tigers in the park but due to the larger size of the location, it can be harder to spot them. This park is best visited during the summer so you can see the glorious and majestic tigers as they come out for water. Other animals that you can spot here are blackbucks, sloth bears, barasinghas and barking deers. Open from - October to June Possibility of seeing tiger - Moderate Park safari timings - 6:00 am to 11:00 am and 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm 3. Sunderbans National Park - This forests of this park is home to about 400 tigers. Thus, this national park has the highest number of tigers in the country. Reaching the park is quite difficult as well as you need to reach Kolkata, then from there, go to Godhkhali. Once you're in Godhkhali, you need to ride a boat to reach the Sunderbans National Park. However, due to the vast size of the park, it's rare to see tigers. And if you do, it can be quite satisfying as the tigers in Sunderbans are quite different. These tigers can swim in the waters and have been known to attack and eat men. Other animals that you can spot here are leopards, wild boars, macaques and chitals. The national park is also home to a large number of reptiles like crocodiles, chameleons, king cobras and pythons. Open from - All year round Possibility of seeing tiger - Low Park timings - 7:00 am to 5:00 pm 4. Ranthambore National Park - This is one of the largest national parks in the country. As of the latest count, there were about 68 tigers in the park. Tiger sightings here are quite rare though despite the huge number of tigers. The best zones for tiger sightings are Zone 1, Zone 2, Zone 4 and Zone 5. Still, some visitors who have visited all zones are not lucky while others who only visited one zone have spotted a tiger. So it still depends on luck. The good thing is that there are many more animals that you can spot like jackals, desert cats, blackbucks, sloth bears, wild boars and macaques. Open from - October to June Possibility of seeing tiger - Low to Moderate Park timings - 7:00 am to 10:30 am and 2:00 pm to 5:30 pm 5. Pench Tiger Reserve - This reserve is spread across Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. For tiger sightings though, it's best to visit the Madhya Pradesh side of the reserve. Many visitors of this reserve were lucky enough to spot tigers. It's best though to visit during the summer so chances of spotting tigers are higher. Morning safari is taught to be a good time for spotting tigers with their cubs. Other animals in the reserve are gaurs, chitals, sambars, leopards, wild dogs and wolves. Open from - October to June for the Madhya Pradesh side but the Maharashtra side remains open all-year round Possibility of seeing tiger - Moderate to High Park safari timings - 7:30 am to 10:30 am and 3:00 pm to 5:30 pm I hope this helps you.
