Keoladeo Ghana National Park - Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary

Formerly known as Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, Keoladeo Ghana National Park once served as a royal hunting reserve. It became a sanctuary in 1956, and was recognized as a national park in 1981.

Considered to be one of the finest waterfowl reserves in the world, Keoladeo Ghana National Park is just an hour's drive from Agra. Situated on an area of 29 square kilometers the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary is home to more than 350 species of birds, including egrets, herons, a mind-blowing two thousand painted storks and the splendid Saras crane (including the rare Siberian crane, during the winter months). Keoladeo Ghana National Park is one of the most important breeding and migratory areas in the world for birds.

Apart from the 200 species of Indian birds that inhabit the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary around the year, there are some further 130 species, which migrate from far and wide including the Central Asia and Russian steppes. The finest and rarest of these migratory birds are the five pairs of Siberian cranes, pure white with black primaries, crimson bills and facial patches, who nest in the south of Keoladeo Ghana National Park each winter. However it has been some years since the Siberian Cranes have visited Bharatpur.

An estimated 125 such cranes are said to survive in the entire world. This group flies over five thousand miles from its summer breeding grounds around the Ob River in Siberia, crossing the Himalayas en route.

Apart from its vast heterogeneity of birds, Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary is also home to a large variety of animals and you can glimpse there mongoose, sambar, nilgai, chital, Indian blackbuck, jackal, hyenas. One can occasionally spot a tiger and also water snakes and pythons which are an added attraction during the peak winter months at Keoladeo Ghana National Park. Small fresh water turtles basking in the sun are also a sheer delight to watch !

Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary is at its most exotic at dawn and dusk, and fullest between October and March. The park can be toured by foot, bike buggy or bicycle. It will be a good idea to take along a local guide for the day. Best time to visit Keoladeo Ghana National Park is October-January, as migratory birds triple the number of species.

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