Chambal Safari
Ranthambore Crocodile Chambal Safari
Ranthambore is a national park located near Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan. It used to be a private hunting area of Royals of Jaipur. Now it is a haven for wildlife of many kinds.
Most people go to Ranthambore to see tigers. There are about 80 tigers in the park. However, the park doesn’t just consist of tigers. It has many other types of wildlife. There is the The National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary Palighat which offers crocodile safaris to tourists. It is located about 45 kilometers away from Ranthambore. If you hire a car, it will take you 1 hour to reach the sanctuary from the park.
Main attractions
Gharials and crocodiles are the biggest attractions of the sanctuary. There are other aquatic organisms as well. There are many types of turtle and birds. There are also jungle cats, black naped hare, wild boar, marsh crocodiles, porcupines, blue bull, hyenas, jackals and wolves,
The sanctuary is very popular with birdwatchers because of the different types of birds found here. Some popular birds include Greater Thick Knee, Indian Skimmer and Lapwing. There are more than 316 species of resident and migratory birds in the sanctuary. Other popular birds are Black-bellied Tern, Northern pintail, Red-crested Pochard, Brahminy Shelduck, Common Teal, Sarus Crane and the Common Crane.
Since the Gharial is endangered, fishing is prohibited at the sanctuary. It affects aquatic organisms and that is why it is banned. It is also a way of conserving the gharials.
The sanctuary covers almost 400 km of the river Chambal. The sanctuary is in both Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. The total area of the sanctuary in Rajasthan is 285 square kilometers.