Uttaranchal is a favorite place for wild life and bird lover .Uttaranchal boasts of quite a few national parks and sanctuaries. All of them have been bestowed by nature with its bounty. Every year a number of Tourists , Anthropologist, Botanist, Zoologist,and researchers come to see and learn about different species of animal,flowers,plants and birds in these sanctuaries and parks .
- Corbett National Park:
Located at foothills of the Himalyas in the state of Uttranchal.It is the county's oldest national park. Setup in 1935,the Corbett National Park inhabits a wide variety of rare and endangered flora & fauna. The corbett park is like a home to elephants, tigers, leopards, panthers, beers, sambhar, cheetal, crocodile and many other smaller animals with more than 150 varieties of birds found here which make it famous.
- Askot Sanctuary:
Askot sanctuary is situated in Pithoragrah district of state
Utaranchal.Surrounded by the mountain and forest this picturesque greens Askot Sanctuary is a best dwelling place for wild animals. Its Lying in the lap of Kumaon Himalayas at a height of 5412 ft.,the sanctuary is visited by many Indian and foreign scientists for the research projects. The sanctuary is a house of many wild animals such leopard,deer,beers,kakars and a great variety of birds .
- Vally of Flowers (National Park) :
The Valley of Flowers is a U-shaped alpine valley formed by the retreating glaciers in the Garhwal region. The Valley remains covered by snow for most part of the year from November to May. From June onwards, when the snow melts, the Valley of Flowers is splashed with several colors. The valley is then colored with medicinal herbs and flowering plants. The best time to visit the valley of flowers is between mid July - mid August. According to the epics this valley is the place where "Hanumaan" of the Ramayana collected "Sanjeevani Booti"(panacea) to revive Lakshman ,the brother of Rama . The valley of flowers was discovered by Mr.Frank S. Smith , who was an English mountaineer,X'plorer and Botanist, While he was on his expedition to Mount Kamet.
The Valley of Flowers National Park is above Ghangria in the upper reaches of the Bhyundar Ganga in the Zaskar Range of the Garhwal Himalayas, Chamoli District. Bounded by high mountain ridges and peaks on all sides, around 8,950 hectares of land was declared a National Park in 1982. The solitude of Valley of Flowers is a haven for Sadhus who look for a space for meditation. The northern slopes of the valley are thickly forested with birch, rhododendron and birch. The southern slopes largely consist with a variety of alpine flowers, including anemones, asters, geraniums, lilies, orchids, poppies and marsh marigolds. The fauna at the Valley of Flowers include the Himalayan Musk Deer and yellow Marten. . It is believed that black bear, brown bear, Himalayan tahr, blue sheep and snow leopard also frequent this area.
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Kedarnath Anctuary : Stretched about 967 Sq.Kms. the Kesarnath Sanctuary was established in the year 1972 in the one of the most pious region of Garhwal.Surrounded by the breathtakingly spectacular view of snow covered peaks of the great Himalayan mountain range , rivers , glaciers , valleys and forests it is one of the most site seeing scentuary in this region. It is located in the Kedarnath region thats why it is so famous and most visited natural place by the tourist of different countries for various reason.
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Rajaji National Park :
Rajaji National Park was established in the year 1996 just next to the Dehradun valley. It is spread over an area of approximately 820 Sq.Kms. Located at a distance of about 250 Kms. the capital of India,the park is famous for the elephant ride.Every year a great number of tourists visit this park to have a close look of wildlife and to experience the unforgettable adventurous ride on the back of the elephant. - Govind Wildlife Sanctuary : Govind Wildlife Sanctuary was established in the year 1955 in Uttarkashi district of state Uttaranchal.Surrounded by the natures gifts such as thick forest , snow covered mountain peaks of the Himalaya and glaciers,the sanctuary attracts a great number of tourists every year from all around the world.Because the sanctuary is surrounded by the peaks like Bandarpunch ,Swarg Rohini etc. ,it is a favorite destination of trekkers and mountaineers from all around the world.Animals are often seen here in their natural inhabitants.
- Nanda Devi National Park : The Nanda Devi National
Park is one of the most spectacular wilderness areas in the Himalayas . It is overshadowed by the peak of Nanda Devi, which rises to over 7,800 m. Nanda Devi National Park was established in the year 1980. The first men on record to have reached this park, whileyet in its pristine form, were the the British Mountaineers Eric Shipton and Bill Tilman. The area had largely remained untouched till then, except for Tilman's successful attempt on Nanda Devi in the year 1936. However, since 1950 the increasing number of treks & climbing expeditions to the area has to some extent affected the virgin characteristic of this place. The main vegetation here is of fir, birch, rhododendron, and juniper.
Animal population of species like bharal, Himalayan tahr, serow, goral, snow leopard, Himalayan black bear, brown bear, leopard, common langur, Himalayan musk deer, and brown beer dominate the park area & nearly 80 species of birds are commonly seen here.