National Chambal Sanctuary in India, home to a lot of endangered species, is a must visit

Chambal ravines

From the cold desert of Ladakh to the ravines of Chambal, this post is a slight deviation from my previous posts on Ladakh. One of the reasons I could not resist posting about this sanctuary, because to me, Chambal was known to be a dacoit infested area, and that's pretty much what I  knew of Chambal for a long time!

This sanctuary was indeed a wonderful surprise for me. The fascinating terrains, the endangered species, and the variety of birds make this place quite unique!

The National Chambal Sanctuary is located on the Chambal river on the Tri border area of the three states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh. This protected Sanctuary is known for the critically endangered Gharial crocodile, the red-crowned roof turtle and the Ganges river dolphin.

This sanctuary is also home to over 320 species of resident and migratory birds. Some of the bird species found here are Indian Skimmer, Sarus Crane, Pallas's fish eagle, and Indian courser.

Reaching the National Chambal sanctuary is very easy since it is well connected. The nearest rail head is in Dholpur. Many trains from Delhi and Mumbai stop at Dholpur. One can also reach this sanctuary from Agra and Gwalior which are at a distance of 60 km from the sanctuary respectively. You can also choose to reach the sanctuary from Bharatpur, which is around 100 km from the sanctuary,

The boat ride through the ravines is unique to the Chambal sanctuary, the beautiful terrains combined with the wildlife makes it one amazing ride.  Here are some pictures from the sanctuary which includes the Shergarh fort, the ravines, Crocodiles, Gharials, Softshell Turtles, and a number of birds such as, Bar-headed Goose, Bramhiny duck, Grey heron, Indian spoonbill, River-lapwings, Skimmers, black-winged stilts, and Wooly-necked storks.

The Pictures are courtesy Soma Jha.

Chambal river and ravines

Shergarh fort Dholpur

The National Chambal santuary

Bar-headed Goose

Bramhiny duck,Chambal sanctuary

Crocodile, Chambal sanctuary

Gharials

Grey heron trying to swallow a fish, Chambal sanctuary

Indian spoonbill,Chambal Sanctuary

River Lapwings, Chambal Sanctuary, India

Skimmers, Chambal sanctuary

Skimmers, Black-winged stilts,Gharials,and softshell turtle

Skimmers in flight

Wooly necked stork, Chambal sanctuary