One of the major mega diversity countries in the world, India houses a good number of wildlife species found nowhere else. India currently has 80 National Parks which houses large number of tigers, one-horned rhinos, almost extinct Asiatic Lions and a large number of wild elephants.
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Hemis National Park
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Hemis High Altitude National Park, Ladakh
Hemis National Park is situated among the severe mountain landscapes of Ladakh, north of the great Himalayan range. In the winter the area is virtually inaccessible and animals like the snow leopard come down to the valleys.
With a dizzy altitudinal range (3,300 m to 6,600 m) you'd hardly expect to see much wildlife.
The avifauna includes Himalayan snowcock, golden eagle and lammergeir or bearded vulture among other high altitude variety of birds.
Hemis area is famous for the various trekking possibilities like the trek through the Markha Valley and for Hemis Gompa, the Buddhist monastery.
Panna National Park |
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Panna National Park, Chattarpur, Madhya Pradesh
Panna National Park is around 57 km from Khajuraho. Like so many others the park was originally a hunting reserve. The boundary of the park is marked by the broad and rocky River Ken. Animal pouching is a big disturbance.
The vegetation is a miscellaneous dry deciduous forest inter spread with grassland areas. The park is deeply forested with varieties such as teak, acacia and sal. The dense cover provides excellent habitat for antelope (nilgai) and large cats (including the tiger). The river is home to both of India's crocodiles (magar and the gharial). The park also attracts resident and migratory birds, from storks and cranes to eagles and vultures.
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Panna National Park
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Pandava falls are also a major attraction with its lake that is fed by a waterfall, a rough track descends from the crag and goes around the lake immersed in the Panna forest and leads to some caves, beneath dripping cliffs, transformed in shrines. Another attraction close by is the Rajgarh Palace overlooking the valley.
Panna National Park |
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