The parks, reserves and sanctuaries that are found in great numbers in the state of Maharashtra are perfect treasures of some of the wild and exotic species of flora and fauna. These are well protected and safeguarded against potential damages due to the excellent initiatives from the government. These wildlife reserves are flocked by local and international tourists.

These parks offer great services like safari rides, library, visual and audio aids for guided tours throughout the parks, comfortable staying and commuting options in and around the park. Tourists are charged reasonably for these services. Some of the famous wildlife sanctuaries in Maharashtra are at Chaprala, Tadoba, Tipeshwar, Chikhaldara, Dajpur, Bhamragarh, Navegaon and Bor. The Pench National Park that covers the borders of the two states of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh offers camping facilities in the name, Pench Jungle Camp.

Flora and Fauna of Maharashtra

Most of these parks and sanctuaries house some of the rare varieties of flora and fauna as the climate and soil conditions favour these rare varieties. Among wildlife, some of the animals commonly found in sanctuaries are Wild Dog, Sambar, Flying Squirrel, Tiger, Bison, Crocodiles, Jungle cats, Sloth Bear, Four Horned Antelope, Chinkara, Chowsinga, Langurs, Black Buck, Panther, Wolf, Jackal, Hyena, Giant Squirrel, Bonnet Monkey,Nigai, Pangolin and many other exotic varieties. Some of the common flora that are found here are Teak, Terminalia, Dalbergia Latifolia, Terminalia Paniculata, Adina Cordifolia, Bamboo, Anogeissius, Boswelia, Dalbergia, Shisham, Isnceolata, Logerstroemia, T. bellercia, Andug Prerocarpuss, Prerocarpuss marsupium, T. tomentosa and Grewia tiliaefolia.

Mahim Nature Park

This park is in stark contrast to its neighbouring locality and the biggest slum in the Asian continent, Dharavi. The Mahim Nature park was established with the main aim of conserving the birds and marine animals in a very eco-friendly way. There are numerous streams inside this park that form the base for survival of the lives inside it. The land is marshy and rich in saline content and houses many animals in the deep mangrove canopy.

This Nature Park is the brain-child of the WWF’s (World Wildlife Fund) Chairperson and a corporate lawyer by profession, Shanta Chatterjee.

Karnala Bird Sanctuary

This is the hot favourite among ornithologists from all over the country. Its close proximity to the main city of Mumbai makes it a great weekend getaway as well. Rare species of sunbirds, orioles, babblers and drongoes can be spotted here. This place is not only home to various species of birds, but various colours of birds as well. One of the unusual birds here is the male flycatcher which has a rare tail in silver colour. Like in any other park, lots of monkeys and deer can be spotted here. Panthers are rare. Tourists can get accommodation facilities arranged by the tourism development corporation of the state.

Famous Wildlife Sanctuaries in Maharashtra

Bhamragarh Wildlife sanctuary

Situated in the midst of dense forests, this sanctuary is home to various species like flying squirrel, barking deer, sloth bear, blue bull, peacock, jungle fowl, wild boar etc.

Bor Wildlife sanctuary

This sanctuary is located in the Wardha district of Maharashtra. The reserve forest is covered over an area of 3237 hectares and the protected forest is covered over an area of 2213 hectares. The entire area of this sanctuary is 61.10 sq. km.

Chaprala Wildlife sanctuary

Inside this sanctuary, one can find some rare wild animals that are of around 131 different species. Some of the common animals that are found here are jungle cat, sloth bear, wild dog, tiger and leopard. Some of the birds and reptiles belonging here are of very rare species.

Chikhaldara

This wildlife sanctuary got its name from one of the characters in Mahabharata, Keechaka. This is located in the Amravati district in the town of Vidharba region of Maharashtra. There are lots of wildlife sanctuaries and beautiful tourist viewpoints here.

Dajipur

This sanctuary is located in the borders of Sindhudurg and Kolhapur districts. There are lots of mountains and forests all over this area and is situated in a place where the human intervention is very less.

Nagzira

This wildlife sanctuary is one of the most scenic and has lots of greenery all around. There are 4 species of amphibians, 166 species of birds, 36 species of reptiles and 34 species of mammals.

Navegaon

This is yet another sanctuary in the Vidharba area of Maharashtra. This is a sanctuary that is covered by green hills all around and it was established around three centuries back.

Pench National Park

Situated at a distance of 70km form Nagpur, this national park is situated on the borders of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. This covers an area of 257.26sq.km

Tadoba National Park

This park is situated at a distance of 45km from Chandrapur. This park is covered by lush green carpet in all the areas. Leopards, tigers, gaurs etc. are quite common here.

Tipeshwar

This wildlife sanctuary contains black buck, blue bull, sambar, peacock, hare, monkey, snake, wild cat, wild boar, wolf and jackal in huge numbers.