It is nature all the way. Whether you are a lover of fauna or flora, you will enjoy your sojourn here. And to top it all, are some magnificent views of the snow capped Himalayas in the far horizon, peeping through the tangle of trees, as you make your safari.
The Park has a veritable treasure of floral species, and its vegetation consists of plants, under-wood, and undergrowth. You will see some local varieties of trees like sal, (Shorea robusta), baki (Anogeissue latifolia), sain (Terminalia tomentosa), haldu (Adina cordifolia), bachera (Terminalia ballerica), jhingan (Lannea coromandelica), kharpat (Garuga pinnata), phauri (Lagerstroemia parviflora), bula (Kydia calycina), badal (Stereospermum chelonoides), tun (Cadrela tonna), gutel (Trewia nudiflora), gular (Ficus glomerata), etc. A delight for the botany lover.
So thick is the jungle, that the under-wood is light and, sometimes, completely absent. It consists of rohini (Liollotus philippinensis), amaltas (Cassia fistula), sandan (Ougeinia oojeinensis), pipal (Bauhienia lazan), mahal (Pyrus pashla), chamaror (Ehretia laevis), aonia (Emblica officinalis), kachnar (Bauhienia variegata), ber (Ziziphus mauritiana), chilla (Casearia tomentosa), bel (Aegle marmelos), and many more.
There are also large tracts of undergrowth and grasses like karaunda (Carissa opaca), gandhala (Murraya koenigil), marorphali (Helicteres isora), and grasses like (Cyryspogon fuivus), kummeeria (Heteropogon contortus).
The park gamekeepers have listed an impressive list of animal species. In all, there are around 49 species of mammals, 315 species of birds, 49 species of reptiles, 10 species of amphibians, and 49 varieties of fish. You will also come across several reptiles, scorpions, centipedes and gigantic termite hills. But most beautiful, is the sight of the peacock, spreading out its fascinating feathers in proud display on a cloudy day.
Elephants
The star attraction of the Park are the hordes of wild elephants, that move in ‘family’ groups through this wild terrain, their might being an easy combat to this thick jungle, which gives them plenty of resources to feed, as the elephant, despite its huge strength and size is vegetarian. There is an approximate population of 150 elephants in this area.
These Asian elephants are distinguished from their African brethren by being smaller in size, with smaller ears, and a more rounded back, and a fourth toenail on each of their hind feet. They have thick, dry skin with a small amount of stiff hair, and are grey to brown in color. They live in a range of habitats from grasslands to wet forests and feed on grasses, bamboo, leaves, bark, shoots, creepers and palms. As all these varieties are plentiful in these terai jungles, this national park is particularly known for its hordes of elephants.
When you get to view an ‘elephant family’ on the move, you must recognize that the females lead the herd, with the tuskers lagging behind, unless alerted to some approaching danger. A typical elephant herd consists of forty elephants, which include five male tuskers and quite a few young calves.
Park Attraction
Excursions
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