Wild Life sanctuaries and Parks in Himachal Pradesh

Dev Bhoomi Himachal has affluent flora and fauna. Approximately 64% of total geographical area of state is covered with forests. This huge forest area accounts to variety of Wild Life found in Himachal Pradesh. There are two national parks(Great Himalayan National Park & Pin Valley National Park) and Thirty two sanctuaries in Himachal Pradesh till December 2008.

Great Himalayan National Park

Situated in Distt. Kullu at an altitude of about 1500mts to5800mts, it consist of upper area of Jiwa, Tirthan and Sainj tributaries which merge in Beas river. This area consist of good forests and meadows having diverse wild life population. Tirthan was declared sanctuary on 17th June,1976 and was declared national park on 1st March 1984. It is surrounded by pin valley national park on the north east, Rupi Bhaba sanctuary on the North west. Here one can find Leopard cat, Barking deer,Himalayan Black bear, Musk deer, Red fox, Jackel, Goral, Ibex, Brown bear, Langur, Leopard,Blue Sheep,Snow leopard,wolf,Rich in flora, it has Banoak, Deodar, dry alpine scrub, Bamboo, Brakes. Tackers,flora and fona lovers have the ideal choice for this park. More information can be found at Wikipedia or at website created by Friends of GHNP.

Pin Valley National Park

Situated in Lahul-Spiti the Pin Valley National Park spreads over an area of 675 Km2 and altitude of the National Park ranges from about 3,500 metres near Ka dogri to more than 6,000 metres at its highest point. It was declared a National Park on 9th January 1987.

With its snow covered higher reaches and with limited vegetation, Pin Valley National Park forms the natural habitat of a number of endangered animals including Himalayan Ibex, Snow Leopard, Bharal, Wooly Hare, Tibetan Wolf, and Snow Cock. Whereas locating a Snow Leopard or Snow Cock could be a once in lifetime experience, it is the Himalayan Ibex which can be seen standing on a shoot against rising or setting sun. More information can be found at H.P. Forest department's website.

Pong Lake Sanctuary

Pong lake situated in Distt Kangra was created in 1976 by constructing a dam in the river Bias.This reservoir spreading over about 300 sq. km.attracts a large number of migratory water birds.It is a wet land having dry bamboo and Himalyan forest. It has one permanent Island and several others connected to the shore.The reservoir has become a habitat for several species of fish generating good revenue. Migratory birds during the winter season attracts a large number of tourists to have a glimpse of different species of water birds.Water sports are also organized for sport lovers. Indian wild beer,redfox,barking deer,hare,Mongoose, Nilgai, Sambar, Indian cobra,Indian python besides various varieties of fish like Mahasheer, Millap, Soal etc do exist.

Here is the complete list of Parks and sanctuaries and area covered by each.

S.No.	Sanctuary/ National Park	District	Area ( Km² )
1	Govind Sagar	Bilaspur	100
2	Shri Nainadevi	Bilaspur	123
3	Sach-Tuan Nala	Chamba	103
4	Gamgul-Siyabehi	Chamba	109
5	Tundah	Chamba	64
6	Kugti	Chamba	379
7	Kalatop-Khajjiar	Chamba	69
8	Pongdam Lake	Kangra	307
9	Dhauladhar	Kangra	944
10	Rakchham-Chhitkul	Kinnaur	304
11	Lipa Asrang	Kinnaur	31
12	Rupi-Bhaba	Kinnaur	503
13	Sainj	Kullu	90
14	Tirthan	Kullu	61
15	Kias	Kullu	14
16	Khokhan	Kullu	14
17	Kanawar	Kullu	61
18	Manali	Kullu	32
19	Kibber	Lahaul & Spiti	1400
20	Bandli	Mandi	41
21	Nargu	Mandi	278
22	Shikari Devi	Mandi	72
23	Daranghati I & II	Shimla	167
24	Talra	Shimla	40
25	Water Supply Catchment	Shimla	10
26	Churdhar	Sirmour	66
27	Simbalbara	Sirmour	19
28	Renuka	Sirmour	4
29	Chail	Solan	109
30	Shilli	Solan	2
31	Majathal	Solan	40
32	Darlaghat	Solan	6
	Total Area Wildlife Sanctuary		5562
33	Great Himalayan National Park	Kullu	765
34	PIN Valley National Park	Lahaul & Spiti	675

You can see all these parks and sanctuaries on map at Maps of india. So next time you are in Himachal watch out for Wild Life.


Ecology and Human Well-Being: Nature and Society in Himachal Pradesh