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Stretching over an area of some 811 sq km (with a core area of 648
sq km), Dudhwa National Park lies amid the warm, tropical forests of the terai, in the
foothills of the Himalayas. Sprawling along India’s border with Nepal, Dudhwa is a
tiger reserve, and lies north of the Suheli river. The park’s thick sal forests, extensive grasslands and wet
marshes harbour a wide range of wildlife, including tiger, swamp deer (barasingha),
elephant, jackal, sloth bear, leopard cat, jungle cat, civet, fishing cat and a vast
number of birds. |
Dudhwa’s birds, in particular, are a delight for any avid
birdwatcher- plenty of painted storks, sarus cranes, owls, barbets, woodpeckers, minivets
and many more, including some rare species like the Bengal florican. Much of the
park’s avian fauna is aquatic in nature, and is found around Dudhwa’s lakes-
especially Banke Tal.
The great Indian one-horned rhino, which was hunted out of existence
in this part of the country by the end of the 19th century, has also now been
reintroduced in Dudhwa from other sanctuaries in Nepal and India. Brought to Dudhwa in
1985, rhino populations have increased marginally over the years since. Visitors, however,
are not allowed into the rhino zone yet, so don’t count on seeing any.
Dudhwa had, in the recent past, been facing problems of encroachment
and poaching, both of which have had an adverse effect on the park’s ecology. Swamp
deer populations, especially, had fallen, but recent surveys show that the park’s
recovering, slowly but surely.
Entry Requirements
All visitors to Dudhwa National park have to get entry permits from
the Director of the Park, whose office is at the district headquarters of Lakhimpur Kheri.
Entry costs are roughly Rs 100 for three days, for foreigners. Indians pay less, and extra
charges are levied for vehicles and cameras. A daily fee of between Rs 50 and Rs 100 is
charged for a vehicle, depending upon its size.
Access
The town of Bareilly is the nearest major railhead and has train
connections to most major cities in northern India, including Delhi and Lucknow. Dudhwa
has its own station too, but connections to it are scarce. Palia, 10 km from Dudhwa, also has a few trains coming in from other parts of
Uttar Pradesh.
The nearest airport is at Lucknow, 250 km from Dudhwa.
Both from Lucknow and from Bareilly (besides other cities like
Delhi) there are good road connections to Dudhwa via Palia. Private coaches and buses
operated by the UP State Road Transport Corporation connect Palia to Bareilly, Delhi,
Lakhimpur Kheri, Shahjahanpur and other towns.
Vehicles can be hired in Dudhwa to go on a tour of the park; a more
eco-friendly- and much more exciting- option is to take a ride on one of the park
elephants. Elephant rides are arranged in the morning and
the evening, when there are more
chances of spotting animals.
Best time to visit
The best time
to visit Dudhwa is between November and May. The park remains open to the public from
November to June, but by June it’s usually a little too hot for comfort. Remember to
take your woollens along if you’re going between December and February- it can get
pretty chilly here, in the foothills of the Terai.
Accommodation
Accommodation in the park is available at log huts, lodges and
forest resthouses at Dudhwa, Sathiana, Bankatti, Kila and Sonaripur. All are pretty
minimalist (except the one at Dudhwa, which has a small canteen attached to it), and
charge a nominal tariff of a couple of hundred bucks a night. Also in the park, on its
southern periphery, is a lodge owned by `Billy’ Arjan Singh, the conservationist who
has largely been responsible for the setting up of Dudhwa.
Another option is to stay outside the park; Palia has a handful of
hotels, and luxuries that you won’t get in the park- provisions, medical facilities,
and telephones included. The hotels in the town, obviously charge more than what
you’ll pay in Dudhwa; about Rs 500-700 a night is a fair estimate.
For more
information, contact the Director, Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, District Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar
Pradesh (Tel: 05872-252106). Additional assistance can be obtained from the Chief Wildlife
Warden at 17, Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow.
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