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From close encounters with bright-eyed tigers and enormous elephants to birding experiences in marshlands teeming with kingfishers, eagles and cranes, wild-watching experiences in India are supersized.

Despite being the most populous nation on earth 鈥� home to nearly one in five people on the planet 鈥� India plays host to an incredible array of natural habitats, protected by more than 100 national parks and countless conservation areas, nature reserves and sanctuaries. 

Wildlife safaris in India involve an element of luck. Birds, deer and monkeys can be spotted almost everywhere, but seeing India鈥檚 version of the 鈥淏ig Five鈥� 鈥� tigers, leopards, Asiatic lions, Asian elephants and one-horned Indian rhinos 鈥� may depend on the skills of your guide and how lucky you are on the day. 

Whether your wildlife must-see list is dominated by big mammals or tiny marine life, here are the best wildlife-watching experiences in India.  

When should I go wildlife watching in India?

Wildlife watching in India is strongly affected by the climate. Many national parks close during the rainy monsoon months from June to September, when dirt roads inside the reserves turn into muddy quagmires. Conversely, this can be the best time to visit high-altitude national parks in the Himalayas as snow clears from mountain passes.

In the plains, the best time to see wildlife is during the dry season from October to March. Sightings become easier as the season wears on 鈥� vegetation dies back and water becomes scarcer, driving wildlife out into the open. From April to May, soaring temperatures lead many animals to take shelter during the day to escape the heat. 

How do I see the wildlife in India?

Many national parks offer a choice of safaris by 4WD or on elephant-back, but the latter is not recommended as carrying passengers can be harmful to these vulnerable animals. Safaris typically leave at around dawn or late in the afternoon 鈥� it鈥檚 wise to make arrangements before you arrive to avoid losing a day organizing a safari.

Some parks also offer safaris in open-topped buses known as canters, but these can only follow the main tracks and they tend to be noisy, which can deter wildlife. In many reserves, visitors are rotated around different zones, so whether you end up in a good area for sightings depends on the luck of the draw. Allow yourself a couple of days and take several safaris to maximise your chances. 

Some coastal and riverside reserves also offer safaris by canoe, raft or motor launch 鈥� great for spotting crocodiles, aquatic mammals and birdlife 鈥� and a handful of parks offer walking safaris led by wildlife guides, getting you very close to the wildlife. Always be cautious of monkeys; they often hassle visitors for food. 

Typically, safaris can be booked directly at the park headquarters or through local hotels and tour agencies. If you book directly through the parks, you may have to pay for the entire 4WD, unless there are other people waiting who are willing to share the ride; hotels and agencies can often pair you up with other groups so you only pay your share. 

1. Spot your first tiger in the wild at Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve 

Best for getting close to tigers

Madhya Pradesh is India鈥檚 tiger heartland, with nine tiger reserves at Bandhavgarh, Kanha, Pench, Panna, Satpura, Sanjay-Dubri, Durgavati, Ratapani and Madhav. About 180km (112 miles) northeast of Jabalpur, Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve is the spot to come if your sole reason for visiting an Indian national park is to see a tiger fast.

India鈥檚 2022 tiger census counted 135 tigers here, the great majority of them in the reserve鈥檚 relatively small core territory. Tiny Tala, 32km (20 miles) northeast of the nearest train station at Umaria, is the main base for visiting the park and this is where all safaris begin, usually first thing in the morning and late in the afternoon, when tigers and other animals are most active. 

Up to 147 six-passenger safari 4WDs are allowed into the core zone of the park per day, and tiger hotspots such as the grassy meadow at Chakradhara (Tala) and the watering holes at Sukhi Patiha (Maghdi) and Nigah Nala (Khiltauli) are excellent for producing that tiger sighting you鈥檙e after.

While tigers are not tracked electronically with chips or collars, word travels fast when a tiger is spotted. You may get a brief respite alone with a tiger, but the scene will soon be besieged by 4WDs full of tourists trying to catch that perfect social media shot 鈥� it鈥檚 the price you pay for such consistently reliable chances of a tiger encounter. 

Other good parks for tigers: Within Madhya Pradesh, Kanha and Pench offer good chances of sightings. In Rajasthan, Ranthambhore National Park is always popular, in part for its handy location between Delhi and Jaipur. Other popular reserves for tiger enthusiasts include Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand and Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra. 

2. Have a close encounter with wild elephants in Karnataka

Best for jumbo-sized encounters

Officially, 872-sq-km (337-sq-mile) Bandipur Tiger Reserve in southern Karnataka is part of Project Tiger, but its dry and hilly deciduous forests also provide a home for large numbers of elephants, alongside leopards, gaur (Indian bison), mongooses, giant squirrels, dholes (wild dogs) and some 150 tigers.

Safaris are restricted to a limited area in the park鈥檚 southeast, straddling the Mysuru鈥揙oty (Udhagamandalam) road about 80km (50 miles) south of Mysuru. For wildlife sightings, the ideal months are February to April, when the dry season is peaking and animals are increasingly likely to visit waterholes.

Nearby Nagarhole (Nagarahole) Tiger Reserve is home to numerous tigers, leopards, and roughly 2500 elephants. A special attraction here is taking a boat safari on the Kabini River 鈥� for much of the year, the river expands into a vast reservoir, but as the Kabini shrinks in the late dry season (February to April), its grassy banks become a magnet for wildlife.

Sightings on land safaris are always a matter of luck, though elephants are a reasonably good bet, and you鈥檙e sure to see deer, monkeys and colorful birds. Water safaris by boat from the offer excellent chances to spot wildlife on the riverbanks, and resident otters and birds on the water.

Other good parks for elephants: Moving south from Karnataka, you stand a good chance of spotting a wild Asian elephant in Tamil Nadu鈥檚 Mudumalai National Park, and in Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary and Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala. While the wild elephants in Assam鈥檚 Kaziranga National Park are harder to track down, you have an excellent chance of seeing one-horned Indian rhinos. 

3. Explore the bird-thronged marshes of Keoladeo National Park in Rajasthan

Best for birders

South of the dusty town of Bharatpur in Rajasthan, a gateway off an anonymous highway marks the entrance to one of Asia鈥檚 most spectacular birding sites. Keoladeo National Park is a vital breeding and feeding ground for more than 370 bird species, including migrants crossing India from Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, China and Siberia.

During the cooler winter months, after a good monsoon, a third of the park鈥檚 29 sq km (11.1 sq miles) can be inundated by floodwaters, luring everything from herons and kingfishers to bar-headed geese, sarus and demoiselle cranes, painted storks, spoonbills, eagles and flamingos.

Enjoying this richness of birdlife is a highly sustainable activity. After paying the entry fee, you can walk into the reserve or explore by rented bicycle or chartered electric autorickshaw. Afterward, compare notes and photos with other birders in the cozy restaurants at and .

Other good parks for birders: South India鈥檚 Western Ghats are alive with birdlife, with more than 270 species residing in reserves such as Nagarhole National Park in Karnataka. Wetland environments such as Chilika Lake in Odisha and Sundarbans Tiger Reserve in West Bengal are great places to spot migrating waterbirds. 

4. Seek snow leopards in the barren mountains of Ladakh

Best for almost mythical wildlife encounters

The high Himalayan valleys of Ladakh in the far north of India are the favored territory of the predator locals call the 鈥済rey ghost鈥� 鈥� the elusive snow leopard. Sightings are rare, but even a distant glimpse through a telescope or discovering snow leopard footprints in the snow in this humbling environment brings its own thrill.  

Almost 500 snow leopards (out of an India-wide population of 700) live in the remote mountains of Ladakh, making this one of the world鈥檚 best places in the world to spot these secretive predators, which prey on bharal (blue sheep), ibex, hares and small mammals such as marmots and hares. 

The best months for sightings are December to March and the absolute prime time is during the mating season, from around mid-February to mid-March. If you fancy trying your luck independently, the villages of Ulley in Sham and Rumbak in the foothills of the Stok Range in Hemis National Park are good bases for snow leopard spotting treks.

You鈥檒l have a better chance of a sighting if you join an organized expedition. Agencies in and around Leh such as , , , and offer packages lasting 11 to 12 days, with seven or eight nights spent in rustic camps or small mountain villages. You鈥檒l likely be looking at distant felines through spotting telescopes, but you may get lucky and have a closer sighting. 

5. Cruise out from India's west coast beaches to see dolphins gambolling in the surf

Best marine mammal experience 

To see dolphins playing in the surf, head for the waters off the beaches of Sinquerim and Candolim in Goa. Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins are common here, and local tour operators offer boat trips to spot these playful cetaceans during the busy November-to-February tourist season. 

One easy place to arrange a dolphin-spotting trip is the jetty at Dolphin Point near Sinquerim, on the road heading to Fort Aguada. Most tours head out for an hour, and while spotting dolphins is the main activity, you鈥檒l also get to enjoy views of the palm-fringed coast, bobbing fishing boats, imposing St Lawrence Church and the Fort Aguada Jail.

The remote Lakshadweep Islands off the west coast of India are another great spot to see dolphins, with pods of spinner dolphins and Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins commonly spotted on boat trips between the islands.

Other places to see dolphins: From the village of Satapada near Odisha鈥檚 Chilika Lake, you can join boat tours to see one of the last remaining populations of endangered estuarine Irrawaddy dolphins. Freshwater Ganges River dolphins can be spotted on cruises through the Sundarbans Tiger Reserve near Kolkata, and occasionally on boat trips on the Ganges near Varanasi. For something a little different, dugongs (a close relative of the manatee) can be seen in the mangroves of the Andaman Islands.

6. See Asiatic lions and wild asses in the silent wilds of Gujarat 

Best unexpected wildlife experiences 

Animals more commonly associated with Africa such as lions and hyenas once thrived in many parts of India, but today, the rare Asiatic lion clings on in just one tiny corner of the country. The Gujarati city of Junagadh is the jumping-off point for this endangered big cat's last stand in the wild 鈥� Gir National Park & Wildlife Sanctuary. 

Covering 1412 sq km (545 sq miles) of dry teak forests interspersed with tawny grasslands, this hilly national park is home to the last lions of their kind on earth, alongside leopards, hyenas, sloth bears, mongooses and many bird and deer species, and lion-spotting safaris are possible from mid-October to mid-June. 

The gateway to Gir National Park is tiny Sasan Gir village, between Junagadh and Veraval, and you鈥檒l need to book permits in advance, either through local hotels, or directly with the . The chances of sightings are very high, and safari slots can be booked out several months in advance during the best season for sightings (December to April). 

The other signature wildlife experience in Gujarat is spotting wild asses in the arid Little Rann of Kachchh near Bhuj. The 4953-sq-km (1912-sq-mile) Wild Ass Sanctuary preserves a desolate landscape where some 3000 khurs (Indian wild asses) make a home, alongside wolves, caracals, blackbuck and chinkara gazelles. From October to March, 350 species of birds swarm the sanctuary as well 鈥� this is one of the few areas in India where flamingos breed in the wild. 

7. Snorkel or dive the teeming coral reefs of the Andaman Islands 

Best for underwater encounters 

For serious divers, the most impressive coral reefs in India are found off the outlying Andaman and Lakshadweep islands, with the sand- and mangrove-circled Andaman Islands being the most accessible location. The island of Swaraj Dweep (formerly Havelock) is the Andamans鈥� diving hub, thanks to the famous marine biologist and godfather of scuba diving, Jacques Cousteau. 

Amongst other things, Cousteau discovered the Minerva Ledge 鈥� today, one of the islands鈥� most popular dive sites 鈥� the edges of which lead down into deeper waters where pelagic fish such as tuna, barracuda and marbled stingrays cruise. Strong currents at this site allow for some great drift diving if you鈥檙e an experienced diver. 

For beginners, there are flat coral gardens populated by schools of fusilier, surgeonfish and snappers, plus the occasional turtle, moray eel or giant grouper. More experienced divers should consider Dixon鈥檚 Pinnacle or Pilot Reef for colorful soft coral; South Button for macro dives and dramatic rock formations; The Wall for soft coral and night dives; or Jackson鈥檚 Bar or Johnny鈥檚 Gorge for deeper dives with schools of snapper, sharks, rays and turtles.

Dive centers such as and employ meticulously trained staff, offering everything from beginners鈥� dives to advanced certification courses for those already holding a license. Be sure to bring reef-safe, biodegradable sunscreen, as it鈥檚 hard to find locally. The best season for underwater visibility is October to May.

This article was adapted from Lonely Planet鈥檚 guidebook, published in November 2024.