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Keoladeo National Park (Bharatpur)

Brief
At the confluence of the Gambhir and Banganga rivers in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan, is one of the most enchanting waterfowl refuges in the world - Keoladeo National Park (KNP). Formerly known as the Bharatpur Ghana Bird Sanctuary, the park, which has been extensively modified and managed by man, supports enormous congregations of migratory waterfowl in winter, and massive colonies of breeding, fish-eating birds in the monsoon and autumn. Besides the enormity in number and variety of these birds, the possibility of watching them from close quarters is the major attraction of this park. The rare and most endangered of the cranes, the Siberian crane, which is reported to winter regularly only in Bharatpur in India, is the star visitor to KNP. Since the wetland is surrounded by a variety of terrestrial habitats, chances of sighting semi - aquatic and land birds are also high, making it all the more impressive to any bird lover and giving it the name 'bird paradise'. KNP became a Ramsar Site in 1981 and a World Heritage site in 1985 giving it the international recognition it deserves. 

Reasons to visit
We welcome you to the most exciting tourist attractions and travel destinations which are given below. We take into notice each and every details about recreation, entertainment, adventure and relaxation. By looking at the things to do in city one can see if that spot offers romance, family fun, sightseeing or adventure. Drill down into the tourist attractions below to find out more about each place and see how the local customs create a unique atmosphere.
 
Wildlife Attractions     
Keoladeo is famous as one of Asia’s finest birding areas, with over 380 resident and migrant species, including the Common, Demoiselle and the rare Siberian Cranes. It is also an excellent place to watch mammals like Golden Jackal, Striped Hyaena, Fishing Cat, Jungle Cat, Nilgai, Sambar, Blackbuck and wild Boar. The park derives its name from the temple of Keoladeo (Shiva) and ‘ghana’ which locally means dense, implying the nature of the vegetation. During the cool winter months it is also possible to see large Indian Pythons sunning themselves. This is not all, the park also houses, some rare species of fauna like - Sambar, Chital, Nilgai and Boar.

Bird Sightings  
The main attractions for tourists visiting the Keoladeo National Park (Bharatpur) are the migratory birds, which come from as far away as Siberia and Central Asia to spend their winters in Bharatpur, before returning back to their breeding grounds. More than 375 species of birds are found in this small wildlife park of 29 sq-km out of which 11 sq-km are marshes and the rest is scrubland and grassland. The beauty of this park is praiseworthy. When you are surrounded by the exhilarating chirps of the beautiful birds, the entire ambience becomes heavenly, as you are amidst your favourites like Cranes,Pelicans,Geese,Ducks,Eagles,Hawks,Shanks,Stints,Wagtails,Warblers,
Wheatears,Flycatchers,Buntings,Larks and Pipits, etc. 


Venture into the Keoladeo   
There are well defined forest paths in the Keoladeo. Get close to the bird life of Keoladeo by either walking or cycling along the raised embankments. You can also hire a cycle rickshaw to explore the sanctuary. While you proceed through the dense forest cover, which shelters a diverse flora you will come across varied and colourful birds flying from one-side to the other side with high pitch melodious notes. The entire ambience seems to be heavenly, as you move further inside the park. The vast flora provides a natural habitat to these migratory birds. You must not have seen such number of birds at one place before.