India is vastly known for its rich and diverse unique flora and fauna species. For nature lovers, India’s strategic site with thick forests and wildlife makes it a pleasing landscape most times of the year. Now, it possesses a total number of more than 105 national parks as in 2020 spread across most of its states.
To go further back, India’s first national park was established in 1936 and was named Hailey National Park. However, now, it changed to Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand. The country’s parks had a slow growth at first (5 national parks by 1970), but it took off fast ever since then. As a matter of fact, the list of national parks in India states is long because these parks are spread across several states which will be discussed in the following.
Generally, these national parks are opened at any time of the year but the monsoons because it is the animal’s mating season, so they are closed from July to September. Nonetheless, every travel lover is advised to visit India’s national parks from October to June as it is the most beautiful time of the year to be in a wild life. Therefore, in this article, we provide you with a list of the top 30 national parks in India state wise as it is difficult to keep track since they are spread all over the country.
List of 15 National Parks in India States
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Uttarakhand state
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Jim Corbett National Park
It is the oldest and most popular national park in India. Jim Corbett is situated in the Himalaya’s foothills along the banks of Ramaganga River. This national park consists of around 580 bird species, 50 tree species,50 animal species, and almost 25 reptile species spread across its 5 divisions.
Opening and closing time: 6:30 AM – 6 PM
Entry fees: Rs 200 for Indians – Rs 1000 for foreigners
Area km: 520.8 km²
District: Ramnagar
Date of establishment: 1936
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Valley of Flowers National Park
It is a paradise on earth as it contains a rare exotic range of flora and endangered fauna species such as black deer, blue sheep, etc. It is considered as a World Heritage Site for the wild life and Himalayan water-falls.
Opening and closing time: 7 AM – 5 PM
Entry fees: Rs 150 for Indians – Rs 600 for foreigners
Area km: 87.50 km²
District: Chamoli
Date of establishment: 1982
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Rajaji National Park
This park is a home of three sanctuaries namely Rajaji, Motichur, Chilla. It is located along the Shiwalik range’s foothills in the Himalayas. Not only does this national park encompass the Shivalik mountain ranges, it received a Tiger Reserve status by the Government of India. In fact, it has reason 500
Elephants, over 400 bird species, 12 Tigers, and nearly 250 Panthers.
Opening and closing time: 7 AM to 10 AM | 3 PM to 6 PM
Entry fees: Rs 150 for Indians – Rs 600 for foreigners
Area km: 820 km²
District: Dehradun
Date of establishment: 1983
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Gangotri National Park
This national park has nearly 15 species of mammals such as pheasants, snow leopard, blue sheep, and many more. Additionally, it is a home of 150 species of birds that make it a rare park in the region. When visiting Gangotri national park, some might encounter few oldest settlements that are the holy pilgrimages of Hindus. Moreover, some visitors are able to check the source of the river Ganga through the Park.
Opening and closing time: 6 AM – 10 PM
Entry fees: Rs 150 for Indians – Rs 600 for foreigners
Area km: 2,390 km²
District: Uttarakhand
Date of establishment: 1989
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Assam
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Kaziranga National Park
This park is most popular for its one-horned rhinoceros and other endangered species. It is the home to nearly 2200 one-horned rhinoceros spread across swamp lagoons, elephant-grass meadows, and dense tropical forests full of wildlife conservation. The Kaziranga national park managed to grow successfully throughout the years.
Opening and closing time: 7:30 AM – 4 PM
Entry fees: Rs 100 for Indians – Rs 600 for foreigners
Area km: 430 km²
District: Kanchanjuri
Date of establishment: 1908
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Dibru Saikhowa National Park
Not only is Dibru Saikhowa a national park, but it is also Biosphere Reserve. It has a total number of 36 species of mammals and above 400 species of birds. In fact, it is famous for its exotic white-winged wood ducks and feral horses.
Opening and closing time: 7:30 AM – 4 PM
Entry fees: Rs 100 for Indians – Rs 650 for foreigners
Area km: 430 km²
District: Kanchanjuri
Date of establishment:1908
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Royal Manas National Park
This park is regarded as one of the largest parks in the town. Also, it is one of the first nature reserves in Bhutan with an exotic and diverse range of flora and fauna. To explain, it has over 365 birds, 86 different mammals, and nearly 900 plant species.
Opening and closing time: 5:30 AM – 6:30 PM
Entry fees: Rs 20 for Indians – Rs 250 for foreigners
Area km: 1,057 km²
District: Pemagatshel, Zhemgang, and eastern part of Sarpang
Date of establishment: 1966
Also Read: Top 10 botanical gardens in India
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Orang National Park
It is situated along the north bank of the river Brahmaputra and it resembles the landscape of the Kaziranga National Park. This park is mainly famous for its diverse species such as tigers, civet cats, wild pigs, pythons, in addition to the 222 bird species.
Opening and closing time: 7:30 AM – 9:30 PM
Entry fees: Rs 20 for Indians – Rs 250 for foreigners
Area km: 78,81 km²
District: Singari Bangali Gaon
Date of establishment: 1985
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Andhra Pradesh
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Sri Venkateswara National Park
The park is spread over two cities namely Chittoor and Cuddapah (cities in Andhra Pradesh). It is famous for its many waterfalls among which the Gunjana waterfall, Talakona waterfall, and Gundalakona waterfall. Moreover, the most frequently spotted animals in this park are endangered species such as leopards, hyenas, flying lizards, and Indian giant squirrels.
Opening and closing time: 9 AM – 5 PM
Entry fees: Rs 50
Area km: 353 km²
District: Tirupati
Date of establishment: 1989
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Papikonda National Park
This park is situated on both the left and right banks of the river Godavari cutting through the hill of Papikonda. It has mythological species of flora and fauna and it is mostly known for its renowned tiger reserve along with house water buffalos. Some of its spotted species are mouse deers, gaurs, panthers, and four-horned antelopes.
Opening and closing time: 10 AM – 8:30 PM
Entry fees: Rs 50 for Indians – Rs 350 for foreigners
Area km: 1,985 km²
District: MV Road
Date of establishment: 1974
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Namdapha National Park
This park is one of the largest and protected spots in Eastern Himalaya biodiversity areas. It contains more than 1000 floral and nearly 140 faunal species. Some of the spotted species in Namadpha national park are snow leopards, red pandas, red foxes, and white-tailed fish eagles.
Opening and closing time: 10 AM – 8:30 PM
Entry fees: Rs 50 for Indians – Rs 350 for foreigners
Area km: 1,985 km²
District: MV Road
Date of establishment: 1974
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Mouling National Park
This park is rich with flora and fauna which made it an attraction for all nature lovers around the world. Mouling national park is regarded as one of the 18 Himalayan biodiversity hotspots. It has a vast amount of mammal species such as the Giant Hornbill, Assam Bamboo Partridge, and Hoolock gibbon.
Opening and closing time: 10 AM – 5 PM
Entry fees: Free
Area km: 483 km²
District: East Siang
Date of establishment: 1982
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Gujarat
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Blackbuck National Park
Initially, this park was established in order to save blackbucks. This beautiful grassland national park is surrounded by Gulf of Khambhat on the south and by agriculture domains and wastelands on the other sides.
Since it is a sanctuary for blackbucks only, it has a large number of these animals along with large grassland without flowers, pods, fruits, or other floral since they are following a diet.
Opening and closing time: 6:30 AM – 6:30 PM
Entry fees: Rs 30
Area km: 34.08 Km²
District: Bhavnagar
Date of establishment: 1976
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Marine National Park
It is located on the southern shore of the Gulf’s Kutch with 42 different islands. Generally, it consists of many flora and fauna species of marine life such as starfish, octopus, sponge, shrimp, and sea horse. This national park is famous for the variety of activities that it offers such as, scuba diving, boat riding, and snorkeling.
Opening and closing time: 8 AM – 6 PM
Entry fees: Rs 40
Area km: 270 km²
District: Devbhumi Dwarka
Date of establishment: 1982
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Sasan Gir Forest National Park
The Gir Forest national park is regarded as one of the most essential protected natural spots in Asia. The reason for that is the rare animals it has, but mainly the Purdue Asiatic Lions. In this park, 400 plant species and
2,375 distinct fauna species were recorded. The latter includes 38 species of mammals, around 37 species of reptiles, 300 species of birds, and most importantly more than 2,000 insects’ species.
Opening and closing time: 6:00 AM – 9:00 AM | 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM | 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Entry fees: Rs 75 for Indians – Rs 100 for foreigners
Area km: 1412 km²
District: Junagarh
Date of establishment: 1965
Moreover, there are several other national parks in India states wise. In the following table, we present a national park and its details in terms of name, district, area, and date of establishment. It should be noted that the following list is ordered alphabetically.
| States | National Parks | District | Area (Sq. Km) | Date of Establishment |
| Andhra Pradesh | Mahaveer Harina Vanasthali | Hyderabad | 14.59
|
1994 |
| Assam | Nameri | Sonitpur | 200.00
|
1998 |
| Bihar | Valmiki | Pashchim Champaran | 335.65 | 1989 |
| Chhattishgarh | Sanjay | Surguja, Koria | 1,471.13
|
1981 |
| Goa | Mollem | North Goa | 107.00 | 1978 |
| Gujarat |
Bansda |
Valsad | 23.99 | 1979 |
| Haryana | Kalesar | Yamuna Nagar | 46.82 | 2003 |
| Himachal Pradesh | Pin Valley | Lahul & Spiti | 675.00 | 1987 |
| Jammu & Kashmir | City Forest | Srinagar | 9.07 | 1992
|
| Jharkhand | Betla | Palamau | 231.67 | 1986 |
| Karnataka | Kudremukh | Chikmagalur & Dakshin Kannada | 600.32 | 1987 |
| Kerala | Mathikettan Shola | Idukki | 12.82 | 2003 |
| Madhya Pradesh | Pench (Priyadarshini)
|
Seoni & Chhindwara | 292.85 | 1975 |
| Maharashtra | Sanjay Gandhi (Borivilli)
|
Thane & Mumbai-Suburban | 86.96 | 1983 |
| Manipur | Keibul-Lamjao | Bishnupur | 40.00 | 1977 |
| Meghalaya | Nokrek | East, West & South Garo Hills | 47.48 | 1986
|
| Mizoram | Phawngpui Blue Mountain | Chhimtuipui (E) | 50.00 | 1997 |
| Nagaland | Intanki |
Dimapur |
202.02 | 1993 |
| Orissa | Simlipal | Mayurbhanj | 845.70 | 1986 |
|
Rajasthan |
Desert | Barmer & Jaisalmer | 3,162.00 | 1980 |
| Sikkim | Khangchendzonga | North & West Sikkim | 1,784.00 | 1977 |
| Tamil Nadu | Guindy | Chennai | 2.82 | 1976 |
| Uttaranchal | Rajaji | Dehradun, Garhwal & Haridwar | 820.00 | 1983 |
| West Bengal | Sunderbans | North & South 24-Paraganas | 1,330.10 | 1984 |
As stated and shown above in the article, India is very rich with diverse species of flora and fauna spread across the country’s states in the forms of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. These places are visitors and nature lovers’ first destinations when traveling around the country to explore the wildlife and nature as well as spend time in the luxurious resorts while trying different activities.
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