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Sultanpur National Park
Location: Sultanpur, Haryana, India
Area: 143 sq. km.
Major Wildlife Attractions: Kingfisher, Migratory Birds
Best time to visit: November to March
Places to Stay: Guest rooms, Cottages
About Sultanpur National Park
Sultanpur National Park located at a
short distance from the national capital Delhi, is a bird watchers
paradise. Declared a water-bird reserve in 1972 and upgraded to the
status of national park in the year 1991, a visit to the place during
winter can be a rewarding experience, although migratory birds begin
to arrive as early as late July or the early days of August. Large
flock of birds in V shaped formations are a common sight as winter
starts to set in.
The area used to be a marshy land where water accumulated in monsoons
and dried out in summers. In time the marshy land coupled with other
facts such as thriving population of fish and other insects started to
attract numerous species of beautiful avians that also included a
number of migratory birds that came here from all around the world.
The department of wildlife preservation has done appreciable work by
constructing mounds, widening of pathways and construction of tube
wells. Efforts are also in full swing to plant more trees in the area
to provide a permanent habitat to the numerous birds. Excellent
facilities provided at the park include an education and
interpretation centre, library an well as film and slide shows.
Wildlife Attractions in
Sultanpur National Park
A number of trees have been planted all over the park to provide a
permanent habitat for the avian residents of the place. Some of the
commonly found trees include Acacia Nilotica, Acacia Tortilis, Beris
and Neem.
The park is known as a paradise for bird lovers among the wildlife
circuit. There are an estimated number of 450 species of birds found
in Haryana, of which 250 have been recorded at Sultanpur, which also
include foreign residents coming from far away lands like Siberia,
Europe and Afghanistan. Some of the mainly found resident birds at the
park include Common Hoopoe, Paddyfield Pipit, Purple Sunbird, Little
Cormorant, Eurasian Thick-knee, Gray Francolin, Black Francolin,
Indian Roller, White-throated Kingfisher, Spot billed Duck, Painted
Stork, White Ibis, Black headed Ibis, Little Egret, Great Egret,
Cattle Egret, India Crested Lark, Red vented Bulbul, Rose ringed
Parakeet, Red wattled Lapwing, Shikra, Eurasian collared Dove, Red
collared Dove, Laughing Dove, Spotted Owlet, Rock Pigeon, Magpie
Robin, Greater Coucal, Weaver Bird, Bank Mynah, Common Mynah and Green
Bee Eater. Every year over 100 species of migratory birds also arrive
here and remain here during the winter months. Some of the prominent
visitors include Siberian Cranes, Greater Flamingo, Ruff, Black winged
Stilt, Common Teal, Common Greenshank, Northern Pintail, Yellow
Wagtail, White Wagtail, Northern Shoveler, Rosy Pelican, Gadwall, Wood
Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, Eurasian Wigeon, Black tailed Godwit,
Spotted Redshank, Starling, Bluethroat, Asian Koel, Black crowned
Night Heron, Eurasian Golden Oriole, Comb duck, Blue cheeked Bee
Eater, Blue-tailed Bee-Eater and Cuckoos.
Taking a stroll around the park is the best way to observe the
numerous variety of bird species. Other than birds some animals
including Neelgai, blackbuck, sambar, wild dog and wild cat can also
be seen.
Best Time to Visit Sultanpur National Park
The ideal time to visit the Sultanpur National Park is between the
months of November to March.
How to Get there
Air: Indira Gandhi Airport at Delhi is the nearest and the
most convenient airport which is connected to a number of Indian and
international cities. Delhi is connected by daily Indian Airlines
flights from Mumbai (7:00, 9:00, 10:00, 12:30, 13:00 & 18:00) from
Kolkata (7:00, 17:00 & 20:00) from Bangalore (9:30, 16:30 &
22:20) & from Chennai (6:40, 10:10, 17:55 & 20:00)
Rail: Gurgaon is the nearest railhead. Delhi is connected via
the Jammu JP Exp. (4:40, daily), Mandor Exp. (20:50) & Ashram Exp.
(15:05). A convenient way would be to travel to Delhi and take a
connecting train from there or hire a private taxi. The cost of a
private taxi would be around Rs. 300 (approx)
Road: The park is located close to Delhi, past the lush
expanses along the Gurgaon-Farrukhnagar road. To reach by road from
Delhi, take the NH8 to Rajiv Chowk, Gurgaon. From here, turn right and
bear left towards Gurgaon. After you see a green mosque on the right,
take the next turn to left. Go straight until you come across
signboards displaying Farrukhnagar/Sultanpur. |
