Kanger Valley National Park
The richest biodiversity hotspot of Chhattisgarh, Kanger Valley National Park (or Kanger Ghati National Park) is acclaimed for its variety of tourist attractions. Named after River Kanger flowing through its length, it was proclaimed as a national park in 1982. Pictorial landscapes adorn the park’s area of about 220 sq. km. and existence of wild lives like tigers, sloth bear, leopard, wild cat, sambar, wild boar, flying squirrel, jackals and striped hyena make it a frequently visited wildlife destination in India. The park also boasts of reptiles like crocodile, cobra, python and monitor lizard and diverse avifauna which include hill myna (the state bird), steppe eagle, phakta, heron, tree-pie, racket-tailed drongo, peacock and many more. Apart from the extensive presence of sal, teak and bamboo trees, the park is further beautified by grasses, climbers, canes, ferns and other sorts of vegetation. Apart from being a wildlife destination, the park also boasts of crystal clean water pools (called darhas), limestone caves, enthralling waterfalls and numerous picnic spots. Don’t miss the attractions like Tirathgarh Waterfalls, Kailash Caves, Kotumsar Caves, Kanger Darha, Bhainsa Darha (home to a crocodile park) and Dandak Cave. Be sure to hire local guides to explore the park, a large part of which still remains unexplored.