Dudhwa National Park-Tiger Reserve

♦ History:
The area was established in 1958 as a wildlife sanctuary for Swamp deer. Thanks to the efforts of 'Billy' Arjan Singh the area was notified as a national park in January 1977. In 1987, the park was declared a Tiger Reserve and brought under the purview of the ‘Project Tiger’. Together with the Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary and the Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary it forms the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve.

♦ Climate:
Like most of northern India, Dudhwa has an extreme Humid Subtropical with dry winter (CWa) type of climate. Summers are hot with temperatures rising up to 40 °C (104 °F). During winters from mid-October to mid-March, temperatures hover between 20–30 °C (68–86 °F). The months of February to April are ideal for visiting the park.
Prevalent winds are westerly. The hot wind Loo blows strongly from mid-April up to end of May. Monsoon starting in mid-June and lasting up to September accounts for 90% of the annual rainfall of 150 cm (59 in). Temperatures range from between a minimum of9 °C (48 °F) in winter to a maximum of up to45 °C (113 °F) in peak summer.

♦ Habitat:
The area of the park falls within the Upper Gangetic plains and is a vast alluvial plain ranging in altitude from 150 m (490 ft) in the farthest southeast to 182 metres (597 ft) in the extreme north. The park's mosaic of high forest interspersed with grasslands is characteristic of the Terai ecosystems in India and the area is, probably, the last prominent remnant of this type of ecosystem. The forests, especially the sal forests, have always been very dense and can be categorized into Northern tropical semi-evergreen forest, Northern Indian moist deciduous forest, tropical seasonal swamp forest and Northern tropical dry deciduous forest. The main flora comprises sal, asna, shisham, jamun, gular, sehore and bahera. The grasslands comprise about 19% of the park. The wetlands constitute the third major habitat type and include the rivers, streams, lakes and marshes. While many of the major wetlands are perennial with some amount of surface moisture retained round the year, some dry up during hot summer.
The park is home to one of the finest forests in India, some of these trees are more than 150 years old and over 70 ft (21 m) tall.

♦ Fauna:
Major attractions of Dudhwa National Park are the Tigers (population 98 in 1995) and Swamp Deer (population over 1,600).
‘Billy’ Arjan Singh successfully hand-reared and reintroduced zoo-born tigers and leopards into the wilds of Dudhwa. Some rare species inhabit the park. Hispid Hare, earlier thought to have become extinct, was rediscovered here in 1984.
In the mid 1980s, Indian Rhinoceros was reintroduced into Dudhwa from Assam and Nepal.
The other animals to be seen here include Swamp Deer, Sambar Deer, Barking Deer, Spotted Deer, Hog Deer, Tiger, Indian Rhinoceros, Sloth Bear, Ratel, Jackal, Civet, Jungle Cat, Fishing Cat, Leopard Cat.
The park has a rich bird life, with over 350 species, including the Swamp Francolin, Great Slaty Woodpecker and Bengal Florican. Dudhwa also boasts a range of migratory birds that settle here during winters. It includes among others, painted storks, black and white necked storks, Sarus Cranes, woodpeckers, barbets, kingfishers, minivets, bee-eaters, bulbuls and varied night birds of prey.
Dudhwa National Park is a stronghold of the barasingha. Around half of the world's barasinghas are present in Dudhwa National Park. Smaller than the sambar, the barasinghas have 12 antlers that collectively measure up to 100 cm (39 in). One can spot herd of these rare animals passing through open grasslands. Around half of the surviving population of Barasinghas is found in the park. These animals are smaller than sambar and weigh around 180 kg. Due to their slightly woolly, dark brown to pale yellow cloak, the grasslands acts as the perfect camouflage.

Birds- Drongos, Barbets, Cormorants, Ducks, Geese, Hornbills, Bulbuls, Teal, Woodpeckers, Heron, Bee Eaters, Minivets, Kingfishers, Egrets, Orioles, plenty of painted storks, sarus cranes, owls and more. One can also spot rare species like the Bengal florican.
Dudhwa's birds in particular are a delight for any avid bird watcher. The marshlands are habitat for about 400 species of resident and migratory birds including the Swamp Francolin, Great Slaty Woodpecker, Bengal Florican, plenty of Painted Stork, Sarus Crane, several species of owl, Asian barbet, woodpecker and minivets. Much of the park’s avian fauna is aquatic in nature and found around Dudhwa’s lakes such as Banke Tal.

♦ Travelling to Dudhwa National Park:
Roads in the area around Dudhwa National Park are narrow and in very poor condition. It is easier and more comfortable to travel to Dudhwa National Park by train. The nearest station is Palia Kalan. There are only meter gauge passenger trains going to Palia. It takes 6 hours to get to Palia from Bareilly or Lucknow.
The office of the Deputy Director of the park is 1-2 kms from the railway station. The office of the Deputy Director can arrange permits and book accommodation. A slow local bus to Dudhwa Forest rest house leaves every 30 minutes or so from opposite the office of the Deputy director and takes about an hour to Dudhwa Forest House. There are also infrequent trains from Palia Kalan to Dudhwa train station and Sonaripur train station but they are not practical as the forest rest houses are 2 kms away from the train stations through the thick jungle and there is no further transport from these train stations.

♦ Travelling inside Dudhwa National Park:
It is possible to hire jeep from Dudhwa Forest rest house but have a backup plan in case there are no jeeps there. There are 3-4 domesticated elephants which take visitors on morning and evening rides. Book as soon as you arrive.

♦ Best time to go to Dudhwa:
15 Nov to end of March is a good time to go. It is very cold and foggy from Nov to Jan but it adds to the feel of the park. Grass is burnt in March and visibility improves after that. March is the best time to go. It gets very hot from April onwards. Park is closed from 15 June to 15 Nov.

♦ Accomodation in Dudhwa:
There are several forest rest houses in the park. These are located at Dudhwa, Sonaripur, Sathiana and Salukapur. Dudhwa Forest Rest House has excellent accommodation(rooms and dormitory), canteen and electricity. There are 1-2 private resorts around Dudhwa but there is no poinjt staying in them. There are small low-end private hotels in Palia which is about 15 km from Dudhwa. The only reason to stay in a private resort in Palia is if you cannot get accommodation at a forest rest house. Any forest rest house is much better than Palia, though the forest rest house are remote and without electricity. But thats the charm of a forest.

There is no public transport for access to other Forest Rest Houses in the park except Dudhwa FRH. You need to take your own provisions. None of them have electricity and have very basic accommodation. All are located in tranquil locations.

To book a forest rest house, contact the office of the Deputy Director in Palia (05871-233485) or the office of the Field Director at Lakhimpur Kheri (05872-252106). Rest house bookings can be very hard to get as all the rest houses are booked for govt VIPs. Dudhwa is the only national park in UP and so all the rest houses are usually booked. It is easiest to get booking for Dudhwa FRH as it has plenty of accomodation including dormitory and is least traquil of all the Forest Rest Houses. Dudhwa can get very crowded from day visitors but it is still nowhere as crowded as Corbett, Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Ranthmabore etc. You definitely wont see any traffic jams inside Dudhwa. Even when a tiger is spotted, there are unlikely to be more than 1-2 jeeps around you. In other national parks, 10+ jeeps are common around tiger sighting.

♦ Things to see and do in Dudhwa:
Banke tal – largest lake in Dudhwa. It attracts migrant birds in winter and tiger can be spotted from the 2 watchtowers at the banks of the lake. It can be completely dry after March
Rhino reintroduction area with wire fencing to keep rhinos in. This is about 14 kms drive from Dudhwa FRH via Sonaripur FRH. It is possible to see rhinos there but they are usually hidden in tall grass or wallowing in the lakes. There are 2-3 domesticated elephants at Salukapur Forest Rest House. Salukapur FRH is 100 metres from the gate for the Rhino reintroduction area. Visitors can go for rides on the elephants from Salukapur to see the Rhinos. The large Kakraha tal is also located inside the Rhino area.
Dudhwa FRH – compound and its surroundings – Dudhwa FRH is a very pleasant place to spend your day with its tall sal trees and tame elephants and bathing in the Soheli. Occassionally, a wildlife film is shown in the FRH on request. Mugger can be seen in the small lakes around Dudhwa FRH
Sonaripur FRH and watch tower – for its remoteness and tranquility
SD Singh machan and waterhole – machan next to a water hole named after a forest ranger who was killed by a man-eating tiger. It is a good place to spot wildlife. Tigers are routinely spotted there.
Kishanpur sanctuary – It is separated from Dudhwa National Park by farmland. It has swamp deer and tigers.
Katerniaghat sanctuary – Another small sanctuary famous for gharial and migratory birds. It is located east of Dudhwa National Park. Katerniaghat foundation has luxury tents there. There are also Tharu huts at Katerniaghat
Office of field director of the park – in Palia with old cages with trap doors used to bait man-eating tigers

♦ Practical tips:
It is very crowded during public holidays.
End of March is the best time to go.

♦ Budget:
Accommodation – Room for 2 people – Rs 1500/day. Dormitory accommodation – Rs 50/bed
Jeep hire – Rs 1000/trip
Elephant ride – Rs 150/person. Four people can travel on the elephant.