If you are a wildlife enthusiast, then Desert National Park must be in your list. It is home to lots of exotic animals and birds. It is an excellent example of desert ecosystem and the park remains open throughout the year. This was declared a national park in 1980. It is the only place where state bird (the great Indian Bustard), state animal (Camel), state tree (Khejri), State Flower (Rohida) are found naturally.
The Desert National Park is one of the important national parks in Rajasthan and is situated near the town of Jaisalmer. Sprawling over an area of 3162 square kilometres, the national park is one of the largest national parks in the country.
The unique landscape of the national park is one of the greatest attractions for tourists from all over the world. Almost 20 per cent of the park is constituted of sand dunes. The rest of the landmark comprises of fixed dunes, intermedial areas, salt lake bottoms and craggy rocks. It is an excellent example of the desert ecosystem. The most commonly sighted birds in the national park include the endangered Great Indian Bustard, sand grouse, kestrels, laggar falcons, spotted eagles, tawny eagles, short toed eagles, vultures, buzzards, falcons, harriers and eagles.
The other attractions near the Desert National Park are the Sam Sand Dunes located near the Thar Desert and the Gadsisar Sagar Tank. The Gadsisar Sagar Tank is one of the most popular tourist places in Rajasthan. A large number of migratory birds visit the lake during the winters every year. Tourists can also enjoy jeep safaris to explore a larger part of the area.
More than 60 percent of this park is semi arid desert. Ronj, Khair, Rohira, Dhok, Khejri, Palm Trees, Ber, Aak Shrub, Sewan Grass are found here.
Some of the famous animals are Chinkara, Black Buck, Sand Grouse, Desert Fox and Cat, Desert Gerbil, Fringe-Toed Agama Eagles and Blue Bull, Camel, Hedgehog etc.
Desert National Park inhabits one of the heaviest birds in the world, the endangered Great Indian bustard.
Witness Great Indian Bustard, one of the rare birds found only in India
Spot Chinkaras and other lively species of Deer
Visit the fascinating Sam Sand Dunes
Go for bird watching near the GadsisarSagar Tank
Take a jeep safari and explore the park
October to February
12 pm to 5 pm
Jeep and Horse
By Air:
Nearest airport is Jaisalmer airport.
By Road:
Jaisalmer is well connected with all the big cities of India. Desert National Park is about 40 kms from Jaisalmer.
By Rail:
Jaisalmer Railway Station is the nearest.
The best time to visit this park is between October to March as that time, the weather of Jaisalmer is the most pleasant.
There are some lakes which are a worth visit in the Desert National Park like Padam Talao Lake, Rajbaugh Lake, Milak Lake are the main water sources for the animals dwelling in this sandy environment. Other nearby places to check out are Jaisalmer Fort (Sonar Qila or Golden Fort), Bada Bagh, Gadsisar Lake, Sam Sand Dunes, Kuldhara Village, Khaba Fort, Patwon ki Haveliyan etc.
