Sanjay Gandhi National Park

About:

Known as the lungs of the city of Mumbai, the Sanjay Gandhi National Park is a respite to the hustle and bustle of city life. It is in fact the largest park to be build within city limits in the world. It is a tiny park enclosing an area of just over 104 square kilometers. Despite its small size, it has got the best varieties of trees, bird, mammals, herbs and insects. Stunning wildlife, fabulous flora and fauna, and supreme natural beauty make this place a mind blowing tourist destination.
Sanjay Gandhi National Park – Introduction
The most visited park in India and the world, the Sanjay Gandhi National Park welcomes over two million people very year. It is the best place to visit for a refreshing trip to rejuvenate oneself from the tiring city life. The great collection of flora and fauna, the refreshing cool breeze, the bird songs, the shadows of the tres make this place a wonder.
Flora
The park is a tree lover's delight at all times of the year, with every changing season offering up its own distinctive beauty. The forest cover in the park can be divided into two main categories i.e. South Indian moist deciduous and semi-evergreen.
These two types can be further classified into four subcategories and they are moist teak-bearing forest, mangrove scrub, southern moist mixed deciduous forest, and western subtropical hill forest.
The region has good biodiversity and major trees and plants include Kadamba, Teak, Karanj, Shisam, and species of Acacia, Ziziphus, Euphorbia, Flame Of The Forest, Red Silk Cotton and many more varieties of flowers. During the monsoon, almost the entire park is awash with the rainbow hues of the flowers that bloom here and all over the Western Ghats.
Among the many breathtaking sights, a sight not to be missed is the seven-yearly mass flowering of the "Strobilanthes" (Karvi). A distinctive feature of the Western Ghats and of the park is that tourists can watch thousands and thousands of these wonderful flowers covering the hilltops, bathing the landscape in a magical purple.
Fauna
The park is known to shelter wildlife right from the time urbanization began in Mumbai. One can have encounters with several species including Spotted Deer, Black Naped Hare, Barking Deer, Porcupine, Palm Civet, Mouse Deer, Rhesus Macaque, Bounet Macaque, Hanuman Langur, Indian Flying Fox, and Sambhar.
One is surprised by the density of leopards in this park despite its nearness to an urban settlement. One can also encounter here a Hyena or four horned antelope.
The reptilian world has 38 species to show off. Tourists can see crocodiles in the Tulsi Lake, and Pythons, Cobras, Monitor Lizards, Russell's Viper, Bamboo Pit Viper and Ceylonese Cat Snake here.
The invertebrate world has a wide representation - Crabs, Spiders and Insects of all kinds thrive within the green glades of the park. The Giant Wood Spider, Signature Spiders, Black Wood Spiders with their large net-like webs in monsoon is a fascinating treat.
Last, but certainly not the least, are the 150 species of beautiful winged creatures that represent the amazing butterfly world.
Avifauna
The National Park is known as a real Bird Watcher's Paradise. The park is the nesting ground for 274 kinds of birds - that's almost a quarter of all bird species found in India. The park has a large number of bird species like Jungle owlets, Golden orioles, Racket-tailed drongos, Minivets, Magpies, Robins, Hornbills, Bulbuls, Sunbirds, Peacock, and Woodpeckers. At many times, migratory and resident birds like Paradise flycatcher, Kingfisher, Mynas, Swifts, Gulls, Egrets, and Herons have also been seen here.

Location info:

Climate/Weather:

The climate in Sanjay Gandhi National Park is very cheerful. Its maximum temperature goes up to only 38 degrees whereas the minimum temperature falls just to 18 degrees. It receives an annual rainfall of 2355 millimeters.

Interesting things to do:

In the Lion Safari Park, visitors can view lions as close as six feet away, from the special park vehicles. Children particularly enjoy riding the colourful toy train here, as it winds its way through the vast park.

Interesting things to Visit:

Mobile range info:

How to reach?

Nearest Visiting places:

Nearest Petrol Pump:

Hotels/Lodge/Accommodation:

Things to carry:

Tips & Suggestions:

Help Line/Phone Number: