Sariska - सरिस्का

This wildlife sanctuary, one of the Project Tiger reserves, covers nearly 400 sq km of the Aravalli Hills and is an ideal place to spend a few days away from Delhi. There is no village at Sariska, just the Tourist Bungalow and a hunting lodge of the Maharaja of Alwar, now a hotel. Apart from tigers Sariska holds different species of deer, wild cates, porcupines, and blue bull (nilgai). Bird life is abundant and you can walk for miles through the scrub jungle outside the park and see more animals than people. In the Aravalli Hills, 36 km from Alwar in north-east Rajasthan

Sariska is situated only 200 km from Delhi and 107 km from Jaipur. Although larger than Ranthambor, it is less commercialised and has less tigers but a similar topography. It covers an area of 800 sq km in total, with a core area of approximately 500 sq km. The Northern Aravali Hills dominate the skyline with their mixture of sharp cliffs and long narrow valleys. The area was declared a sanctuary in 1955 and became a National Park in 1979.

The landscape of Sariska comprises of hills and narrow valleys of the Aravali hill range. The topography of Sariska supports scrub-thorn arid forests, dry deciduous forests, rocks and grasses. The broad range of wildlife here is a wonderful example of ecological adoption and tolerance, for the climate here is variable as well as erratic. Sariska is located in the eastern part of Rajasthan in the backdrop of Aravalli hills. It was once the hunting reserve of the Maharajas of Alwar, as the park was under their jurisdication. The beautiful Siliserh Lake runs along the edge of the reserve, with a quaint hunting lodge overlooking it.