Sariska National Park

About Sariska National Park

Sariska National Park is one of the most dramatic conservation turnarounds in Indian wildlife history — a reserve that lost every single tiger to poaching by 2005, only to rebuild its population from scratch through the world's first successful wild tiger reintroduction program. Spread across the rugged Aravalli hills of Alwar district, Rajasthan, the reserve was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1958 and inducted into Project Tiger in 1978, decades before its darkest chapter and subsequent recovery.

Sariska's story is inseparable from its landscape: temple ruins, forts and a former royal hunting palace sit scattered throughout the reserve's core and buffer zones, giving safaris here a layered sense of history that few other tiger reserves can match.

Detailed Overview

The reserve's terrain is defined by the Aravalli range's characteristic sharp, hog-back ridges, quartzite conglomerate hills, wide valleys and undulating plateaus, spread across a total area of 1,213 km². Dry deciduous Dhok forest dominates roughly 60% of the landscape, interspersed with rocky scrub and seasonal streams that draw wildlife during the drier months.

Sariska sits within a broader Aravalli landscape that includes the Jamwa Ramgarh sanctuary and, further afield, Ranthambore and Mukundra Hills — reserves that conservationists hope to eventually link via protected corridors, easing the genetic isolation that comes with small, geographically boxed-in tiger populations like Sariska's.

Safari Gates & Zones

Sariska's safari area is accessed through four gates. Sariska Gate and Telha Gate lead into the reserve's core zones, including Kalighati, Sijobata and Pandupol — areas historically associated with the strongest tiger activity — while Kankwari, a remote fort deep in the core where Aurangzeb once imprisoned his brother Dara Shikoh, marks one of the reserve's most atmospheric safari stops. Baraliwari Gate and Andheri Gate open onto quieter buffer-zone routes, useful alternatives when core permits are unavailable.

Quick Facts

History of Sariska National Park

Sariska was once the private hunting ground of the Maharajas of Alwar, its forests dotted with shooting lodges, temples and forts built over centuries, including the remote Kankwari Fort where the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb imprisoned his brother Dara Shikoh in 1658. The area was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1958 and brought into Project Tiger in 1978 as one of India's earliest tiger reserves.

Sariska's defining modern chapter came in 2004–2005, when systematic poaching, enabled by patrol and enforcement failures, wiped out its entire tiger population — a loss that made international headlines and forced a reckoning in India's tiger conservation policy. Starting in 2008, the Rajasthan Forest Department and Wildlife Institute of India began translocating tigers from Ranthambore in what became the world's first successful wild-to-wild tiger reintroduction project. From zero tigers, the population has since rebuilt to more than 50 individuals as of 2025, with multiple generations now born and raised entirely within the reserve.

Flora & Fauna

Dry deciduous Dhok (Anogeissus pendula) forest covers roughly 60% of Sariska, alongside Salar, Khejri, Babul and Ber trees adapted to the Aravalli's thin, rocky soil. This vegetation supports leopards, striped hyenas, jungle cats, sambar, chital, nilgai and four-horned antelope, alongside more than 250 recorded bird species, from crested serpent eagles to peafowl.

Sariska's mugger crocodiles, found in its seasonal streams and the nearby Siliserh Lake, are a less-publicised but ecologically important part of the reserve's wildlife, alongside a healthy population of Indian rock pythons in its rockier terrain.

Heritage & Local Culture

Few tiger reserves anywhere carry as much built heritage within their boundaries as Sariska. Ancient temples at Neelkanth, Bhartrihari and Naldeshwar predate the reserve's wildlife protections by centuries and continue to draw pilgrims alongside safari visitors. Villages bordering the reserve maintain a mix of farming and forest-edge livelihoods, with several communities now engaged in tourism, from naturalist guiding to hospitality roles at nearby heritage hotels including the former royal Sariska Palace.

Conservation Efforts

Sariska's recovery is managed jointly by the Rajasthan Forest Department, the National Tiger Conservation Authority and the Wildlife Institute of India, using radio collaring and camera-trap monitoring to track individual tigers and their territories. Between 2008 and 2023, a total of 13 tigers were translocated from Ranthambore to rebuild the population, with careful management of genetic diversity a continuing priority given the reserve's isolated, human-encroached landscape.

Ongoing challenges include space constraints — Sariska's tigers now compete for territory within a reserve smaller than Ranthambore's, leading to occasional fatal territorial conflicts — and plans for wildlife corridors connecting Sariska to neighbouring landscapes remain a long-term conservation priority.

Visitor Tips & Safari Etiquette

Safari permits for Sariska's core zones are limited and allocated per vehicle per slot, so booking in advance is recommended, particularly around Diwali and the winter peak season. Two safari drives run daily, at dawn and late afternoon, each typically lasting three to three-and-a-half hours. As with any tiger reserve, visitors are asked to remain seated inside the vehicle at all times, keep noise to a minimum, and follow guide instructions around any sighting.

Overview: Sariska National Park/Sariska Tiger Reserve

Explore, examine & entail the story of Sariska National Park’s wildlife heritage and the Royal Bengal Tiger’s in motion.

Sariska National Park, which is situated in the Alwar district of Jaipur, Rajasthan, is one of the most popular national parks. This national park, which is 107 kilometers away from Jaipur, is managed by the Rajasthan government and spans an enormous 881.11 square kilometers of area.

Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary is divided into sections. Also, the National Park features cliffs, forests of deciduous trees, and nature. The Bengal tigers in Sariska Tiger Reserve are its most appealing feature.

The sanctuary also contains the remains of old Garh-Rajor temples, which date from the 11th century. Additionally, the hilltop fort at Kankwari, built in the 17th century, offers a spectacular view of flying vultures and eagles.

Quick Facts about Sariska National Park

General information:

• Sariska Tiger Reserve is located in the Alwar, Rajasthan.
• Sariska Tiger Reserve area spans over 881.11 sq. km.
• Sariska National Park Rajasthan’s longitude is 76.4332° E and latitude is 27.3285° N.
• The elevation of Sariska National Park is between 984 ft to 2,369 ft above sea level.
• Sariska National Park receives an average rainfall of 700 mm per year.
• Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary inherits the tropical, dry, deciduous, and tropical thorn forest type.

Historical information:

• 1955 – The Sariska region was originally established as a Wildlife Reserve.
• 1958 – It was designated as a Wildlife Sanctuary.
• 1978 – It was declared as the 11th Tiger Reserve by the Government of India.
• 1982 – The Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary was designated as Sariska National Park.
• 2005 – The tigers became extinct in Sariska Tiger Reserve.
• 2008 – From Ranthambore National Park, 2 male tigers were transferred to Sariska Tiger Reserve by aerial translocation.
• 2009 – One female tiger was relocated to Sariska National Park.
• 2012 – The successful revival of 2 cubs was noted in the Sariska Tiger Reserve area.
• 2013 – The Sariska was expanded to Siliserh Lake and Balaquila forest.
• 2020 – The total population of tigers increased to 20.
• 2023 – The total population of tigers increased to 33.

History of Sariska

Sariska, which is surrounded by the magnificent Aravallis, is recognized as the location in the Mahabharata where the Pandavas found refuge during their final year of the exile.

Also, legend has it that Hanuman vanquished Bhima, the strongest of the Pandava brothers here. The thousands of visitors flock to the Hanuman shrine in Pandupol on certain auspicious days, which is known as a “gateway of the Pandavas” in Sanskrit.

Indeed, in the past, royalty has also been drawn to the area’s forests because of their beauty. The 17th-century Kankwari Fort, which is situated in the center of the reserve, was constructed by the Rajput Maharaja Jai Singh II and recently reopened to the public. It became well-known when Mughal emperor Aurangzeb jailed his older brother Dara Shikoh in this location.

And, the Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary has the ruins of the ancient 11th-century Garh-Rajor temples. In addition, the 17th-century fort on a hilltop near Kankwari displays a breathtaking view of vultures and eagles flying overhead.

Revival of Tigers: Tiger Relocation in Sariksa

Dated year 2005, tigers became extinct in the Sariska tiger reserve area. And, to maintain the Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary it was utmost needed to relocate the tigers. The Department of Forest, Rajasthan, and National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), a core group constitution, designed the relocation plan in the year 2006–2007.

Under the same, in the year 2008, 2 male tigers were relocated from Ranthambore National Park via aerial translocation to Sariska Tiger Reserve, and 1 female tiger in the year 2009. Also, each tiger was given a number to keep the count.

In 2012, after the successful relocation, ST2 gave birth to 2 cubs leading the road of revival in Sariska National Park.

According to the survey of March’23, the total number of tigers increased to 27 including 13 female tigers, 8 male tigers and 6 cubs.

Ground tracking (VHF) is leveraging the ranging in and triangulation technique to continuously monitor the radio-collared Tigers. Each of the seventeen committed teams has a vehicle with a forest keeper and a research associate to track tigers.

Flora & Fauna in Sariska

Flora in Sariska

In the dry deciduous forests that make up Sariska National Park, Dhok trees that are delicate to direct inclines make up more than 90% of the tree sheltering. Salar is supported by the edges on steep, arid slants. In valley beds, Khair and Cheela hold place. Katha and Bamboo only grow to a limited extent in damp and colder areas. Aam, Jamun, Arjun, and Bahera grow in clammy despair and grow in enormous sizes.

Fauna in Sariska

The wildlife in the sariska national park is rich. Bengal tigers, leopards, jungle cats, caracals, striped hyenas, Indian jackals, chitals, tarundas, sambars, chinkaras, four-horned antelopes, wild boars, hares, porcupines, Hanuman langurs, rhesus monkeys, and wild dogs are among the creatures that can be found here. Monitor lizards, cobras, and pythons are a few such reptiles.

How to Reach Sariska

By Air

The closest airport to Sariska is Jaipur International Airport, which is located 123 kilometers away. To get to the park from the airport, you can take a taxi or a private vehicle.

By Road

Road links connect Sariska to all of India’s main cities. Delhi is 216.5 kilometers from Sariska and is accessible to it via NH48. Sariska can be reached from Jaipur, the state capital of Rajasthan which is 107 kilometers.

By Rail

Alwar Junction Railway Station, which is around 37 kilometers from Sariska , is the closest station. The Jaipur Railway Station which is 111km away is the next closest station. To get to the park from the rail, you can take a taxi or a private vehicle.

Best Time to Visit Sariska

Winter

Temperature: 8°C-25°C

Weather: Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary’s winter season spans from October through March. Winters provide the best weather for safaris and animal sightseeing in the park.

Summer

Temperature: 22°C-48°C

Weather: Even though Sariska experiences scorching summers from April to June, many wildlife enthusiasts and photographers believe that it is a great time to visit tiger reserve since the heat attracts animals to the water sources in the jungle.

Monsoon

Temperature: 25°C-38°C

Weather: In Sariska National Park, the monsoon season lasts from July to September. During this season, the park zone 1-3 is closed. But the buffer zones are still open for visitors to explore.