10 Most Scenic National Parks in India

1. Bandhavgarh National Park

Bandhavgarh National Park is situated at Vindhya hills in Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh. It consists of a core area of 105 km² and a buffer area of 437 km². The topography varies between steep rocky hills, tropical forest, meadow valleys, woodlands and the dense Sal forest, and making the park one of the most dramatic landscape in the country. Bandhavgarh National Park is well known for the highest density of the Royal Bengal Tigers population and one of the most important wildlife conservation area in India. The park was the former hunting preserve of the Maharaja of Rewa and at present is a famous natural hub for White Tigers. White Tigers, now a major attraction around the world's zoos, were first discovered in Rewa, not far from here. Apart from the wildlife, the park also consists of a millennium old fort and a famous declining statue of Lord Vishnu that enhancing the tourist attraction of Bandhavgarh National Park.

2. Valley of Flowers National Park

The famous Valley of Flowers with the largest concentration of various species of wild flowers is located in Uttarakhand, a northern state of India bordered by Tibet and Nepal on north and east. This beautiful high-altitude Himalayan valley that has been acknowledged as such by renowned mountaineers and botanists in literature for over a century and in Hindu mythology for much longer. Its ‘gentle’ landscape, breathtakingly beautiful meadows of alpine flowers and ease of access complement the rugged, mountain wilderness for which the inner basin of Nanda Devi National Park is renowned. Valley of flower is splashed with colour as it bloomed with more than three hundreds different beautiful flowers, taking on various shades of colours as time progressed. The valley was declared as a national park in 1982, and a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2005. The locals, of course, always knew of the existence of the valley, and believed that it was inhabited by fairies.

3. Jim Corbett National Park

Jim Corbett National Park, the oldest national park of India established in 1936, covers an area of more than 500 km² in the Himalayan foothills. It is well known for its varied wildlife, and as the site for the launching of Project Tiger. Other wildlife animals found in this park includes the elephant, chital, sambar, nilgai, gharial, King Cobra, muntjac, wild boar, hedgehog, common musk shrew, flying fox, Indian Pangolin, and nearly 600 species of birds. The park also contains more than 400 species of flora and dense moist deciduous forest mainly consists of sal, haldu, pipal, rohini and mango trees. A perfect ecotorism destination which receives thousands of visitors every year. The park also offers variety of activities, such as wildlife, elephant, jeep and open bus safaris, birdwatching, fishing and angling to give tourists an enjoyable and unforgettable experience while visiting the Jim Corbett National Park.

4. Desert National Park

Desert National Park is located near the town of Jaisalmer in Rajasthan state of West India and exemplifies the unusual ecological biodiversity of the renowned Thar desert, the only desert of India. Its fragile and unique ecosystem supports different and unusual various forms of life in form of wildlife species. All these plants and animals can be seen widespread in the Desert National Park, which is the biggest park of India in terms of wildlife. The park is situated very close to India-Pakistan border and is an excellent example of diverse wildlife. Located in the most hot and humid temperature zone area, this land can be witnessed with rugged mountains, cracked land, salt lake bottoms and sand dunes, still is a perfect place to explore birds (especially the Indian Bustards), reptiles and many other animals. Tourists can also enjoy the adventures camel or jeep safari on the sand dunes, which gives an unforgettable experience.

5. Great Himalayan National Park

Great Himalayan National Park is located in the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh, a beautiful district with snow-capped mountains, ice glaciers, river valleys, alpine forests and steep cliffs. The park is surrounded on three sides by towering peaks of Himalayan mountains, offering the most eye landscapes in the world. It spreads over an area of 754 km² and lies between an altitude of 1,500 m to 6,000 m. The area is home to many different species of wildlife along with more of alpine flora is one of the best example of Himalayan ecosystems which remains undisturbed. To protect the alpine, subtropical forest, glaciers, temperate, and the endangered wildlife species, this area has attained the status of a national park in 1984. The glaciers available in this park is the main source of four rivers namely Tirthan, Sainj, Parvati and Jiwa Nala, flowing from East to West and mingling into Beas river. Due to its bewitching beauty, mega biodiversity and unique flora and fauna, the park becomes one of the favourite destination and draws lot of tourist attention.

6. Kudremukh National Park

Kudremukh National Park is located in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Chikmagalur districts of Karnataka states. It encompasses an area of 600 km² and lies at an elevation of 1,894 m above sea level. The park is covered with thick hilly forests, mostly evergreen and semi evergreen on western portion. The plantations of Eucalyptus, Casuarina, Acacia auriculiformis and Grevillea robusta can be witnessed here in plenty. While on the northern and eastern sides, the park is surrounded by coffee and tea plantations. Its high annual rainfall, humid climate and tremendous water retention capacity of the shola grasslands and forests has resulted in the formation of thousands of perennial streams in the region converge to form three major rivers, Tunga, Bhadra and Nethravathi. All these man-made forests and natural beauty has made Kudremukh one of the most scenic national parks of India.

7. Hemis National Park

Hemis National Park, a high altitude park, is located in the eastern Ladakh region of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. It includes the catchments of three wonderful valleys, Markha, Sumdah and Rumbak, which drain into the Indus River. It is named after the hundreds of years old Hemis Gompa, a famous Tibetan Buddhist monastery. The park was initially founded in 1981 by protecting the Markha and Rumbak catchments, an area of about 600 km². Later, it was enlarged twice in 1988 and 1990 until 4,400 km², the largest national park in India. This magnificent park comprises of hard limestone mountains. All around the place one can see enormous white colored rocks. The peaks range from about 3,300 m to 6,420 m. These rocky cliffs provide a unique view with captivating beauty. Dry alpine pastures are present in sheltered locations and grass growth is relatively rapid during the summer season after the melting of the snow. The most prominent animal found here is Snow Leopard which has given this park, a status of Snow Leopard Capital of India.

8. Periyar National Park

Periyar National Park and Tiger Reserve is situated within the confines of the Western Ghats in the Idukki district in Kerala. This park is one of the most captivating wildlife parks in the world and also one of the largest and finest wildlife reserves in India. The Periyar National Park is surrounded by an artificial Periyar lake. This lake was formed by the Mullaperiyar Dam across the Periyar river and covers an area of 55 km². This lake, which initially led to the submersion of large tracts of forestland, however became an excellent wildlife sanctuary. In 1978, Periyar was declared as a tiger reserve under the Project Tiger. Periyar National park covers an area of 777 km², out of which 360 km² are covered by thick evergreen forest. The boat cruise on the lake is the best way to view the wildlife in the reserve. 

9. Kaziranga National Park

Kaziranga National Park, one of India's finest national parks established in 1974, is situated in Golaghat and Nagaon districts of Assam, the gateway to the fabulous North East of India, home to several endangered species, especially the famous Great Indian One Horned Rhinoceros. Kaziranga, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was protected since the early 1900s upon the initiative of Lady Curzon. This 430 km² park is a unique habitat, where much of it lies in the floodplain of the mighty Bhramaputra River and is flooded every year. The wet grassland is characterized by ox-bow lakes or known as beels, caused when the flood waters retreat, and elevated flats called chapories where animals shelter during floods. Today many artificial chapories are build with the help of the Indian Army. Though the landscape of much of Kaziranga looks pancake flat, on closer approach one realizes that most of this flatness is in fact elephant grass, which may grow up to fifteen feet in height.

10. Gangotri National Park

Gangotri, another famous national park of Uttarakhand, offers majestic beauty of coniferous forests and grandeur of glacier world combined with lush green meadows. The park covers an area of 1,553 km², including the upper catchment of Bhagirathi River, falls in Himalayan region lies between an altitude of 1,300 m to 7,000 m. At the lower elevation, the park is covered by Himalayan subalpine conifer forests, while the Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows at higher elevation. The vegetation found here mainly consist of chir pine, deodar, fir, spruce, oak and rhododendrons. There are 15 species of mammals and 150 bird species have been recorded in this area. Apart from its wonderful flora and fauna, thousands of visitors come here each year to witness the Gomukh (terminus glacier), which is source of Ganges River and the untouched, captivating beauty of the Gangotri National Park.