Dudhwa National Park

Tharu Huts in Dudhwa

Entry to Dudhwa National Park

Entry Gate to Forest Rest House

Reception of Dudhwa National Park

Main Park Entry

Dudhwa National Park or Dudhwa Tiger Reserve(DTP) is divided into 3 Sanctuaries ie. DTP, Kishanpur Sanctuary & Katernghat Sanctuary.  This is my 2 visit to DTP, this second visit has happened after good long 18 years. In detail I would try to provide information about DTP as the same is not available on website.

DTP has got area of 680s sq km & is a dense jungle. Wildlife includes Tiger, Sloth Beer, Leopard, Rhino, Elephant, Spotted Deers, Crocs etc.

Best way to travel to DTP is by own vehicle, traveling time from nearest major station Lucknow is 5 hours though only distance is 248 kms. Ideal route to be taken is Lucknow-Sitapur-Lakhimpur-Palia-Dudhwa. While entering Palia there is one single bridge on which both Train & Vehicle run. As through this bridge 12 train passes in 24 hours & this is a narrow bridge where only one vehicle move at time, hence waiting time ranges from 45 mins to 60 mins here. Though there are trains which come from Bareilly/Lucknow to Palia/Dudhwa. These trains are passenger ones but one can enjoy wildlife beauty as these trains passes from mid of Jungle. One can get down at Palia & take a bus/taxi for DTP which is only 10 kms away. If boarding down at Dudhwa be ready to cross 4 kms in Jungle on foot as hardly there are Taxis/Public Transport available here, but if you book taxis in advance they can pick you up directly from Dudhwa Station.

DTP is open from mid November till end of March. Best time to visit is from February end till May end as during this time Grasslands are cut & burnt by Jungle authorities(annual  exercise) this helps in better sighting of Wildlife.

Accommodation in & around DTP is a big challenge as this place is not commercialized like other National Parks. One can get rooms as Tiger Den-Palia (thru UP Govt Website). Best place to stay is in various Forest Rest House(FRH) inside DTP. There are around 9 FRH’s in DTP to stay & best among them is Dudhwa Forest Rest House. The names of all FRH’s are as – Dudhwa, Sathiyana, Salukapur, Kila, Bankati, Belrayan & Sonaripur. Let me tell why I am mentioning that Dudhwa FRH is best. Only Dudhwa FRH is having canteen where you can get cooked food, tea/coffee & mineral water. Rest all FRH’s are not having canteen facility but you can carry your provisions & helper will cook them for you.  Basic crockery is available for cooking. But this does not mean other FRH’s are not good all of them have some specialty.  Charges for FRH’s are @ Rs. 300/- per person. Details of them are as below

Salukapur & Kila are located near Rihno reintroduction area & is a beautiful place t stay amid nature. This is the only place which hosts 7 elephants which are used for riding in Rhino area. Tigers sighting is good out here.

Bankati is the farthest in DTP & is near Tharu Tribal Villages, provides a good opportunity to understand  tharu lifestyle.

Sathiyana & Sonaripur are ideal place to stay in tranquility & best place for tiger sighting.

Belrayan- is located amongst dense Sal Jungles & a very god place for Nature lovers. Sambhar & other deers can be seen in herds & hunting ground for Tiger.

Dudhwa- consists of 18 rooms in form of Tharu Huts/Rooms and other 25 beds as dormitory. Geeting booking here is tough task, as people only with right connections/contacts can get room in here. Waiting list is quite long 45 days, best is send fax/letter in advance so you can get the booking. (Fax No- 05872-252106). Only 2 rooms are having hot water facility & definitely they are out of bounds for Normal public. These are meant only for VIP’s.

Best way to travel in DTP is by open jeeps which are easily available & charge around 1000 Rs for one trip. There are 2 trips in a day-Morning 7 am till 11 pm and Evening 3 pm till 5.30 PM. These open jeeps would take you across the DTP passing through dense Sal Jungles, Grasslands (Elephant Grassland).  There are 3 routes on which these Jeep will go.

Route 1- towards Sathiyana

Route 3- towards Salukapur

Route 2- towards Chandan Chauki.

Best routes are 3 & 1 as maximum tiger sightings are reported here. We were lucky enough to sight a tiger only in our 10 mins of tour on route 3, even before I can even click a snap tigress vanished in grassland. Our second sighting happened on route 1 next day only after 30 mins. Here we saw a pair together. There are around 98 Tigers in DTP & chances of sighting them is better as compared to Corbett as this is Terai region which naturally increases ones vision/sight as Corbett is a hilly area.  

Elephant safaris can only be taken from Salukapur area & charge is Rs. 600 per elephant. Elephant Safarai’s are only in morning so be the first one to reach & book it on spot, on advance booking. Though there are 7-8 elephants available  but for safari purpose only 3-4 are used in 2 shifts. 1 Shift 7.00 AM to 8.30 AM and 2 Shift 8.30 AM to 10.00 AM. These elephants will take you to Rhino Area. One-horned rhino can be watched from Elephant back. We are luck enough to see 4 rhinos in our visit. There are around 27 rhinos in DTP.

Overall visiting DTP  was a good & satisfying experience, though facilities are here not upto mark, but that’s the Jugle is all about. I can keep on writing on same pages & pages but let me know wold like to help any of you wild denizens who would like to visit.

Imp contact nos for Dudhwa National Park-

For Bookings

05872-252106/252893