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For all one's inclination to believe that Rajasthan is a desert, it is difficult to ignore the fact that the region, in fact, has a varied topography and includes from semi-arid, desert-like conditions to among the oldest mountains in the world and lush, water-filled valleys. No wonder too that its wildlife is so rich in variety, ranging from the tiger and leopard to endless varieties of deer, rhesus monkeys, reptiles including the python and a profusion of bird-life that includes water-birds.
Topography of Rajasthan:
The Thar Desert, also referred to as the Great Indian Desert, falls for most part within the state, though parts of it do stretch into other states such as Gujarat, Punjab and Haryana. This ecosystem has a unique variety of plant and animal life. The Desert National Park near Jaisalmer exhibits some of these.
The Aravalli mountain range is among the oldest in the world and has rich deposits of minerals like copper, zinc, cobalt and manganese. The Aravallis are lush green and heavily forested. They form a natural refuge for birds and animals.
The Vindhyan or Deccan Trap, consists mainly of sandstone widely used in building the state's forts and palaces. This area is marked by a mixed topography, largely due to the meeting of the two mountain ranges - Aravallis and the Vindhyas. This provides ideal shelter for the tiger and various other prey species. Large, shallow lakes in these areas are an ideal home for crocodiles.
The wetlands of the Indo-Gangetic plains, close to which Bharatpur is located. Rains during monsoons cause flooding of vast areas as the rivers overflow and spread out, inundating the flat terrain around like a vast sea. This is an ideal breeding habitat for innumerable varieties of birds.
Sanctuaries and National Parks in Rajasthan -
 Desert National Park and Sanctuary: The vast tracts of desert sands around Jaisalmer were declared a Desert National Park and Sanctuary in 1980 to preserve the fragile eco-system and protect the drought-resistant species. It is a huge park sprawling across 3162 sqkm and encloses shrubs and trees besides rolling sand dunes and sandy wastelands.
The park is most known for the Great Indian Bustard and it is primarily due to the efforts here that this bird, known to be on the endangered list, has made a come back.
The park also supports a variety of insects and animals unique to the desert. The spiny-tailed lizard that lives in underground colonies, desert monitors that look like miniature replicas of dragons, sandfish that 'swim' under the sand, chameleons and snakes like the deadly saw-scaled viper and Sind krait are some of these. Other species here include the desert hare, hedgehog, the predatory Indian wolf, desert fox and desert gerbil.
The Desert National Park, unlike most preserves throughout the world, does not overwhelm with a profusion of either vegetation or wildlife, but it is precisely because of this that its preservation has ensured that a vital link in the eco-system has not been destroyed. Visitors to the park will need patience and perseverance to establish the sighting of wildlife, and though they may miss the 'glamour' of tigers, a view of the long-legged bustard cresting a sand dune is every bit as rewarding.
Wildlife: Fox, chinkaras, desert cat, black bucks, hare, spiny tail uromastix, neelgai, wolves, crested porcupines and sand fish. There are many species of reptiles and birds. Birds include sparrows, imperial sand ground, the great Indian bustards, falcons and eagles.
Best Season: September to March.
Permissions: Foreign visitors require special permission to visit the park.
Getting there: The park is an hour's drive from Jaisalmer, which is well connected by rail and road with Delhi and Jaipur.
Places to see around and excursions: Jaisalmer, Sam desert safari.
 Keoladeo Ghana National Park: The Keoladeo Ghana National Park is one of the finest water-bird sanctuaries in the world. It is the winter home for more than 400 species of birds from all over the world including China and Siberia, and the highly endangered Siberian crane. Its shallow, fresh water marsh attracts thousands of migratory birds. The park was once a duck-hunting ground for the Maharajas; it was declared a national park in 1983.
Early mornings, there isn't just birdsong in the air, but a virtual orchestra of sounds. Painted storks, easily identifiable for their long, pink legs, can be seen nesting on treetops. The entire park is a medley of sounds, fluttering wings and a great to-do about hunting for fish, aquatic roots and other insects as spoonbills and ibises, geese and duck, cranes, herons and egrets, storks, pelicans and flamingos, cormorants and darters, kingfishers, blue jays, shrikes, orioles, paradise flycatchers, parakeets, eagles and harriers take wing, settle down, or simply watch the rest of the winged denizens of the park go about their way.
In the years in between, because of water shortage or poaching, the park has been affected, but the amazing eco-system and the variety of bird life is amazing in its ability to sustain itself despite the occasional odds. Motorised vehicles are not encouraged within the park and visitors navigate the narrow paths in between the artificially created lakes on bicycles, cycle rickshaws or on foot. They can observe bird life from closer quarters in boats.
Wildlife: Birds: Egrets, darters, cormorants, grey herons, Siberian cranes and storks. Mammals: sambhar, blackbuck, chital, neelgai, fishing cat, otter and mongoose.
Best Season: September to March.
Getting there: Keoladeo Ghana National Park is 5 km from Bharatpur, which is easily accessible by rail and road from Delhi and Jaipur.
Places to see around and excursions: Lohargarh Fort, an 18th century fort famous for its impregnable defence (3-4 km) Suraj Mahal's Palace at Deeg (36 km).
Ranthambhor National Park: The Ranthambore National Park is one of the most well known tiger reserves in India. It was declared a national park in 1980. It is located in eastern Rajasthan, surrounded by the Vindhya and Aravalli mountain ranges. The park has many artificial lakes that serve as a watering hole for the animals. These lakes, along with the many pavilions, palaces and the Ranthambore fort, provide  a picturesque setting for numerous animals and birds. Once a hunting preserve for the maharajas of Jaipur and now a Project Tiger Reserve, the park has proved that tigers can live and breed in close proximity to human settlements.
Wildlife: Tiger, leopard, sambhar or Indian deer, cheetal, sloth bear, neelgai or blue bull, chinkara or Indian gazelle, hyena, jackal, ox, caracal, jungle cat, ratel, langur and wild boar. One can also see over 300 species of birds in the park. TOP^
Best Season: October to April.
Getting there: Ranthambore is 180 km from Jaipur. The closest town Sawai Madhopur is easily accessible by rail.
Places to see around and excursions: Ranthambore Fort, a 10th century fort built by the Chauhan Rajputs (situated within the park).
Sariska National Park: The Sariska National Park is a tiger reserve located in the Alwar district of Rajasthan. It is only a few hours drive from Delhi and Jaipur. The park was a hunting ground for the maharajas of Alwar, it was declared a sanctuary in 1958 and a tiger reserve in 1979. The park encompasses ruins of a fort, temples dating to the 9th and 10th century and the hunting lodge of the maharajas, which has been converted into a luxury hotel.
Sariska's forests are typical of the Aravallis with their undulating terrain of low hills, steep escarpments, wide valleys and hill plateaus. A natural habitat for the tiger, it would have held a commendable population of these tigers had the forests around the park not been vandalised in the recent decades. Today, the region is a major milk pocket and cattle have eroded the forestlands and pastures around the park, so that the population of wildlife has shrunk to the limits of the park alone. Human population and the presence of religious spots around and inside the park have further led to the deterioration of the environment.
For all that, Sariska is a heavily forested reserve and a drive through the park shows up a large number of deer species (sambhar, chital, neelgai) as well as langurs that inhabit the tree cover. Also residents of the reserve, though almost as elusive as the tiger on account of the cover of vegetation are leopards, jungle cat, jackal, hyena and wild dog. Observers often gather at hides close to waterholes to view and photograph wildlife, though of course, they cannot stay beyond evening. When deer come to feed at these waterholes, they attract the presence of leopards, tigers and wild dogs, especially in summer when all other sources of water shrink and vaporise. TOP^
Wildlife: Tiger, leopard, sambhar, neelgai or blue bull, wild dog, cheetal, chowsingha or four-horned antelopes, ratel, and chinkara.
Best Season: November to May.
Getting there: Sariska is about 200 km from Delhi and 110 km from Jaipur. The closest town Alwar (36 km) is well connected by regular rail and bus services with Delhi and Jaipur.
Places to see around and excursions: Alwar fort, museum and cenotaph.
Other Sanctuaries
Jai Samand Sanctuary: The Jai Samand Sanctuary is an hour’s drive from Udaipur. It is very close to the artificial Jai Samand Lake, one of the biggest man-made lakes in the world. The lake attracts many migratory birds and is also inhabited by crocodiles.
Wildlife: Sloth bear, chinkara, leopard, cheetal, wild boar and a number of breeding birds like darter, open bill stork, pond heron, little cormorant, Indian shag, egret, a few grey and purple heron, ducks like pintail, teal, and mallard and crocodiles.
Best time to visit: November to January.
Kumbhalgarh Sanctuary: About 90 km from Udaipur, the Kumbhalgarh sanctuary in the Aravalli range is adjacent to the majestic Kumbhalgarh fort.
Wildlife: Wolves, sloth bear, leopard, flying squirrel, panthers, sambhar, jackals, neelgai and wild boar. It is the only sanctuary where the Indian wolf is believed to be breeding successfully.
Best time to visit: October to June.
Tal Chhapar Sanctuary: Located about 90 km from Churu and 220 km from Jaipur, this sanctuary is famous for blackbucks. It is a flat saline depression and has a unique eco-system which is congenial to many migratory birds.
Wildlife: Animals - Black Buck, nilgai, foxes, wolves, chinkaras.
Birds - Harrier, marsh, ben and pale harrier, tawny eagle, short toed eagle, sparrow hawk, skylark, crested lark, ring drove, brown dove, blue jay, green bee eaters, black ibis and demoiselle cranes which stay there till March.
Best time to visit: September to March.
Bhensrodgarh: Close to Kota (53 km), it consists of scrub and dry deciduous forest and is home to the leopard, sloth bear and chinkara.
Darrah: Once the hunting preserve for the royal family of Kota, this sanctuary 50 km from Kota, is home to sloth bears, chinkaras, the leopard and the wolf.
Mount Abu sanctuary: Located on the fringes of the town of the same name, this small sanctuary is thickly forested. Wildlife includes leopard, chinkara, sloth bear, sambhar and wild boar. The slopes of the hills provide some of the state's most interesting topography, especially since the height of this hill station keeps it cool even in the summer months.
Chambal: Just beyond Kota, along the banks of the river Chambal all the way to its confluence with the Jamuna, this is where the waters are rich with gharial crocodiles for which it is a breeding centre. Other wildlife includes caracal, wolf, blackbuck and chinkara.
Sitamata: In forests of bamboo and dry deciduous vegetation, 108 km from Udaipur, this forested sanctuary provides rich foraging pastures for a variety of deer that include the chousingha, and for caracal, wild boar, pangolin and leopard. TOP^
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