Desert National Sanctuary

The Desert National Park is one of the important national parks in Rajasthan and is situated near the town of Jaisalmer. Sprawling over an area of 3162 square kilometers, the national park is one of the largest national parks in the country.

The unique landscape of the national park is one of the greatest attractions for tourists from all over the world. Almost 20 percent of the park is constituted of dunes. The rest of the landmark comprises fixed dunes, intermedial areas, Salt Lake bottoms, and craggy rocks. It is an excellent example of the desert ecosystem.

Despite the landscape, the national park abounds in birdlife. The most commonly sighted birds in the national park include the endangered Great Indian Bustard, sand grouse, kestrels, laggard falcons, spotted eagles, tawny eagles, short-toed eagles, vultures, buzzards, falcons, harriers, and eagles.

The Desert National Park also has an impressive collection of plant and animal fossils which are as old as 180 million years. The most suitable time to visit the Desert National Park is between November and January. The most commonly sighted wild animals in the national park include chinkara, blackbucks, hedgehogs, wolves, desert cats, Bengal foxes, and desert foxes.

The most important attraction of the national park is the Great Indian Bustard, which is a magnificent bird found in very few numbers. The bird is brown and white, measures about one meter in height, and has long legs and a neck.