Van Vihar National Park

This large wooded park, along the Upper Lake, offers a spectacular setting for a zoological park which has naturalistic-looking enclosures for tiger, lion, sloth bear, striped hyena, crocodiles and other carnivores. The park has been created out of land that had been quarried or neglected, allowing the forest to take over the landscape. Most of the animals in this park are rescued from various parts of the state. One of the major initiatives is managing the sloth bears that were captured and kept by street entertainers who trained them to be dancing bears before they were rescued. Animals and visitors are protected from each other by moats, chain-links and walls. Though more of a zoo than wildlife reserve, Van Vihar is interesting with respect to its drivable trail that goes right through the park which measures about 455 hectares. You can drive or cycle on the circuit that goes past the enclosures, and offers views of the lake at most places. Deer and antelope can be seen free-ranging in the woodlands. Walks can be productive for butterfly and bird spotting but you need to take care as some of the wild herbivores can be dangerous. One of the most unique enclosures is the one for crocodiles which has a bridge running over a water body where they can be seen. Another interesting area is the one dedicated to a heronry. For visitors, the top attractions however are the white tiger and albinos. The large, wooded enclosures make spotting animals difficult – a good time to visit is in the evening when the big cats and other carnivores come to the edge of their enclosure awaiting a meal. You could combine a visit with water-based activities at the nearby boat club – motorboat rides, pedal boats and water sports are on offer.