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Mahananda wildlife sanctuary not only gives shelter to migratory and indigenous birds, but this beautiful sanctuary is also home to Royal Bengal tiger and Indian gaur. It was established in 1976 to protect the rare and endangered species of animals and plants. This place is filled with surprises, one can even expect the unexpected. Bird watchers and nature lovers surely wouldn’t like to miss a place like this. The sanctuary is spread across an area of 159.86 sq km.
There are many watch towers inside the sanctuary. For instance, the Laltong Wwatch Tower is located on the bank of the Teesta River near Laltong village. This was constructed to monitor the movement of migrating elephants. The Gulma watch tower, an unused railway cabin in the abandoned Gulma station inside the core area of the sanctuary has been converted into a watch tower. Laltong Compartment No.9: It is situated near Toribari on the right bank of Gulma river and was constructed to watch wildlife & for bird watching.
Attractions in the Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary are the different species of birds. There are more than 240 species of different birds, such as Rufous-necked Hornbill, Great Hornbill, sunbird, roller, warbler, Swift, Green-backed Tit, Barn Swallow, peafowls, peacocks, fowls, egrets, kingfishers, flycatchers, Racket-tail Drongo, Assamese Macaque, robins.
It is advised to avoid visiting the sanctuary during the summers because of the heavy rainfall. However, the best time to visit is from November to April, that is when the sky remains clear and the temperature is also quite pleasant.
Forest landscaping of Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary is very versatile. Owing to different altitude within forest range, it’s landscape varies from dense mixed-wet forest to riverine forests. Elephants migrating between West Bengal, Assam and Nepal areas pass through the downhill part of this forest. They come here mostly in monsoon and winter season. The record says that flora and fauna of this forest is rich by 330 varieties of plantation. Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary is home of many villagers who reside in various villages located within the forest area, such as Latlong, Sevoke, Toribari, Sukna, Gulma, Latpanchar and few more.
By Air: Nearest airport is Bagdogra. It is a domestic airport under the Indian Army. All major air services for nearby area are provided by this airport. Siliguri is 13 kms away from Bagdogra.
By Rail: Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary is connected by rest of India through its nearest railway stations New Jalpaiguri and Siliguri. After arriving in Siliguri or New Jalpaiguri one can hire a private cab to reach the sanctuary.
By Road: The Sanctuary has an excellent connection by road with Darjeeling, Siliguri and other towns of North Bengal. Sukna is the main gateway to the sanctuary located on the Siliguri-Darjeeling Highway. The Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary is just 30 minutes away from Siliguri.
West Bengal, Latpanchar, Shivkhola, Rongtong, Mahananda WildLife Sanctuary, Neora Valley National Park, Rishop, Kolakham , Lava, Sikkim, Zuluk , Pangolakha WildLife Sanctuary Zuluk, Barsey Rhododendron Sanctuary, Okhrey Hilley, Lachen, Lachung, Gurudongmar, Thangu, Yumthang, Maenam Wildlife Sanctuary, Kewzing, Ravangla, Singalila National Park
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