Wild Life Sanctuary within 30 km from Chandigarh

You must have understood by the title about what I will get you to explore in this blog post. Some of you may get shocked by knowing the fact that the Wildlife Sanctuaries are in fact so near to Chandigarh, but yes, it’s true.

There are 3 Wildlife Sanctuaries that are within 30 km from Chandigarh. You must plan a day trip once a month to enjoy nature. These are Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary (The most popular one), Bir Shikargah Wildlife Sanctuary, and Khol Hai Raitan Wildlife Sanctuary. Let’s explore them one by one.

Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary 

It is located in Shivalik foothills of Chandigarh near Shiv Mandir Saketri. It has been spread over an area of 26 square kilometers. To visit, a pass is required from the forest department office, sector 19 B, Chandigarh.

In 1998, it was declared as Wildlife Sanctuary. It is though closed in the rainy season. It has a rich variety of flora and fauna. It is also known to have the most numbers of Sambar found in a group than anywhere else in the country. It is home to a large number of birds and reptiles which include jungle fowl and various sparrows. It also contains various type of trees, herbs, shrubs which include Acacia catechu (Khair), Acacia Arabica (Kikar), Dalbergia sissoo (Shisham), Anogeissus latifolia (Chhal), Azadirachta indica (Neem). 

Bir Shikargah Wildlife Sanctuary

Bir Shikargah Wildlife Sanctuary is spread over an area of 767 hectares and situated in the Panchkula District of Haryana state. To reach there, you have to take the right turn after HMT town on Shimla highway where the Himalayan expressway starts.

From there, it is just 8 km away on Pinjore–Mallah road. In 2009, the Government of India declared it an Eco-Sensitive Zone. The road is covered by the dense forest. The wild species include Indian leopard, Asiatic elephant, Chital (spotted deer), Sambar deer, Wild boar, Rhesus macaque, Gray langur, Striped hyena, Indian jackal, Jungle cat, Indian gray mongoose, Indian fox, and Indian jackal.

Khol hai Raitan Wildlife Sanctuary

It is spread over an area of 4883 hectares, 0.5 km away from Panchkula on the Morni road via Nada Sahib. Its aerial distance from the Bir Shikargah Wildlife Sanctuary is a mere 3 km. On 10 December 2004, the Government of Haryana officially declared it as a Wildlife Sanctuary. The wild species that are found here are the same as Bir Shikargah Wildlife Sanctuary that migrates from century to another.