Vansda National Park Travel Guide 2024 | Vansda Wildlife Sanctuary 2024 | Jungle Safari in Vansda National Park | National Park in India | Timings | Entry Fee | Safari Booking
History of Vansda National Park
Situated in Gujarat’s Navsari district, the Vansda National Park is an extremely dense and deep wildlife sanctuary spread over just 24 square kilometres. The boundaries of the Vansda National Park extend to the forests of the Dang tribal region in its southern part, and because of this, the National Park is protected by the Dang Forest Department.
This forest area was the personal property of the then king of Vansda before it became a national park. By the way, the cutting of trees had been completely banned by the Vansda Royal family since 1952 in the forests of Vansda. Later, when the king of Vansda handed over this forest area to the Gujarat government, in 1979, the government declared the Vansda forest area as a protected forest area.
Since then this place is known as Vansda National Park. Located in the foothills of the Sahyadri ranges, most of the terrain of this national park is flat and extremely dense. The Vansda National Park receives an average of more than 2000 mm of rainfall during the monsoon, and the Ambika River flowing near the park also has deep and dense vegetation.
The vegetation is so deep in some parts of the garden that sunlight does not reach the ground even during day time. Vansda National Park may be a very small wildlife sanctuary in terms of area, but the vegetation and wildlife of Vansda National Park are completely opposite to the area of this forest.
People from tribal communities like Kunbi, Gamit, Kukna, Bhoi, Warli and Bhil still live in the forests of Vansda National Park as their permanent residence, and most tribal families depend on the natural resources available in the park for their livelihood.
Vansda National Park Wildlife
What tourists like to see the most in a wildlife sanctuary. This is a very common question and its answer is equally general. In a wildlife sanctuary, tourists come to see large wildlife in their natural habitat. But the main centre of attraction of the wildlife of Vansda National Park is the small wildlife found here.
More species of spiders are found in Vansda National Park than any national park in India. There are more than 121 species of spiders here. Among them, the largest spider found in this national park is the wood spider, which can be easily seen in this park.
Not long ago, 8 new spider species have been found in Vansda National Park. Combining the world’s most poisonous snakes and pythons such as cobras, Russell crate vipers and crits, this national park has also identified more than 30 species of snakes, along with 11 species of frog, the most loved food of snakes.
Apart from different types of insects and snails, more than 60 varieties of butterflies can be seen in this garden. There are also some big predators in the jungle with leopard being the main predator and other wildlife including wild cat, striped hyena, wild boar, common palm civet and small Indian civet. Wildlife such as chital, barking deer, porcupine, rhesus macaque, langur, chausinga, squirrel, pangolin and fox can also be seen in large numbers in this national park.
Vansda National Park Birds
Around 155 species of local and migratory birds are found in the Vansda National Park, in addition to spiders, snakes and other wildlife. Due to this, Vansda National Park is one of the most suitable wildlife sanctuaries for bird lovers. The Western Ghats of Vansda National Park is considered the most suitable places for bird watching.
Birds like leaf birds, grey hornbills, racket-tailed drongos, pompadour pigeon, back sunbirds, Indian great black woodpecker, Malabar toon, Paradise flycatcher, peacock, thrush, jungle babbler, shama, emerald pigeon and yellow can be seen. Apart from this, the endangered spotted owl can be seen in Vansda National Park.
Kilad Camp Site – Vansada National Park
The Kilad campsite, built by the Gujarat Forest Department in Kilad village, located near Vansda, is one of the most suitable places to live in the natural environment of Vansda National Park. The main objective of the construction of this campsite located in the village of Kilad is to promote eco-tourism among the tourists visiting it and create awareness among the students about the wildlife and natural wealth of the place.
The Kilad campsite is situated near the banks of the Ambika river flowing here, due to this the campsite offers a very panoramic view. The Kilad Campsite is managed and maintained by the Eco-Tourism Development Committee. A visit to the campsite can be taken at any time, but if you have to stay at the Kilad campsite then you will have to call the person concerned and book a booking to stay here before coming here.
Tourists visiting Saputara and visiting Vansada National Park prefer to stay at the fort campsite. Campfire facility is also available for tourists at the fort campsite. Trekking from the Kilad campsite to Gira Waterfall can prove memorable for you. A guide will be available from the campsite at a fee of Rs 50 per person, which will take you from the campsite to the Gira Waterfall and will also provide information about Vansda National Park.
An orientation centre, 4 cottages, 10 tents with toilets and bathrooms and 3 huts remain for tourists visiting the fort campsite. Food facility is not available here, but there are good restaurants and restaurants in the city of Waghai located near the camp, which provides food on order.
Scaffolding and treehouses are also built to see wildlife and natural scenery in the Kilad campsite, here you can sit for a long time and enjoy the beauty of Vansda National Park. There is no admission fee of any kind at the Kilad campsite, just you have to keep in mind that if you are coming here then talk to the person concerned at the campsite and get it booked here.
Forest Range office phone number of the Kilad campsite: 02630 230057 on which you can contact and make a booking to stay at the campsite.
Vansda National Park Flora
The forests of Vansda National Park are extremely dense and deep, some parts of the park are so dense that there is no sunlight reaching the ground even during day time. The biggest reason for the garden’s vegetation to be so dense and deep is that since 1952, illegal harvesting of trees and trees in this garden was completely banned.
About 450 species of plants are found in the Vansda National Park, among which the high trees of teak and bamboo, besides 443 flowering species are found in this national park. In many parts of the forest, the height of Katas bamboo and teak trees goes up to 120 feet. Apart from Katas bamboo, mavel bamboo can also be seen in this national park.
There are grasslands in the central part of Vansda National Park, the grass found here is known as Bharadi grass. The species of flowers found in Vansda National Park include Orchids, Dumb, Shalu, Sisam, Kalam, Teak, Safflower, Shimlo, Chut bandharo, Tanach, Ambala, Mahudo, Khakro, Sagad, Tamru, Dudkod, Asan, Umro, Kadar and Varieties of trees and flowers such as Behda are predominant.
Best time to visit Vansda National Park
Vansda National Park is completely closed for tourists from June to October months due to monsoon. The best time to visit the Vansda National Park is from the first week of November to the last week of February.
Vansda National Park Entry Fees
| S.NO. | INDIAN TOURIST | FOREIGNER TOURIST |
| 01 | Entry Fees – 20/- INR (Per Person) | Entry Fees – 5$ US Dollar (Per Person) |
| 02 | Vehicle Up to 6 Person – 200/- INR | Vehicle Up to 6 Person – 20$ US Dollar |
| 03 | Vehicle Up to 15 Person – 500/- INR | Vehicle Up to 15 Person – 50$ US Dollar |
| 04 | Vehicle Up to 60 Person – 1750/- INR | Vehicle Up to 60 Person – 175$ US Dollar |
| 05 | Still Camera – 100/- INR | Still Camera – 10$ US Dollar |
| 06 | Guide (For Four Hours) – 50/- INR | Guide (For Four Hours) – 50/- INR |
| (For extra time, Tourist have to pay 20/- rupees per hour) | (For extra time, Tourist have to pay 5$ US Dollar per hour) |
Vansda National Park Timing
Vansda National Park is open for tourists from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm throughout the week. During the monsoon, the garden receives heavy rainfall, so from the month of June to October in the year, Vansda National Park is closed for the entry of tourists. The time of entry into the park can be changed by the forest department according to the weather.
How to reach Vansada National Park
How to reach Vansada National Park By Flight
The distance from Vansda National Park to Dumas Airport of Surat is 120 km. Regular air services are available to Surat from many major cities of the country. Apart from Surat, the distance from Ozar Airport of Nashik to Vansada National Park is also 120 kilometres.
From these two airports, you can reach Vansda National Park very easily by bus and taxi. If you are planning to come to Vansda National Park from another country, then the distance from Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Airport to Vansda National Park is just 260 kilometres, regular flights are available to Mumbai Airport from almost all major airports in the world.
How to reach Vansada National Park By Train
The distance from Vansda National Park to Waghai railway station is only 5 kilometres. Regular railway service is available from many major cities of the country from Waghai railway station. Vansda National Park can be reached very easily by cab or auto from Waghai Railway Station.
How to reach Vansada National Park
Vansda National Park is also very well connected by road. Being located near the state border of Gujarat and Maharashtra, regular government and private bus services are available from both the state to Vansda National Park. Apart from the bus, tourists can reach Vansada National Park very easily with their private vehicles apart from cabs and taxis.
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