Once a former hunting ground of the ruler of Alwar, Sariska National Park was brought under the ambit of Project Tiger in 1979. The closest town of this beautiful park is Alwar. Like its more famous counterpart Ranthambore, the park is the dotted with ruins and a fort reminiscent of the past glory of the region. Within the precincts of the park is a Hanuman Temple (only open to the public two days per week). Sariska National Park is replete with abundant woodland. Its wildlife here includes nilgai, sambar, chital, mongooses, wild boar, peacocks, monkeys, parrots and other birds, but it is regrettable that there has been a decimation of population of tigers due to poaching. As a result sightings of the tigers are less frequent than at Ranthambore. The poaching problem assumes alarming proportion when the number of tigers plummeted from 45 to 16 in a single year.

The best prospect of seeing a tiger is around the artificial water holes placed along the main road through the park to attract animals in the dry season. Access to the park (closed July & Aug, when the animals retreat to higher ground) is limited to daylight hours (dawn to dusk), to protect tigers from night poaching.

Best Season: October to April

Fauna: Tiger, Wild-Boar, Neelgai, Sambhar, Jackal, Hyena, Chital, Four horned antelope, Langoor, Jungle cat, and around 300 species of birds.

How to get there: 200 km from Delhi and 110 km from Jaipur. Its jumping-off point Alwar is well connected by regular rail and bus services with Delhi and Jaipur. There are also regular buses from Alwar to Sariska.

Places to see around and excursions: Alwar - fort, museum and cenotaph.

Distances: Road - 200 km from Delhi and 107 km from Jaipur; Rail - Alwar 37 km.

Places to Stay: Forest Rest House, Tiger Den Sariska, Hotel Sariska Palace. One can also stay at Alwar which is about an hour away and where budget accommodations are not hard to find.

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