Sultanpur National Park

Area                   --------------------              1.43 sq. km
Minimum Temperature           -----------------------        1.70°C
Maximum Temperature       ----------------                 22.10°C
Language                    ----------------------    Hindi and English
Best time to visit          -----------------      October to March
STD Code                  ----------------------   0124 (Gurgaon) 

If one is an avid wildlife enthusiast and happens to be in Delhi, the Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary could be the ideal destination. The sanctuary, located at a distance of 45 km on the National Highway No 8, is a birdwatcher's paradise with a sizable population of resident and migratory birds. Once a dry belt with a shallow water body that attracted birds during the monsoon, Sultanpur was transformed by the ornithologist Peter Jackson who got the area landscaped and suitable vegetation planted. One can spend endless hours watching the antics of the birds-from spoonbills wading in the water to ducks foraging at the water's edge.

Location

The Sultanpur National Park is located in the Indian state of Haryana at a distance of 45 km from Delhi, the national capital. The park extends from latitude 28°37' in the North to longitude 77°04' in the east. It is well connected by roads with Delhi and Gurgaon, the district headquarters.

Best Time To Visit

The climate of this region is tropical with very hot summers and chilly winters. Monsoon approaches this place in the month of July and continues till mid-September. The best season to visit this park is winter as the chances of seeing the exclusive wildlife of this park is more in these months.

Tourist Attractions

 Flora - The vegetation of this park is tropical and dry deciduous and the flora include grasses, dhok, khair, tendu, ber, jamun, acacia, and banyan tree.

Fauna - The park is home to a large range of birds, both resident and migratory. Migratory geese and Siberian cranes spend the winter in Sultanpur and there are also the demoiselle cranes, ruddy shelducks, pelicans, flamingoes, bar-headed geese, grey lags, gadwalls, mallards, pochards, shovellers and teals. Local species include plovers, red-wattled lapwings, herons, cormorants, white ibises, spoonbills and painted storks.

Other wildlife in the park include blackbuck, nilgai, hog deer, sambar, wild dog or dhole, caracal, wild cat, hedgehog, mongoose, striped hyena, Indian porcupine, rattle/honey badger, leopard, wild pig, and four horned antelope.

Sultanpur Lake is the point around which the Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary has been developed. The lake is a picnic spot for the residents of Delhi and boating facilities are also available here. The lake has a good number of reptiles and it attracts a lot of migratory birds during winters.

Places Around Sultanpur

Delhi, at a distance of around 45 km from Sultanpur, is the capital of India and the seat of power since ancient times. Major tourist attractions here are the Red Fort, Chandni Chowk, Rashtrapati Bhawan, Qutub Minar, Bahai Temple, Rajghat, India Gate, and Jantar Mantar apart from numerous others. There are also many museums, libraries, art galleries, theaters, and educational institutions that can be visited.

Tour to Sultanpur National Park A museum and a small library have been established at Sultanpur to inform the visitors about the sanctuary there. Delhi based non-governmental organizations like Kalpavriksh and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) bring students to Sultanpur for bird watching and on nature walks regularly. WWF-India and the Centre for Environmental Education have jointly prepared a Visitor Interpretation Programme with a view to enhance public consciousness about wetlands.

How To Reach

 AIR - Airport - Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi (35 km) Palam Domestic Airport, Delhi (35 km).The nearest airport from Sultanpur is the Indira Gandhi International Airport and Palam Domestic Airport in Delhi at a distance of just 35 km. Indira Gandhi airport is connected with most of the important international destinations by regular flights of the major airlines. Palam Domestic Airport is connected to almost all the major cities in India by regular flights of the Indian Airlines, Jet Airways, and Sahara Airlines apart from the other small domestic airlines.

 RAIL - Railway Station - Gurgaon Railway Station (15 km). Gurgaon is the nearest railway station connected to Delhi and many places in Haryana and Rajasthan by regular trains. New Delhi, Nizamuddin, and Old Delhi railway stations are important railway links from where one can get trains to almost all parts of the country.

 ROAD - Bus Stand - Gurgaon Bus Stand (15 km) Dhaula Kuan Bus Stop (40 km). From Gurgaon there are regular buses to the Sultanpur National Park run by Haryana State Roadways. Gurgaon is connected to Delhi by buses leaving Dhaula Kuan in Delhi every five minutes. Taxis and tourist cars are also available on hire from Delhi and Gurgaon to visit Sultanpur.

Where To Stay

Inside the park, the Haryana Tourism Development Corporation runs a tourist lodge that has air-conditioned as well as general rooms. The facilities there include a bar, restaurant, and cottages for the guests. One can also stay in any of the large number of hotels at Delhi or Gurgaon and go to Sultanpur for a weakened or day trip.