Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary, Darjeeling

Nice Wildlife Sanctuary . Well Maintained and Protected. You can take your car inside but with their guide which is must. As usual we did not see a single animal. But it was a pleasant ride. We also met locals and women with their Kukris. Took us around two hours.

Nestled between the Teesta and Mahananda rivers on the foothills of the Himalayas in the Darjeeling district, it is a reserved forest area spread across 158 sq km radius. The main entrance to the sanctuary is from Sukna which is about 30 minutes from Siliguri. Regular Safaris are offered in one’s own vehicle and it takes 2.5 hours to complete the entire circuit. There are 330 different types of plants, while the forest is said to have 150 odd elephants. The views from here are spectacular with grassy meadows on one side, the flowing Mahananda river on the other and mountains as the backdrop. Rare birds and exotic species of mammals can be sighted at the sanctuary. One can spot Tigers, sambar, Himalayan black bear, rare mountain goat, porcupines, golden cats, Indian bison, wild boards, monkey and black capped langur.