A wildlife sanctuary is an area of animal habitats including wild species surrounded by protection from any harmful attacks or disturbances by human beings. Hunting, killing, torturing the animals in these regions are strictly prohibited.
National parks are arranged or created by the government to protect from hunting and killing of species, many endangered species are brought to parks to save their lives.
Wildlife sanctuaries and National parks are home to many animals and birds. Andhra Pradesh has a total of 13 wildlife Sanctuaries and 3 National parks.
Here is a list of popular wildlife sanctuaries and national parks of Andhra Pradesh
Let’s have a look at some of the popular wildlife sanctuaries and national parks of Andhra Pradesh which are best to visit.
Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary
It is located near the port city of Kakinada and it is also a part of the Godavari estuary with Mangrove and tropical forest in it. It is the second largest region of mangrove forests in India with over 24 mangrove tree species. In this ecosystem, the river and the ocean meet together at a particular point which is a beautiful scene to watch.
It has more than 120 different bird species and consists of endangered species like a long-billed vulture and a white-backed vulture. This region has an average temperature of 17 degrees Celsius to 40 degrees Celsius. The reason for various birds in this region is the feed available at the backwaters of the mangrove forest.
Read More: 10 Best Places to See Tiger in India
Rollapdu Wildlife Sanctuary
This wildlife sanctuary covers most of the region in the Kurnool district with an area of 614 square km. It offers a wild trip in your life if you are a nature lover and obsessed with animal kind then this place is perfect and also gives you a memorable journey, where you can experience from small species to big blackbuck and from birds reptiles. It also protects endangered species like The great Indian Bustard and Lesser Florican.
This place is home to many animals and birds also attract tourists to see different kinds of species which are rare to watch enjoy.
Kolleru Bird Sanctuary
Kolleru bird sanctuary is located in Andhra Pradesh occupies mainly two districts Krishna and West Godavari with an area above 673 sq km between the two rivers Krishna and Godavari deltas.
This sanctuary is used to protect the land of Kolleru lake and it gains worldwide popularity. Focusing on the flora of this sanctuary a special weed plant grows named Phragmites Karka here with a height up to 10 feet long which helps bird species as their shelter.
Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary
Nelapattu bird sanctuary is located in Nelapattu in the Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh. It is a place for more than 150 bird species some of them are migratory birds. The main attraction of this sanctuary is spot-billed pelicans and some other breeds are black-headed ibis, crowned night heron and Asian openbill attract most of the visitors. The main plantation of this region is southern dry evergreen scrub and Barringtonia swam forest.
Pulicat Bird Sanctuary
It is a popular bird sanctuary in Andhra Pradesh located in the Nellore district. Pulicat lake is the second biggest brackish-water ecosystem in India which comes after Chilka lake in Orissa. This place is popularly known for the Flamingo festival which is conducted three days a year. Flamingos come to this place migrated from different regions. The tourism increased to this sanctuary because of these Flamingos.
Along with flamingos varieties of bird species appears such as Seagulls, Black-winged stilts, sandpipers, little egrets, Grey pelicans from the beginning of September to the end of December.
More than hundreds of thousands of people are attracted to this sanctuary and visit this bird sanctuary every year and there is also possible to feed the birds with their own hands.
Get Detailed Info: Top 10 Bird Sanctuaries in India
Nagarjuna Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary
It is a perfect place to enjoy nature situated and covered five districts such as Guntur, Prakasham, Kurnool, Mahbubnagar, and Nalgonda in Andhra Pradesh. Many visitors and pilgrims are attracted to this area to visit temples and reservoirs of Srisailam ancient in this region.
The flora and fauna of this region are the main attraction for visitors, the popular plant species are silk plants, anjir trees, axlewood, teak, etc. these are rare plant species that are not available everywhere.
It is home to deadliest animals like Indian leopard, Bengal Tiger, Sloth bear, blackbuck, crocodile, Indian cobra, Indian python, and some of the reptiles like Sharmasmabuya lizards, Nagarjuna Sagar snake is the climax of this region to watch out.
Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary
This sanctuary consists of a mangrove forest. It is located in the Krishna river estuary forest region in Andhra Pradesh. It covers mainly two districts Guntur and Krishna. This sanctuary provides refuge for turtles, birds, and fishes. The uniqueness of this region is breeds of endangered Ridley Turtles.
The rare species to see in this sanctuary are Mudskipper, Black caped kingfisher, Telescopium shells, Soloman butterfly, fiddler crab, etc.
The temperature varies from 18 degrees Celsius in December to 45 degrees Celsius in May. This place consists of more than 20 plant species including Avicennia alba, Avicennia marina, AvicenniaOfficinalis species of Avicennia, and other mangrove floras.
The fauna in this region is magnificent with above 40 species of fishes, reptiles like the spectacled cobra, saltwater crocodile, and olive ridley turtle, etc.
Also Read: Best 15 Wildlife National Park in India
Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary
It is a wide forest present near Vishakhapatnam covering a large area of land with dry evergreen forest. It is ahome for many plant species, mammals, birds, reptiles, butterflies, etc.
It is a hilly and terrain region suitable for trekking and the visitors who are fond of adventurous trips then this sanctuary is the right place for them.
This place has varieties of flora and fauna some of the important plant species are Indian thorny bamboo, mountain pomegranate, Indian licorice, bush plum, etc. are part of evergreen forests.
The various fauna present in the sanctuary are Indian jackal, Indian pangolin, Indian leopard, Rusty-spotted cat, Russel’s viper are very rare species.
Papikonda National Park
It is located near Rajamahendravaramin the Papi hills. This mountain range covers two districts east and the west Godavari with a large margin of area. It was first a wildlife sanctuary later upgraded to a national park. This place is home to various flora and fauna and also some endangered species.
The river Godavari also flows through this park and increases the beauty of this region. It has large annual rainfall. The popular vegetation of this park includes Terminalia Arjuna, Adina cordifolia, sterculia uren, etc.
This place is known for its wide varieties fauna and it was also recognized by birdlife international in 2016 as an important bird and biodiversity area.
Read More Article about Andhra Pradesh:
- Top 10 Most Famous Temples of Andhra Pradesh
- Top 10 Places to Visit in Visakhapatnam
- List of the 12 Jyotirlingas Temple in India with Travel Guide
- 20 Best Tourist Places in South India
- Andhra Pradesh Tour Packages Itinerary
- 20 Best Weekend Getaways Near Bangalore
- 20 Best Places to Visit in Hyderabad
