Desert National Park

Jaisalmer, Desert national park is among the largest of its kind in the country, encompassing an area of 3162 sq kms. The park covers a huge area extending from Jaisalmer/Barmer all the way to the India-Pakistan border. In spite of being right in the middle of an arid, dry, and sandy desert, the desert national park presents a wonderful opportunity to see the wildlife such as camels, desert fox, Bengal fox, chinkara, wolves, desert cat, and the Blackbuck. The intriguing landmark offers everything one can expect from a desert ecosystem, craggy rocks and compact salt lake bottoms, intermedial areas and fixed dunes. The dunes consist of about 20% of the park. The entire area is covered with thorny bushes, cacti and a few desert plants. If you want to explore the majestic wildlife at the Desert National Park, then the best way to do so is by going for an adventure-filled jeep safari which will be an entirely new exciting experience.

It is located close to the mighty Thar desert and defies all stereotypical notions of the non-existence of flora and fauna in the deserts. As, even though the ecosystem is harsh and fragile, it houses an abundance of birdlife and is a haven for a variety of migratory and resident desert birds. One of the rarest species of birds, The Great Indian Bustard is found here.

Apart from that various eagles, harriers, falcons, buzzards, kestrel, vultures, Short-toed eagles, tawny eagles, spotted eagles, laggar falcons and kestrel can also be seen here. One can see the life forms continuously fighting with the harsh environment to survive and prevailing to create yet another marvel of nature. Apart from the magnificent birds, the desert park also has a collection of fossils of animals and birds, some of which are more than 180 million years old. Some 6 million-year-old fossils of dinosaurs have also been found in the area. Visiting the desert national park to witness the mighty birds soaring in the sky while marvelling the changing landscape of the desert is definitely one of the best ways to spend holidays.

Flora and Fauna at Desert National Park
Animals: The wildlife found at the park includes the spiny-tail lizard, desert monitors, sandfish, deadly vipers and Krait. Desert and Bengal Foxes are a common feature in the park and can be seen near the karir trees while relishing on berries. Apart from that Blackbuck Antelope, cervicapra Rajputana chinkara (mountain gazelle), Gazeella gazelle, Indian fox Vulpes, Bengalensis and desert cat Felis libyes can also be found.

Birds: Desert national park is a haven for bird watchers. The birds truly are the star species of the park that houses over 120 species of resident as well as migratory birds within its parameters. The endangered Great Indian Bustard can be easily spotted at the here in huge numbers. Apart from that other common birds such as Patridges, Falcons, Eagles, Vultures, Bee-Eaters, Shrikes, Larks, Demoiselle Crane, Macqueen’s Bustard, Sandgrouse, Long-Legged and Honey Buzzards etc. can also be seen. Vultures soaring high in the sky and makes up for a magnificent sight. Larks and wheatears can be spotted in abundant numbers near the waterholes and ponds.

Reptiles: Several members of the reptiles category are found in the park. Some of them are the spiny-tailed lizard, monitor lizard, saw-scaled viper, Russell's viper, common krait.

Vegetation: Vegetation here is sparse and limits itself to patches of sewan grass, aak shrub and cacti. The landscape comprises of craggy rocks, compact salt lake bottom and lots of fixed and shifting dunes.

Best Time To Visit Desert National Park
The best time to visit the park is from October to March. Given the climate, it is not advisable to travel to the region in summers. The daytime temperature remains very high and usually touches around 42 degrees in summer. Nights are relatively cooler, typical of the arid desert climate. Winters in Jaisalmer are comparatively cooler with day temperatures remaining pleasant at around 24 degrees Celcius and the nights are chilly with the temperature falling as low as 7 to 8 degrees Celcius. As Jaisalmer is situated in the middle of Thar Desert, the monsoon is almost negligible. Jaisalmer remains dry for most parts of the year.