Kanwar Wildlife Sanctuary
Kanwar Sanctuary, lying in the Parvati valley and adjacent to Manikaran (2 kilometers), shares its boundary in the south with the Great Himalayan National Park. Nestled by the Shacha and Satupurna mountain peaks, this sanctuary has a number of lakes, springs and religious sites in the vicinity. You can stay at Kasol, Manikaran or Kullu to visit the Kanwar wildlife sanctuary
Established in: February 1954
Area and Altitude: It is situated at varying elevations of 1,800 to 4,833 meters spread across an area of 60.7 square kilometers. The terrain is rocky and steep.
Forest Cover: It lies in the biogeographic zone of the northwest Himalayas and includes the forest types of sub tropical broadleaf hill, temperate deciduous and mixed coniferous, west Himalayan sub alpine, alpine moist pasture, alpine dry scrub and alpine dry pasture forests.
Climate and Visiting Season: During summer (25 degree centigrade) the weather is perfect to visit the Kanwar Sanctuary. Winter (-10 degree centigrade) has heavy snowfall and animals and birds migrate or hibernate during these months. Rainfall (1000 millimeters) occurs during the monsoon months of July to September.
Flora at the Kanwar Sanctuary: The Kanwar forests are dense with ban oak, moru oak, cedar and pindrow yew trees in the lower altitudes and as you go higher you will find canopies of blue pine, kharsu oak and fir.
Fauna at the Kanwar Sanctuary: Kanwar Sanctuary is home to the near threatened species of Himalayan thar. You will find it grazing on the grasses, shrubs or small trees growing on high rocky cliffs. It looks like a goat with horns, big eyes and pointed ears. Another rare species found here is the snow leopard. You can also spot Tibetan wolf, brown bear, blue sheep, musk deer and ibex in the higher elevations. Other animals include barking deer, goral, serow, leopard, common giant flying squirrel, Himalayan palm civet, yellow throated marten, golden jackal and Himalayan weasel.
Among the birds, common ones include western tragopan, cheer pheasant and white cheeked tit.
Things to do in Kanwar Sanctuary:Nature trails and trekking are popular activities at the Kanwar Sanctuary. While spotting the rare birds and animals, please do not disturb them, call them or feed them. Also please do not litter. Apart from nature visits, you can visit a number of temples and springs of religious significance located on the edge of the sanctuary.
How to Reach Kanwar Sanctuary:Kanwar Sanctuary is accessible by road from Kullu (42 kilometers). You can reach Kullu by air from Bhuntar, 10 kilometers away, and by train from Joginder Nagar, 95 kilometers away. Board a bus or cab to reach Kullu. Kasol, where you can find camp sites and a forest rest house, is on the way from Bhuntar to Kullu (20.88 kilometers from Kullu).
Book a tour to Himachal Pradesh on indianholiday.com to visit the picturesque woodland of the Kanwar Sanctuary.
