- Best time
- November to February (peak migration)
- How long
- Half day to two days; serious birders stay 3+
- Location
- 27.1592°N, 77.5222°E
- Category
- Birds & Nature
About
Keoladeo is a wetland made by people, ruled by wings. Originally a topographical depression, the landscape was permanently flooded in the mid-18th century after Maharaja Suraj Mal built the Ajan Bund dam. What was once a royal duck-shooting reserve is now one of the most ecologically dense protected sanctuaries on Earth.
On 29 square kilometres of dykes, sluices, and seasonally managed shallows, the park supports 375+ bird species, 379 floral species, 50 fish, and a complete terrestrial food web — Sambar, Nilgai, Striped Hyena, Fishing Cat — all flanking the marsh.
Why it matters
Keoladeo is a critical wintering ground on the Central Asian flyway. Until the early 2000s, it was the sole known wintering site in India for the critically endangered Siberian Crane. The 2024 UNESCO State of Conservation report confirmed the central-flyway population is now considered extinct — but the park's habitat is still maintained for a possible return.
Its conservation story is just as remarkable: the transition from royal hunting reserve to World Heritage sanctuary was driven by Indian conservationist Dr. Sálim Ali and forest officer Kailash Sankhala, whose advocacy ensured this critical habitat survived.
The story
The dam, the duck count, and the cranes
On a single February day in 1938, viceroy Lord Linlithgow's hunting party shot 4,273 ducks in Keoladeo. A plaque inside the park still records it. That kind of accounting tells you what this wetland was — and what it had to stop being.
The park is easily navigated by trained rickshaw-pullers who double as expert naturalists, by bicycle, by foot, or by boat through the flooded forest. The dense jungle surrounding the ancient Shiva temple inside the park gives the sanctuary its alternative local name, 'Ghana' — meaning thick or dense.
Today, keep your eyes on the painted storks, the great white pelicans, the Sarus cranes nesting in family groups, the kingfishers shooting across the channels, and — if winter is kind — the rare visiting raptor circling above.
Gallery
Image gallery
Watch
Keoladeo Ghana National Park on film
Nearby
Pair this with
State-protected monument Fort
Lohagarh Fort
The Iron Fort that swallowed cannonballs.
200+ bird species Nature
Band Baretha Wildlife Reserve
An older, quieter sanctuary — and a hidden Black Bittern.
Built c. 1730 Palace
Deeg Palace
Char Bagh gardens, hundreds of fountains, and the finest Hindu palace in north India.