Nature And Wildlife Destinations Near Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India

For those of you who are visiting the heritage city of Lucknow, famous for its Nawabs and their palaces as well as the Lucknow biryani, there are more treasures in store to be discovered near this age-old city. 

If you love wildlife and want to see some action in the wilderness, head over to the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, one of the wildest and extremely scenic protected areas in India. For the avid birders, there are a number of places around Lucknow that can be visited for spotting the graceful beauties from around the world when they migrate to these bird sanctuaries in the winter. You can also watch the baby crocs of India being reared in the Kukrail Reserve Forest for release into the wild once they grow up.

Here is a list of wildlife destinations that can be reached within 5 hours or less from Lucknow city.

1. Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, 4h 18min

The Dudhwa Tiger Reserve is the best wildlife and nature destination near Lucknow. It is home to India’s national animal, the Royal Bengal Tiger, that enjoys a protected status in the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve. The Tiger Reserve, stretching across the Bahraich and the Lakhimpur Kheri districts of Uttar Pradesh comprises of the Dudhwa National Park, the Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary, and the Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary. The total area occupied by the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve is 1,285.3 square km.

The Dudhwa Tiger Reserve is known for its surreal beauty. It is a vast alluvial floodplain criss-crossed by a number of rivers. Tigers, leopards, sloth bears, rhinoceros, barking deer, cheetal, swamp deer, wild boar, sambar, Asiatic black bears and other mammals call the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve their home. 400 species of birds and 90 species of fish are also found in the region. There are about 106 to 110 tigers in Dudhwa. 

2. Bakhira Wildlife Sanctuary, 4h 5min

The Bakhira Wildlife Sanctuary is a large wetland in Uttar Pradesh’s Sant Kabir Nagar District. The sanctuary is 44 km away from the city of Gorakhpur and occupies an area of 29 square km. It serves as the wintering ground of a large number of migratory birds. More than 100 villages are located along the banks of the lake in the sanctuary and depend on it for their sustenance. Winter is the best time to visit the Bakhira Wildlife Sanctuary. A resident bird of this sanctuary, the Indian purple moorhen is famous for its beauty. 

The Bakhira Wildlife Sanctuary can be accessed by:

Rail: Nearest railhead is Khalilabad.

Air: Gorakhpur Airport 49 km

Road: Gorakhpur-Khalilabad (35 km) NH-28, then Khalilabad-Bansi road 2 (17km).

3. Lakh Bahosi Bird Sanctuary, 3h 47min

A bird sanctuary encompassing two jheels (shallow lakes) and an area of 80 square km, the Lakh Bahosi Bird Sanctuary, is located near the villages of Bahosi and Lakh in Uttar Pradesh’s Kannauj District, at a distance of 40 km from Kannauj. Of the total 97 genera of birds residing in India, the Lakh Bahosi Sanctuary hosts 49 genera. Various migratory birds visit the sanctuary in winter. Some mammals that can be spotted at the Lakh Bahosi Bird Sanctuary include the fishing cat, blue bull, mongoose, and jackal. 

The Lakh Bahosi Bird Sanctuary can be accessed by:

35 km from Kannauj

90 km from Kanpur

4. Shahid Chandra Shekhar Azad Bird Sanctuary, 58min

Also known as the Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary, it is located in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao district on the Kanpur-Lucknow highway. It is a wetland habitat which provides a safe haven to 250 migratory bird species. A deer park, boating facilities on the lake, and a watchtower for spotting birds are also present at the Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary. Birds to this sanctuary arrive from Tibet, China, Siberia, and northern Europe. Some species of migratory and resident birds that can be spotted here are painted stork, white ibis, tern, whistling teal, peafowl, purple moorhen, Indian roller, shoveler, mallard, greylag goose, and others. 

Venomous snakes like cobras, kraits, and vipers also live in the Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary. Barking deer can be observed in the deer park of the sanctuary. A small guest house is present in the Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary along with a restaurant and children park.

November to March is the best time to visit this sanctuary. The Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary is located 45 km from both Lucknow and Kanpur and bus service from both cities to the sanctuary is available. Amuasi Airport is the nearest airport (35 km) and the Kanpur Railway station is the nearest rail-route to this sanctuary (45 km).

5. Parvati Aranga Wildlife Sanctuary, 2h 58min

The Parvati Aranga Wildlife Sanctuary was established in 1997 and encompasses two connected, rainfed lakes, the Parvati and the Aranga. Though no villages are located within the sanctuary, agricultural fields have encroached into the protected area as far as the banks of the lakes. A large number of waterbirds, about 20,000, populate the sanctuary in the winter months. The Parvati Aranga Wildlife Sanctuary is considered to be important for the conservation of Sarus. 

6. Kukrail Reserve Forest, 19 min

Only 9 km from Lucknow, the Kukrail Reserve Forest is a great wildlife destination for nature lovers visiting the city. The protected area is located in Indranagar in the vicinity of the Shivpuri Colony. The Kukrail Reserve Forest holds immense importance in the sphere of crocodile conservation, especially the conservation of India’s endemic crocodilian, the gharial. Crocodiles are bred in the reserve and crocodile eggs collected from the wild are allowed to hatch in protected environments. Young crocodiles are then allowed to grow till they are strong enough to defend themselves and then finally released into the rivers of the region.