FAQs

Dudhwa Tiger Reserve has three tourism zones: Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary, Dudhwa Zone 1 (Sonaripur & Sathiana Ranges), and Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary.

Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary sits at a higher altitude with better visibility than the rest of the reserve and sees the highest number of tiger sightings in Dudhwa. The Beldanda area and Ring Road are well-known tiger and leopard sighting spots, and the famous Jhadi Tal (lake) here draws many bird species and animals to its waterholes.

Dudhwa Zone 1 covers the Rhino Area across the Sonaripur and Sathiana Ranges. It has thick forest cover ideal for elephant herds, and an additional entry fee applies for the Rhino Area — morning slots are by elephant ride, afternoon slots by vehicle safari, on a first-come-first-served basis, with only 2 elephants and 2 vehicles allowed in per shift. Because the forest is denser here, tiger sightings are less frequent than in Kishanpur. Banke Tal and the Suheli River are the main water bodies in this zone.

Katarniaghat is built around the Gerwa River, home to fresh-water Gangetic dolphins, crocodiles, gharials and turtles, along with tigers, leopards, deer, antelope and several bird species.

Dudhwa Tiger Reserve & National Park is a protected wildlife area in Uttar Pradesh, India, spread across the Lakhimpur Kheri, Shahjahanpur and Bahraich districts along the Indo-Nepal border. It covers 1,284.3 sq. km and was established in 1977.

The area was a hunting ground during British rule, was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1958 to protect its swamp deer population, was upgraded to a national park in 1977, and was declared a tiger reserve in 1987 once a significant Bengal tiger population was confirmed. It's now home to tigers, leopards, elephants and sloth bears across grassland, swamp and dense-forest ecosystems.

Lucknow International Airport is the nearest major airport, roughly 4 hours by road. Bareilly Airport is a newer, closer option with direct flights from Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.

From Lucknow, take Sitapur Road toward Lakhimpur Kheri, then turn left at Mehwagunj toward Bhira and Palia Kalan. From Bhira, head toward Kishanpur Gate on Maghai Road — DTR Jungle Hideaways is about 4.5 km further, right at the gate.

From Bareilly Airport, take Pilibhit Road through Puranpur to Khuttar Crossing (avoid village shortcuts to save time), then turn left toward Mailani and Bhira. From Bhira, turn left toward Kishanpur Gate — DTR Jungle Hideaways is about 4.5 km away.

From Delhi, take NH9 via Ghaziabad, Garh Mukteswar, the Moradabad bypass, Rampur and the Bareilly bypass, then turn left toward Pilibhit. Continue through Puranpur to Khuttar Crossing, turn left toward Mailani and Bhira, then left again toward Kishanpur Gate — DTR Jungle Hideaways is about 4.5 km from there. Gajrola, en route, has several food options including Bikanervala, KFC, McDonald's, Burger King and Domino's.

Yes — we arrange an SUV or sedan for pickup and drop from Lucknow or Bareilly airport on request.

Dudhwa Tiger Reserve is ranked 4th among India's tiger reserves with an official count of 135 tigers, and Uttar Pradesh's overall tiger population reached 205 in 2022, up 18.49% over four years. Experts believe the actual number is higher, since official counts happen inside the forest and don't include Dudhwa's substantial population of "sugarcane tigers."

Uttar Pradesh grows nearly half of India's sugarcane (45.89% of the national total), and tigers move into the cane fields tracking wild boar, one of their favourite prey. Tigresses with cubs also use the dense cane cover to hide their kills. Since official tiger counts are done inside the jungle and not in the sugarcane fields, Dudhwa's real tiger population is likely undercounted.

Along with tigers, Dudhwa is home to leopards, elephants, Asiatic black bears, sloth bears, rhinoceros, barasingha (swamp deer), spotted deer and jackals.

Dudhwa shelters some genuinely rare wildlife, including the Hispid hare and the white-rumped vulture.

Dudhwa's bird life includes the spot-billed pelican, Sarus crane, red jungle fowl, large cormorant, Indian long-billed vulture and brown hawk owl. Reptiles here include python, king cobra, monitor lizard, sand boa and gharial. Its forests are dominated by sal, shisham, bahera, asna, jamun, sehore and gular trees, some of them over 150 years old and 70 feet tall.

Dudhwa is one of 49 tiger reserves in India and represents the Terai ecosystem. Its core area is formed by Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary and Dudhwa National Park, separated by 15 km of agricultural land; the corridor links Kishanpur, Dudhwa and Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary; and the buffer covers the forests of South Kheri, North Kheri and Shahjahanpur. Seven rhinos were relocated here from Assam and Nepal in 1984-85, and Dudhwa now holds around half the world's barasingha population and over 450 of India's roughly 1,350 recorded bird species.

Through the peak visiting months of November, December and January, daytime temperatures run about 20-25°C, dropping to around 10°C at night — pack layers for early-morning safaris.

Yes. We prepare Jain food without onion or garlic, less-spicy meals, vegan meals, infant food like khichdi or porridge (dalia), and allergen-free meals tailored to your specific requirement — just let us know in advance.

Plenty. Indoors we have carom, ludo, snakes & ladders, chess, cards and a business-strategy board game; outdoors, badminton, football and cricket. We also arrange guided nature walks (recommended only with a guide, since the area has tigers, leopards and crocodiles, and mobile signal is patchy), dedicated bird-watching sessions without a safari booking, and can point you to specific tiger-sighting spots outside the forest and rare-animal viewing points on request.

Simply send us a WhatsApp "Hi" or call +91-9560647536 / +91-9654569461, and our team will put together your stay, meals, forest permits and safari bookings end-to-end.