Sanjay Gandhi National Park

Sanjay Gandhi National Park is positioned in the picturesque hilly areas of Borivali, Mumbai. Also well

known by the name of Borivali National Park, it nurtures a varied range of fauna and flora. Located close

to the city, this park, on a sprawling land of 104 sq kms, draws a large number of tourists throughout the

 year. 

Sanjay Gandhi National Park is pretty well connected by road, rail and air.

Probably one of Asia's most visited parks (about 2 million visitors annually) it is known for its dense

forests, vast bird life, butterflies, and the small population of tigers. The park also encompasses the

famous Kanheri Cave complex (between 1st century BC and 9th century AD), two lakes Tulsi and Vihar

Lake that provide water to Mumbai city.

  

Kanheri Caves - Kanheri or Kanhasela, as the two inscriptions from the place have named it, is the

biggest Buddhist monastic establishment on the Konkan coast. It is situated in the heart of the Sanjay

Gandhi National Park and is one of the better-known sites in Mumbai.

The park boasts more than 1000 species of plants, 40 species of mammals, 251 species of birds

including migratory and water birds, 38 species of reptiles, 9 species of amphibians and a large variety of

fish, insects and other life forms. The park comes alive during the monsoon season. 

Flora -

The forest cover in the park can be divided into two main categories i.e. South Indian moist

deciduous and Semi Evergreen

. 

These two types can be further classified into four subcategories and

they are moist teak-bearing forest, mangrove scrub, southern moist mixed deciduous forest, and western

subtropical hill forest.

The region has good biodiversity and major trees and plants include kadamba

teak, karanj, shisam, and species of acacia, ziziphus, euphorbia, flame of the forest, red silk cotton and

many more varieties of flowers. 

During the monsoon, almost the entire park is awash with the rainbow

hues of the flowers that bloom here and all over the Western Ghats.

Fauna

The Sanjay Gandhi National Park is a paradise for the bird watchers of Mumbai. Despite

receiving the highest number of visitors, the park has a large number of bird species like jungle owlets

golden orioles, racket-tailed drongos, minivets, magpies, robins, hornbills, bulbuls, sun birds, peacock

and woodpeckers. 

At many times, migratory and resident birds like paradise flycatcher, kingfisher, mynas

drongos, swifts, gulls, egrets, and herons have also been seen here. 

HOW TO REACH

BY AIR - The nearest airport is Santa Cruz at a distance of 16 km for domestic air travel. This airport is connected to almost all the major Indian cities with regular flights. 

The nearest international airport is Sahar at a distance of around 20 km from the park. 

BY RAIL - Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) at a distance of 40 km is the nearest railway hub connected to   almost all the parts of India by regular trains. Borivali Station is the nearest railway station connected to Mumbai CST and Mumbai Central Railway terminus es. 

BY ROAD - The park is connected to all parts of Mumbai and other places in Maharashtra with very good

road connections. Buses ply on Sunday's and holiday's from Mumbai to the Park. Chartered vehicles are available to the park on all days from Mumbai. 

WHERE TO STAY

Four rest houses and two camp sheds are available within the park area for the visitors to reside. 

One can contact the wildlife authorities for bookings daily from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm. 

Nearest Town         :- Borivali (3km)

Best time to visit     :- October to march

Main attraction        :- Panther

Timing                    :- 7.30 am  to 7.30 pm daily

Establish                  :-1969

Area                       :-104 sq.km.