Sariska Tiger Reserve
The reserve that lost every tiger by 2005 and was restocked from Ranthambhore — 1,203 square kilometres of dry forest and rocky hill in Alwar district.
The reserve that lost all its tigers
Sariska is a rare thing in conservation: a documented total failure that was then reversed. The forest was recognised as a wildlife reserve in 1955, became a sanctuary in 1958, a tiger reserve under Project Tiger in 1978 and a national park in 1982. In 2003 it held sixteen tigers. By 2004-05 surveys found none at all — not a sighting, not indirect evidence. Relocation from Ranthambhore began in 2008, and the population has been rebuilt since: twenty by 2020, thirty by 2023. It covers 1,203.34 square kilometres, of which 881 is core and 322.23 buffer.
Explore Sariska Tiger Reserve on the map
City locations, drawn from our published destination data. Attractions, hotels and restaurants are not mapped yet.
What there is to see
Dry forest and broken hill country rather than jungle.
🐅 The tigers
- A reintroduced population, rebuilt from zero since 2008 with animals brought from Ranthambhore
🦌 The rest of the fauna
- Leopard, sloth bear, sambar, nilgai and wild boar
- Birds including peafowl and eagles
🌾 The habitat
- Scrub-thorn arid forest, dry deciduous forest, grassland and rocky hill
- Elevation runs from about 300 to 722 metres; annual rainfall averages around 700 mm
🏯 Kankwari Fort
- A fort inside the reserve, renovated by the state tourism department
Getting there
The reserve is in Alwar district, and Alwar is the usual approach.
🧭 Position
- Alwar district, eastern Rajasthan — the reserve lies outside Alwar town, not within it
- Atlas parents it to Alwar on that district relationship, which is the honest one available
When to go
A dry-forest reserve, so visibility follows the season.
📅 Season
- The cooler, drier months; rainfall averages around 700 mm a year and the forest closes in after it
Before you go
A national park with the rules of one.
🚙 On site
- Movement inside the reserve is by permitted safari, not on foot
🐯 Expectations
- Thirty tigers across 881 square kilometres of core is not a guarantee of a sighting, and should not be sold as one
Frequently asked
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