Nanda Devi National Park, Uttarakhand
The famed Nanda Devi National Park in Uttarakhand is a richly diverse area and is home to rare and endangered animals, including the Asiatic black bear, brown bear, blue sheep and snow leopard. Spread across the three districts in Uttarakhand, Chamoli, Pithoragarh and Bageshwar, the park is also known as the home of 7,817 metres tall Nanda Devi Peak, which is the second highest mountain in India. The Valley of Flowers National Park is contiguous to Nanda Devi and it was inscribed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988. These two parks together make one of the best places to go trekking, wildlife spotting and snow leopard sightings in North India.
Best season for sighting: The park remains open from May to October. For sightings, visit in September or October.
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How to Reach?
Nearest roadhead is Lata, up to where you can reach by bus from Joshimath (distance is around 30 kilometres). Joshimath is connected to Rishikesh and other cities in Uttarakhand by bus services. Moreover, the nearest airport is in Dehradun and Rishikesh is the nearest railhead.