Keoladeo National Park, better known as Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, has the distinction of being a World Heritage Site. Sprawling in the area of 29 km Bharatpur bird sanctuary of Rajasthan is a famous avifauna sanctuary that is a home to over 230 rare and highly endangered species of birds. It is also a major tourist attraction with scores of ornithologists arrive here in hibernal seasons. It was declared as a protected bird sanctuary in the year 1970. locally known as Ghana the Keoladeo National park is a mosaic of dry grasslands, woodlands and wetlands that are used as a grazing grounds for the village cattle and protect the area from frequent floods. Every year thousands of migratory birds visit the park for winter breeding. The rarest Siberian cranes arrive here in winters for nesting and breeding.
Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary is one of the best bird watching sites of Asia with more than 100,000 visitors come here every year. The nearest airport is at Agra from where regular flights ply from Delhi, Mumbai, Varanasi and Lucknow. In addition the location of the park is such that tourists visiting Agra, Fatehpur Sikri and Jaipur also stop over at Bharatpur. The sanctuary can be reached either by walking or selecting rickshaw, boat or tonga as per the climatic conditions. There are various hotels that supply packed lunches or you can enjoy at the canteen of the sanctuary. Accommodation facilities are also present with in the precincts of the park. The Government properties Bharatpur Forest Lodge and shanty Kutir are also available that is maintained and run by ITDC. Keoladeo Ghana National Park is a man-made and man-managed wetland and one of major tourist attractions of Rajasthan.
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