Located in the Vindhyachal range in the district Banda, Uttar Pradesh, the Ranipur Wildlife Sanctuary is a famous wildlife center spread over an area of 230 km2. Established in the year 1977, the wildlife sanctuary is home to a great variety of flora & fauna. With a range of accommodation options lined up for its visitors at its forest rest houses at Manikpur, Ranipur, Chauri and Markundi.

Best Time to Visit:

November to June

Getting There

Situated at a distance of 80 km from Banda, and 150 km from the city of Allahabad, the Raipur wildlife sanctuary is easily accessible via, air, train, and road. The nearest airport to the wildlife sanctuary is at Lucknow, 350 km away from the Wildlife sanctuary, thereafter can take taxi service to reach the wildlife sanctuary. Moreover, the nearest railhead is at Chitrakoot, located 25 km away from Ranipur Wildlife Sanctuary.

Wildlife Attractions

With a dense forest region comprising hills and plain grasslands, the wildlife sanctuary provide a great environment to a great species of flora & fauna. The flora of the region comprises dense deciduous forest comprising a great variety of vegetation including Tendu, Mahua, Bamboo, Dhaak, Gooseberry, Wood Apple, Saal, Arjun, Jaamun, Goolar, and Khinni trees. Additionally, the forest area of Chauri, Lakhanpur and Rujhawa are known for their grasslands.

Moreover, the wildlife sanctuary is also the natural habitat of several animals including the tiger, leopard, sloth bear, sambar, blackbuck, peafowl, spur fowl, jungle fowl, painted partridge, fishing cat and chinkara. You can also catch a glimpse of Pangolin, Crocodile, and Vulture etc., at the nearby fields. Moreover, you can also spot Painted Stork, Black – Necked Stork, and other bird species. To offer visitors better views of the bird species in their natural habitat, the authorities have placed watch towers at the watch-towers vantage points. In addition to this, the Ranipur Wildlife Sanctuary is also home to the Amha River, Jamunahi Drain, Lakhanpur Drain, Mahua Drain and Kulludol Drain, which act as a source of water to the entire wildlife species at the sanctuary.

Chitrakoot is a famous holy attraction, a place related to Lord Rama. The Shabri Waterfall, Amravati Waterfall, Marwariya Devi Temple, and Dhaarkundi Ashram, are some of the other famous points of interest you can visit on the way to the sanctuary. Some of the nearby noteworthy attractions are Kamtanath Temple, Hanuman Dhara, Gupt Godavari, Kamadgiri Circumbulation Track, Aarogya Dhaam and Sam Ghat.

To have knowledge about the entire region, and complete bio-diversity of the area, don’t miss out the Interpretation Centre at Manikpur and the Research Centre.