Celebrate World Wildlife Day with these weekend getaways from Lucknow

Life in the city is often rushed, the ever-present noises, heavy traffic, crowds and the never ending hustle. The entire lifestyle, though quite enticing is often so engrossing, that it makes our heads spin.

If you’ve been looking to escape the rat race and reconnect with your true self, here’s a list of perfect nature and wildlife getaways where you can head for the weekend. These will not only take you into the lap of nature and bring you immense peace, they’ll also help you know more about wildlife and nature’s beautiful creations.

Dudhwa National Park

Dudhwa is the ideal getaway for any Lucknowite. Not only is the national park quite easy to reach, but is one of the most diverse sanctuaries in India. You can spot tigers, leopards, sambar and hog deer, sloth bears, leopard cat and many-many other creatures lounging in their natural habitat.

You can stay either at the tourist lodge, the huts or choose the hotels inside the reserve.

Chandra Shekhar Azad Bird Sanctuary (Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary)

The best kind of getaways are the one’s where you can get enough peace in a quiet surrounding, especially if you’re looking to spot a bird or two. Located near Unnao, almost midway between Kanpur and Lucknow, the Chandra Shekha Azad Bird Sanctuary (earlier called Nawabganj) is a haven for bird lovers and birds alike. The sanctuary has a huge marshland, a shallow lake and a mixed dry forest surrounding it all.

This place attracts a lot of birdwatchers and wildlife photographers, as quite a rich variety of bird species can be seen here. The Sarus Birds are often the main attraction, though hundreds of birds migrate here during winters.

National Chambal Wildlife Sanctuary

Chambal ki ghaatiyan are infamous for their dacoits, but what some might not know is that a 70 km detour from Agra will lead you to a natural reserve known as, National Chambal Wildlife Sanctuary. If the stone monuments in Agra seem a little too lifeless to you, head to this serene natural park. The river here, is home to number of Gharials (Alligators) and Maggars (Crocodiles), and if you’re lucky, you may even spot the Gangetic Dolphins.

You can find accommodation in the forest rest house or spend a day here and head to Agra.

Kaimoor Wildlife Sanctuary

A little further from the spiritual haven that is Varanasi, lies the lively Kaimoor Wildlife Sanctuary. Escape to the lush green forests if life in the city has become a bit much or the ghats seem a tad bit too crowded. Here, you can go on a proper adventure, looking for leopards, deer, antelopes and various kind of birds. And if you desire to simply lounge away in the sun, like rest of the animals, go-ahead, we all deserve to be a little carefree sometimes.

You can return to Varanasi once you’re done exploring, but if you wish to extend your stay you can shack up at the forest rest houses here.

Kachhua Wildlife Sanctuary/ Turtle Wildlife Sanctuary

World’s only fresh water turtle sanctuary, is located a few miles away from the main city of Varanasi. Extending from Ramnagar Fort to Rajghat, this is diverse stretch of sand along the Ganga River. Owing to the fact that it is naturally a fresh water habitat, there are several species of fresh water turtles here.

You can go for bird watching in the winters, as a number of migratory birds call this home or you can go to the turtle breeding center and know more about the beautiful creatures.

With these getaways you can escape the hum-drum life for a while and witness the majesty of nature. So make sure to visit these peaceful places.