Planning a vacation in Diwali? Head to Ranthambore or Kaziranga on a wild trail

The oft-trodden paths of popular tourist destinations can often be too crowded and too cliche to become the kind of amazing and memorable vacation you wish to share with your family.

How are you meant to make this time about your family when you have to share this time with so many other people? Haven’t you sometimes wished while on vacation that you were the only people there?

Exploring some beautiful places together and sharing the experience adds to the feeling of being part of a family. Children are also more enthused when they learn about and see things that they have never experienced or heard of before.

Here is a list of some natural parks and reserves in India by Jayanth Sharma, co-founder and CEO at Toehold that are packed with fun for the whole family.

-Ranthambore: This vacation, instead of splurging on royal heritage hotels or opulent villas in Rajasthan, head to Ranthambore National Park and Tiger Reserve. Well known for sightings of tigers, you can also spot sloth bears, leopards, and jackals in their natural habitats.

- Bandhavgarh and Kanha: You don’t have to travel all the way to Africa to experience the pleasure of an elephant safari. The Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh offers a scintillating mist-laden journey through the heart of the tiger’s habitat, all centred around a haunting 2,000 year old fort, said to have been gifted by Lord Ram to his brother Lakshman.

The neighbouring Kanha natural reserve, the inspiration for Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book, showcases no less than a 1,000 species of flowering plants, and is spotted by lush grassland meadows which are frequented by the pride of the jungle, the ‘barasingha’ or swamp deer. Children will find it exciting to be gamboling across paths travelled by Mowgli, and potentially spot a Royal Bengal Tiger.

- Kaziranga: A UNESCO world heritage site, Kaziranga National Park in Assam hosts two-thirds of the world’s one-horned rhinoceros. While Assam is a well-known for its sprawling lush tea gardens, this reserve showcases its rich natural heritage and gorgeous forest land.

- Gir: Gir is famous for being the only natural habitat still in existence for the Asiatic lion. On a safari at the Gir Forest National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, you can also spot other elusive wild species such as blackbuck, chinkara, wild boar, and hyenas.

The forest houses a network of pristine rivers and rivulets that supply freshwater to this dry teak forest, and to the resident species which include the Indian cobra, the Ruddy mongoose, the striped hyena, and the honey badger. The beautiful flora, grasslands and rocky hills combined with a thriving wildlife population makes Gir a unique travel getaway with family and friends.

- Jim Corbett: The Jim Corbett National Park is located in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand and offers one of India’s greatest wildlife and eco-tourist retreats. From large elephant herds grazing on the sunny grasslands to tigers resting in the shade, Asia’s first natural reserve has something for all wildlife lovers.