About an hour from Alwar city, Sariska Tiger Reserve spreads over rocky plateaus, valleys, scrub-thorn forests and dry deciduous woodlands – a classic Aravalli wilderness. Safaris take you on jeep tracks past waterholes, grasslands and ruins of old temples and forts; apart from tigers, you can see sambar, nilgai, wild boar, langurs, jackals and many bird species. The landscape itself is dramatic: cliffs, low passes and scattered ruins like Kankarwari Fort tell you that this has been a contested frontier zone for centuries. Today Sariska is both a major wildlife destination and a green buffer for the entire Alwar region.
About this place
History & highlights
The area was once the royal hunting preserve of the Alwar rulers; it was first declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1958, then upgraded to a tiger reserve in 1978 under Project Tiger, and notified as a national park in 1982. Due to intense poaching, tigers became locally extinct by 2004, which led to India’s first experiment with tiger relocation – starting 2008, big cats were translocated from Ranthambore to repopulate Sariska. The programme has been a notable success: by 2025 the tiger count reached around 50 individuals, and the reserve is now restoring grasslands and removing invasive plants to support growing herbivore populations. Sariska closes to tourists during the monsoon (July–September) for habitat recovery, though there are ongoing debates about limited zone openings to support local livelihoods.
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