Spectrum Tours » National parks in india » Dachigam National Park

Location: 22-km from Srinagar in Kashmir.
Total Area: 141 sq. kms.
Declared As: A National Park in 1951.
Visiting Season: May-Aug. - Upper Dachigam;
Sept.-Dec. - Lower Dachigam

Nature has blessed the state of Jammu & Kashmir with endless natural panorama and faunal residents. If you like to witness what its like for the animals to spend each day at the high altitudes and in the cold deserts, that remain covered with snow throughout the year, then do visit the parks and sanctuaries of J&K. Of course the visit to these regions is best during the summer seasons, but do not forget to take a look at the unique topographical diversity on your visit. Flanked by the majestic Himalayan range, the Dachigam National Park nestles in the Kashmir Valley, 22 km north-cast of Srinagar, past the celebrated Dal Lake. It is a stunningly picturesque park with its upper slopes laden with flowers between May and August, and its forests turning orange, russet, scarlet and yellow in autumn. Of tremendous conservation significance, Dachigam's temperate and broad-leaved forests and grassy meadows constitute nearly half the catchment area of the Dal Lake. The Dagwan River originates in the park's higher reaches to flow through its rocky and forested slopes before draining into the lake.

Dachigam is the world's last stronghold of the Hangul, or Kashmir Stag. On the verge of extinction, the deer's population dipped to 180 in the early 1970s. Strict management succeeded in saving the ungulate, a subspecies of the European Red Deer, from extinction, but subsequent political unrest in the region may have undermined conservation efforts. A big stag can be a very dark brown, specially with his thick winter coat, but turns paler in summer. There are usually five points on each antler, but up to eight points have been reported. Fawns tend to have spotted coats.

The royal family of Kashmir first offered protection to the area as a game reserve in the early 1900s. Over the years, adjoining grassy slopes and high-altitude lakes were included in the reserve, so that today the altitudinal range of the park, demarcated into Upper and Lower Dachigam, extends from 1,700 to 4,200 m. Silver birch, blue pine and juniper mingle with pasture, scrubland and barren rock in the higher reaches, while fir, spruce and pine forest the middle altitudes, turning to broad-leaved oak, walnut and horse-chestnut with plenty of undergrowth in the lower region. Himalayan Black Bear feast on the fruiting oak, walnut and horse-chestnut between late August and early October before hibernating for the winter. The upper reaches are rendered inaccessible by winter snow and most of the wildlife descends to more hospitable area.

This is an excellent park for trekking and camping. Sightings of Snow Leopard have been reported, but on common view are a wide range of other mammals, such as Leopard and Hill Fox, and over 150 species of birds including Himalayan Monal and Koklass Pheasant. This is also the breeding area for several species of warblers that winter in peninsular India. The ''lost impressive draw, however, is the Kashmir Stag, his widespread antlers a frequent sight in the forest and surrounding grassy slopes.