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Founded in 1972, Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary sprawls over
an area of 967 sq. km of the Garhwal Himalayas. This stretch of the
Chamoli and Rudraprayag districts affords a
splendid view of mountains and dales, forests and grasslands, exotic
butterflies and flowers.
The Garhwal Himalayas have some of the highest peaks in India, housing
the sacred Badrinath
and Kedarnath
shrines as well as several forest reserves. It is from here that the holy
Ganga and
Yamuna rivers originate.
THE WILDLIFE POPULATION
The sanctuary is home to a host of wild inhabitants. The population
includes the snow leopard, tahr, serow, snow cock, ghural, sambhar, musk
deer, fox, deer, jackal, hare and Himalayan mouse. Khaleej and monal
pheasants are some of the many avian species.
The important places in the vicinity, worth visiting are Kedarnath, Triyuginarain, Kalimath, Chopta and Rudranath.
Air: The nearest airport is Jolly Grant,
Dehradun, 315 km away.
Rail: The nearest railhead is at Rishikesh.
Road: The place is reachable by all season motorable roads.
Tourist lodges and PWD Inspection Houses.