Dachigam National Park

North India

At an elevation of 1700 to 4300 metres above sea level and spanning a vast 141 square kilometres, Dachigham National Park is India's most elevated forest reserve, located only 22 kilometres from Srinagar. The magnificent park is adorned with deep valleys, rocky outcrops, steep wooded slopes and rolling alpine pastures. It spans a sizable mountainous area and is divided into an upper and a lower region by the difference in altitude, ranging from 1600 m to 4200 m above sea level. Initially, built to supply clean drinking water to Srinagar, the park was later converted into a protected area in 1910 and finally declared a National Park in 1981. 'Dachigam' literally means “Ten Villages”, which stands for the number of villages that were relocated to facilitate its creation. Dachigam’s rich biodiversity houses the only endangered species of Indian red deer, the Hangul or the Kashmir stag. It is also home to other rare species of animals such as the Himalayan brown bears, Pygmy... Owlets, leopards and Himalayan grey langurs that feed on the barks of trees. This protected reserve boasts of incredibly rich fauna such as Wild Cherry, Pear, Plum, Peach, Apple, Apricot, Walnut, Chestnut, Oak, Willow, Poplar, Chinar, Birch, Pine and Elm. The appearance of Dachigam changes with every season. During winters, a peaceful white cloak of snow adorns the park, while spring unleashes the beautiful colours of blossoming flowers and fruit trees. Summer unveils gushing waterfalls and streams, while Autumn brings out the picture-perfect warm colours of red and orange of falling leaves. Read more