Chail Wildlife Sanctuary

Chail is one of the most beautiful hill stations in Himachal Pradesh and the relatively untouched Chail wildlife sanctuary nearby makes a great destination for nature lovers. The sanctuary, located at the foothills of Himalaya is one of the most attractive and interesting spots in Himachal Pradesh. It lies in the districts of Solan and Shimla.

Spread over an area of 110 km², the sanctuary, was a game reserve during the reign of Maharaja of Patiala. It was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1976. The Chir Pheasant breeding and rehabilitation programme has been launched in 1988.

The sanctuary is one of the biggest areas covering with the Deodar and Oak forests along with grasslands around whole town which attracts a rich variety of birds and animals. Chir Pheasant Breeding and Rehabilitation Center, set up in 1988 at Bossom and Jhajja are the major tourist attraction of the Chail Sanctuary.

Apart from wildlife, the sanctuary provides panoramic view of the snow capped mountains and lush green pastures. It also holds a trekking provisions that make the trip more adventurous and interesting. Although, the sanctuary remains open almost throughout the year, but the best time to visit is during March to October. Do not visit during winter and rainy season.

Flora

There is a dense cover of Oak and Pine, apart from the other major grassland covers in the area. The sanctuary is also home to rare orchids and several endangered species of wildlife.

Fauna

The Sanctuary houses mainly mammals. Ranging from large mammals like Common Langur, Sambar, Rhesus Macaque, Leopard, Indian Muntjac, Goral and Crested Porcupine. One can also find Himalayan Black Bear,White Oak, Indian Hare, Yellow Throated Marten, Silver-White Oak, Wild Boar here. People visiting this place must also come to the Chir Pheasant Breeding and Rehabilitation Center at Bossom and Jhajja which has helped increase in the number of Chir birds in the nearby areas. It also has prevented few endangered species of reptiles and birds.

Trekking, angling and bird watching are the exciting activities inside the sanctuary. Angling can enjoy at the Gaura River which has full of Mahseer fish. The sanctuary has quite a few high-altitude trekking routes like Kandaghat-Chail, Chail-Rajgarh and Chur Chandini and Chail-Shimla via Junga.

Apart from this sanctuary, Chail has another places to enjoy the vacations like Chail Palace and World’s Highest Cricket Ground.