Betla National Park is a national park located in the Chota Nagpur Plateau of the Latehar district of the Indian state of Jharkhand, in India. The park boasts a wide variety of wild life. “Betla” is an acronym of the following words: bison, elephant, tiger, leopard, axis-axis(Chital).

Described as one of the finest parks in Indias north-east for observing a variety of wild life from close range, there are elephant rides[3] and jeeps available with guides and spotlight for venturing inside the park. Watch towers and ground hides have been constructed to view the wild life. The park is open throughout the year. Wildlife sightings are highest in the hot season (May to June), when foliage is not as thick. The most comfortable time to visit in terms of climate is between November and March.

History:

Initially comprising the 1,026 km² of the Palamau Tiger Reserve, an additional 226 km² was added to the park in 1989 and 63 km² of the Mahuadar wolf sanctuary. Betla was one of the first national parks in India to become a tiger reserve under Project Tiger. The park is under administration of the forest departments.

Flora & Fauna:

The forests of the park have a vast range of vegetation consisting of tropical wet evergreen forests in the lower reaches, mixed (moist & dry) deciduous forests in the middle and temperate alpine forests in the upper reaches including sal and bamboo as the major components along with a number of medicinal plants. There are grasslands in the flowing area of the Koel river. Itself and its tributaries run through the northern portion of the park.

The park has a variety of diverse eco-systems and plenty of wild animals. Elephants in large numbers are seen mostly after the monsoons up to the time when water holes begin to dry up in March. Permanent residents include as predators Sloth Bear, Panther, Wild Bear and Wolf. Jackal and hyena are common scavengers. Large herds of Gaur and Chital are commonly seen. Large families of Langurs are an ever present attraction, as are rhesus monkey. Other animals to be found in the park are Mouse Deer, Sambhar, Four-horned antelopes, Nilgai, Kakar, small Indian Civets, ant eating Pangolin, porcupine and Mongoose.

The park’s rich Birdlife features the hornbill, peafowl, red jungle fowl, black partridge, White-necked Stork, black ibis, swamp grey, quail, the pied Hornbill, wagtails, the harial, doves, drongo, the crested serpent-eagle, forest owlets, the Papeeha and other birds usually found in dry deciduous forests.The famous Kamaldah lake attracts several varieties of water birds including the common whistling and cotton teal, the comb duck, snipe and geese.

Other Place of Interest:

There are waterfalls and hot springs. Inside the park, there are two historical forts. One of them, situated near the Betla at 400 ft (120 m), was erected in the 16th century as the seat of Chero Kings. It is now deep inside the forest, but the main sentinel of the old fort is visible high up on the hill with defences in three directions and three main gates. 95 km south of the park in Mahuadar are the 468 –ft high Lodh Falls.

How to Reach:

Betla village (at 23.8878°N 84.190139°E) is the only entry point to the park. The village is situated 25 road-km south of Daltonganj, 65 road-km northwest of Latehar and 170 road-km northwest of Ranchi.

By Air: The nearest airport, Ranchi, is connected by daily flights to all major Indian cities. Patna airport is around 250 road-km from Betla. Most resorts have pick-ups facilities. Jharkhand Tourism also arranges pick-ups on advance notice.

By Rail: The nearest railway station to Betla is at Barwadih Junction; it’s 15 km by taxi or bus. The station features connections from Daltonganj, Latehar, Ranchi, Sasaram, Gaya, Patna, Varanasi, Allahabad, Kolkata, Bhopal, Delhi and Amritsar.

By Road: 10 road-km southeast of Daltonganj leave the NH75 to take the 15 km to Betla on a secondary road.

Where to stay:

The accommodation facilities in the tourist complex include a three star hotel, tourist lodges with canteen, log huts and tree houses inside the forest with fully furnished suites. The tree house overlooks a watering hole a few yards away where the animals gather in the summers to quench their thirst

Netarhat is a town in Latehar district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. Referred to as the “Queen of Chotanagpur”, it is a popular hill station. Tourists from all over India and abroad visit Netarhat, whose name means Nature’s Heart. However, the place may have got its name from ‘Netur Haat‘ (which means a marketplace for bamboo in the local language). Apart from bamboo, the pine and sakhua trees add to the flora.

Netarhat is famous for its glorious sunrises and sunsets during the summer months. It is also famous for Netarhat Residential School, as a centre of educational excellence.

Netarhat has several places of tourist interests including Magnolia Point (10 km from Netarhat, ideal site for viewing sunset), Upper Ghaghri Falls (4 km from Netarhat), Lower Ghaghri Falls (10 km from Netarhat), Koel View Point (3 km from Netarhat), Lodh Falls (60 km from Netarhat, the highest waterfall in Jharkhand), Sadni Falls (35 km from Netarhat).

“The Magnolia Sun-set Point is an epitome of eternal love and sacrifice. The legends say that Magnolia, a British maiden, jumped off along-with her horse, into the unfathomable depths of this valley, after failing to unite with her beloved, a local shephered. The sight of setting Sun presents a breathtaking view from here.”

Geography : 

Netarhat is located at 23.4833°N 84.2667°E, at a height of 1,071 metres (3,514 ft). It is a plateau covered with thick forest. Located in the Pat region of Chota Nagpur Plateau, Netarhat plateau is about 4 miles (6.4 km) long and 2.5 miles (4.0 km) broad. It consists of crystalline rocks and has a summit capped with sandstone trap or laterite. The highest point is 3,696 feet (1,127 m).

Flora & Fauna:

Netarhat plateau is an abode of a variety of flora and fauna thanks to its supportive climate and copious rain. Pine martins, porcupines, leopards, monkeys, bears, civets, monitor lizards, wild pigs, scorpions, snakes and other species are found in and around Netarhat. Occasional spotting of elephants and tigers is also reported as Netarhat forest is very close to the Betla Tiger Sanctuary. Some endangered species of Indian snakes can be found here, including pythons.

Apart from the bamboo clusters the place may have got its name from, tropical trees like mango, sal, neem, gulmohar, amaltas, mahua, etc. can be found here and even trees of cold climate like pine, silver fur, bottle brush, thuja are found. “Chilgoza” or the pine nut is type of an aromatic and nutritious dry fruit and is popular amongst people.

How to Reach:

By Air: The nearest airport, Ranchi, is connected by daily flights to all major Indian cities. Patna airport is around 250 road-km from Betla. Most resorts have pick-ups facilities. Jharkhand Tourism also arranges pick-ups on advance notice.

By Rail: The nearest railway station is at Barwadih Junction; it’s 122 km by taxi or bus. The station features connections from Daltonganj, Latehar, Ranchi, Sasaram, Gaya, Patna, Varanasi, Allahabad, Kolkata, Bhopal, Delhi and Amritsar.

By Road: Netarhat is located 156 kilometres (97 mi) west of Ranchi, the state capital. It is 210 kilometres (130 mi) from Daltonganj.

Where to stay:

The accommodation facilities in the tourist complex include a three star hotel, tourist lodges with canteen, log huts and tree houses inside the forest with fully furnished suites.