Western Ghats And The Terai

Monsoon hill forests and the great tall-grass floodplain beneath the Himalaya.

India's Western Ghats are a chain of misty hills catching the monsoon, listed as a World Heritage site and a global biodiversity hotspot. Far to the north, the Terai is a belt of tall grassland and forest at the foot of the Himalaya.

Both are crowded with wildlife, in very different ways.

The Landscape

In the Western Ghats, evergreen rainforest, shola forest and grassy hills are cut by waterfalls. In the Terai, flooded grasslands, sal forest and rivers form a mosaic that can hide even an elephant.

Who Lives Here

Lion-tailed Macaques and Nilgiri Tahr live in the Ghats, along with the Malabar Giant Squirrel. The Terai supports Indian Rhinoceros, Bengal Tigers, Asian Elephants and Gharial in the rivers.

Through The Year

The monsoon from June to September turns the Ghats intensely green, while the cooler dry season is best for wildlife in the Terai. Parks often close for part of the monsoon.

Pressures And Care

Plantations, dams, expanding farmland and settlements fragment the habitat, while human-wildlife conflict is a daily reality. Corridors and community-based conservation are important.

Visiting Well

Visit with licensed guides, follow park rules and timings, and keep to vehicles where required.

Look for

Lion-tailed Macaque
Nilgiri Tahr
Indian Rhinoceros
Bengal Tiger
Gharial

Often a good time to visit: November, December, January, February. Conditions vary from year to year and place to place.

Related habitats

Woodland · Grassland

More in Asia

Himalaya And Tibetan Plateau · Southeast Asian Rainforests And Mangroves · East Asian Temperate Forests