A moist deciduous forest with abundant foliage in the form of tall teak trees and a lot of flowers is what you can expect at the Vansda National Park. This park came under the protection only in 1979 when the government realised the need to provide conservation efforts to the many reptiles and bird life out here. As a deciduous forest and one which is rather small in area, it requires protection from forest mafia forces to be able to retain its identity.

This park has a flat but undulating terrain with the Ambika River alongside it. The river empties itself into the sea only near Navsari. The forest is continuous with the jungles of Dangs district and therefore comes under the jurisdiction of the South Dangs Division.

Geography

Spread across just 24 sq kms, it is indeed a small park. For nature lovers, this park is a delightful experience considering the rich bounty of flowers, birds and plants they would be able to enjoy. As tropical and moist deciduous forest, its terrain is similar to the ones you find in the northern part of the Western Ghats. It has the Valsad district towards its south.
The rains are always copious here with the park receiving more than 2000mm on average each year and this keeps the foliage lush and thick. You may not be able to enter certain parts of the park even during day time due to its dark interiors as the canopy formed by the tall teak trees block out any sunlight quite effectively. The trees reach a height of more than 120 ft.

There are parts of the park that can also be classified under dry deciduous forest types. You can find bamboo as well as Bharadi grasslands towards the southeast of the park. It is this combination of dry as well as wet deciduousness that has seen the park become home to over 440 species of plants  and most  of them are flowery plants like the adad, khakhro, chopadi, shimlo and timru to name a few. The northeastern part of the park is interesting. It has the Ambika winding through it and supporting many varieties of orchids.
The Waghai Botanical Garden as well as the education trail from this garden right up to the Park is an absolute must visit for nature lovers.

The settlements near the park consist of the Warli, Bhil, Kukna and Bhoi tribes to name a few. They make their living out of forest produce and are being educated regularly to protect the forest wealth and its denizens from poaching as well as unauthorized timber felling by mafias.

Wildlife

In addition to the over 440 species of plants, you can find animals like the leopard, wild boar, langurs, civet, macaque monkeys, barking deer, and the hyena amongst others. You can also find more than 150 bird species here with the Indian woodpecker, sunbird, grey hornbill, spotted owlet and Malabar trogon being the prominent ones. The spotted owlet incidentally is a globally threatened bird.

This park lost animals like the tiger, sloth bear, wild dog and otter long back due to indiscriminate hunting and before it was accorded the protection it deserved. However, the presence of the above mentioned animals along with abundance of reptiles like pythons, cobras, kraits and more than 120 species of spiders make up for the lost animals to some extent. You can also find more than 10 different types of frogs and toads to ensure that the reptiles here lead a healthy life.

How to Reach

By Air

The closest airport is Surat at a distance of 100 kms while Ahmedabad is 370 kms.

By Bus

The park is in proximity to the National Highway 8. You can take buses from Waghai which is 4 kms away, Ahwa which is 40 kms far and Saputara which is 60 kms away. There are regular buses from Surat, Billimora as well as Valsad.

Best Time to Visit

You can visit the park after the monsoon when the park is at its brilliant best with lush flora and full streams running through it. During the monsoon, it may not be safe and sighting of animals too may not be possible. Once you are in the park, with the help of a guide or if you have experience tracking animals, you would be able to sight them at waterholes.