“Varied and plentiful birds and Deer, Hares, Elephants, Lions, Tigers, Boars, Buffaloes and Gaur all roam in gay abandon to bent of cascading rapids and mirthful trumpeting Elephants joyfully sing the Cuckoos, Parakeets Koels, and Petty Geese ” – Ramcharitra Manas

Betla being a tourist attraction primarily because of wildlife, also offers several other places you can roam around during your stay. Mostly known as a weekend destination, Betla has historical heritage, river confluence, museums and the acclaimed national park.

Notable places in Betla

Betla National Park

It’s known to have 174 species of birds, 39 species of Mammals, 180 species of Medicinal plants, besides reptiles and other species. You could catch a glimpse of a herd of deer (Chital) busy with each other from the entrance of the park. If you would like more of them, just cross the gate and walk silently further. Find a place to perch and enjoy the spectacular view of nature.

Betla national park entrance gate

Betla national park known to have wild elephants, panther, wolf, sloth bear, hyena, jackal. It also hosts gaur, chital, shambar deer, four horned antelopes etc. Birds include black partridge, red jungle fowl, hornbill, wagtails, the crested serpent eagle, forest owlets, peafowl, white necked stork, black ibis etc.

One should not expect to experience Tigers as its very rare at Betla national park.

There are two options to go inside the national park for tourists:

Elephant Safari: Try to book at least a day advance, Currently there are two elephants accompanies tourist into the forest. It can accommodate up to four people per trip. Booking is available at the counter near the national park gate. They normally don’t go much inside the dense forest, hence chances of having a glimpse of the wild are less.

Jeep Safari: One or two hours trip can be booked either from the counter or from any local agent.  Cars have their routes defined inside the forest which normally goes inside the dense woods. Best timings to have a safari is either at early morning or evening. On the Safari, an experienced forest guide would accompany the tourists and will guide through the different routes. Keep calm and have your eyes open around you while in the vehicle. Human voice drives animals away, hence its preferable to maintain absolute silence in case you spot any of the creatures. There are watchtowers placed at suitable places to facilitate views of the woods from the top. While in the jeep, the probability of spotting wilds are on the higher side, hence never get down from your vehicle unless the accompanying guide permits. While capturing moments in your camera try not to use the flashlight.

At this point, Betla national forest has no provisions for night safari as the entrance to the park gets closed after sunset.

Palamu Forts

There are two ruined forts around 20 minutes driving distance from the national park entrance gate. Both the forts follow the Islamic architecture, where the older one is situated in plains and the other one on the neighboring hills. Both the forts had played a major role in the defense of Palamau zone and changed hands at several times.

One of the staircases of ruined old fort

Take help from an experienced guide while visiting the fort who can explain the historical importance of the forts and can help to know more about them.

Confluence of River Kechki & Auranga

Situated around 20 minutes distance from the national park gate, the confluence is one the other spots you may visit. October and November are the best time to be here to experience the scenic beauty of both Kechki and Auranga river. Both the rivers are mostly rain-fed, hence mostly get dried up during summer (March – June). I would not recommend this as a must visit spot.

Betla Nature Interpretation CENTRE

Just 5 minutes walking distance from the park gate, this nature interpretation center (NIC) consists of a museum, library, model displays, auditorium. You would learn about local tribes, the life of wild, variety of available flora, history of Palamau and the details of the national park. The auditorium has facilities to show video films on wildlife, you need to request the available attendant for viewing them. NIC is open from 10:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m daily for visitors.

Shopping Destinations

There are not many options of shopping at Betla as this is a national park area. You could find good quality honey sold by local people.