Balaram Ambaji Wildlife Sanctuary‎

Balaram Ambaji Wildlife Sanctuary is spread across an area of around 542.08 sq. km. The sanctuary is located in the northern part of Gujarat, on the Aravalli hills and is around 16.7 km from Ambaji. The two famous temples, Balaram and Ambaji are situated at the two corners of the sanctuary and hence, it is named after them.

The sanctuary was built by the State Government on 7th August 1989, with the aim of providing security, propagation and expansion of wildlife. Along with the conservation of the Aravalli ecosystem, this sanctuary also controls the Thar Desert expansion towards the south. The nearby area of the sanctuary falls in the reservoir of Banas and the Sabarmati River.

Balaram Ambaji Wildlife Sanctuary is popular for the diversity of flora and fauna, which also includes medicinal plants. There are 483 species of plants which include 107 trees, 58 shrubs, 219 herbs, 49 climbers, 40 types of grasses and 10 lower plants. Some of the flora present in the sanctuary comprises of kadaya, gugal and musali to name a few. Khair, sali, modad and others are some of the trees which tourists can spot at the site. The sanctuary is also home to some of the endangered species such as the sloth bear, the striped hyena, the leopard and the fox.

Tourists can also find numerous reptiles such as snakes, monitor lizards, star tortoise and birds like stork, osprey, spoonbill and black vultures. The best time to visit the sanctuary is during the months of October to May.