National Chambal Sanctuary

The Chambal escaped the industrial development and heavy abstraction that damaged most north Indian rivers, and it runs clear through ravines of eroded badland, which has made it a refuge: the largest population of gharial in the world lives here, a fish-eating crocodile with a needle snout and, in males, a bulbous growth on the nose, which came within a few hundred animals of extinction in the 1970s. Ganges river dolphins, mugger crocodiles, smooth-coated otters and Indian skimmers share the river, and turtles bask on the sandbars. Flat-bottomed boats run from landing points, usually in the early morning.

What you actually see

• The gharial - basking crocodiles with needle snouts on the sandbars.
• The river dolphins - Ganges dolphins surfacing in the deeper pools.
• The Indian skimmers - black and orange birds cutting the water with the lower bill.
• The ravines - eroded badland walls along the river.

When to go

November to March, when birds are present and animals bask through the day; gharial nest on the sandbars in spring. Summer is extremely hot and the monsoon raises the river.

Honest expectations

Boats are open and unshaded, and mornings on the water are cold in winter. The area is remote with few facilities beyond a couple of lodges. Sightings depend on water levels.

Nearby

Agra lies northwest; Bateshwar temples are nearby on the Yamuna.