on Safari Park/Krishnagiri UPV/Sanjay Gandhi National Park

The National Park, also called Krishnagiri Upvan has the Gandhi Smriti Mandir on Pavilion Hill. The Lion Safari park gives visitors an opportunuity to watch the Indian lion from special, closed vehicles. The Lion Safari park is open on all days, except Monday.

The park dates back to the 4th century BC. Sopara and Kalyan were two ports in the vicinity that traded with ancient lands such as Greece and Mesopotamia. The routes between these two ports cut through this forest. The Park was named Krishnagiri National Park in the pre-independence era. In 1969, the Park enclosed 20.26 km². After that various properties lining the park were acquired to get the present area. A separate forest division was created under the Indian Forest Service department, and the Park was christened Borivli National Park after the nearby Borivali area. In 1981, the name was changed to Sanjay Gandhi National Park, after Sanjay Gandhi, the son of Indira Gandhi who died in an air crash.

The park is a bustling forest. An estimated 800 types of flowering plants; 284 kinds of birds; 5,000 species of insects; 36 types of mammals; 50 reptiles and 150 species of butterfly (which are 2.5 times the number found in the United Kingdom) call the forest their home.

The park has also many endangered species of plant and animal. The world largest moth, the Atlas moth, was discovered here. Karvi, a flowering plant, blooms once in 7 years, carpeting the slopes with a shade of mauve. The park is also home to a small population of wild lepords.

In 2003, pug marks and droppings of a tiger were found in this region. Although the tiger was never spotted, it did bring some excitement to city folks as the last tiger was shot down 80 years earlier.

The Park also featured a toy train that runs on a narrow gauge rail line. The toy train Vanrani, which means Jungle Queen, ran for around twenty-five years before it was discontinued in 2001 because of the pathetic condition of the track. The circuitous route covers a 2.5 kilometre long distance parallel to the road leading to the Kanheri Caves. However in 2004, fresh bids were announced for the repair of the track, which was estimated to cost around Rs 30 lakh (3 million). Tickets would be priced at Rs 10 for adults and 5 for children.

In the month of march the tracks were repaired. The train has started to run again after a gap of nearly 2 yrs.The price of the tickets however remain the same. Most of the animals in the zoo have either been moved or have died hence there is nothing much to see during the train ride except the overwhelming greenery.