Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary

Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary, set up in 1976, covers about 245 sq km of rolling ground dotted with hillocks, about 100 km from Raipur and 45 km from Mahasamund. It takes its name from Bar and Nawapara, two forest villages inside it. The Jonk, which feeds the Mahanadi, flows through it, with the Balamdehi forming the western edge. The forest is tropical dry deciduous, with bamboo, sal, teak, mahua, tendu and semal.

Recorded animals include tiger, leopard, sloth bear, gaur, chital, sambar, nilgai, chinkara, four-horned antelope and striped hyena. Blackbuck, locally extinct in the state, were reintroduced in 2018 and numbered 190 by 2025, and wild buffalo were brought from Manas National Park in 2020. Birdwatching is a favourite activity, with white-rumped vultures, racket-tailed drongos and green avadavats among the species. The sanctuary also has waterfalls such as Dhaskund and Siddhakhol, and on its northern edge is Turturiya Dham, believed to be where Sage Valmiki lived and Luv and Kush were born. Visiting slots can be booked online.