Simbalbara National Park

Simbalbara National Park, which also goes by the name Col. Sher Jung National Park, lies in the Kiyarda Dun valley of Sirmaur district, Himachal Pradesh, where the state meets Haryana. It was set up in 1958 as a wildlife sanctuary of 19.03 square kilometres; in 2010 another 8.88 square kilometres were added and it was raised to a national park of about 27.88 square kilometres.

The cover is dense sal forest opening into grassy glades, with Terminalia elliptica in the canopy and jamun, eucalyptus and Senna siamea along the riverside, and a stream flows through the valley all year. Tiger, goral, sambar and chital are named as the common animals, alongside nilgai, barking deer, wild boar, porcupines and rhesus macaques. Birds include Indian rollers, kingfishers, three kinds of hornbill and raptors such as the crested serpent eagle. Walking trails lead into the adjoining forest, the Simbalbara Forest Rest House, reached from Puruwala, looks out over the valley, and October and November are given as the best months to come.