Introduction

Bera is a known for its co-habitation of leopards and human society (Rabari community) in same region with natural harmony and understanding. It is a small village in Pali district of Eastern Rajasthan,  in North India. It lies in close to Udaipur city thus very convenient to include in any Rajasthan tour package in which Udaipur is included. This place is on Aravali hills on which Ranthambore, Kumbhalgarh wildlife sanctuaries are located. Bera wildlife sanctuary is infact an extension of Kumbhalgarh wildlife sanctuary as movement of wild animals in between these sanctuaries is very frequent. It is Jawai Bandh (dam) on Jawai river that changed the picture of this region. Due to construction of dam, water availability increased thus wildlife flourished in this region. In its rocky hills with natural hillocks and the natural cave shelters offered preferred shelter points to Leopards. It is not a national park or tiger reserve thus safari rules are very much relaxed and leopard sighting is very frequent. Thus wildlife photographers, find it very suitable place for leopard photography with bird watching. Wildlife lovers has nicknamed it as "Leopard Country"

History

History of Bera is linked with the creation of Jawai Dam in this region. This dam is situated near Sumerpur town in Pali district. It was build on initiative of Jodhpur Maharaja Umaid Singh. Work on dam was started on 12-May-1946, when India was on verge of getting freedom and get completed in 1957. It is the biggest dam in Western Rajasthan, built on Jawai river. After completion of this dam a huge water encachement area was developed which made dramatic impact on local climate and change in composition of flora-fauna of this region. This change in climatic condition, attracted the leopards in this region. Kumbhalgarh wildlife sanctuary leopards, started coming to this region and on finding it suitable place, they settled down here. With the passage of time, their population increased along with popularity of this region. It is the popularity of 

Specialty

Bera is popoular for two reasons i.e. Leopards and its avi-fauna. In between them, high density of leopard sighting and ease of leopard safari has made it favorite of wildlife photographers. As per your requirements, resorts can plan for safaris and thus flexibility in safari makes it convenient for wildlife lovers to come and explore the destination.

Safari Timing

Here safaris can be done in between sunrise to sunset. It means in between this timing, we can undertake jungle safaris. Still local safari lodges maintain their own safari schedule so according to their schedule, we can explore the destination. Just like other wildlife destinations, we can undertake morning and evening safaris.

Jungle Safari

Here jungle safaris are mainly done on open jeeps. Walking safari is also possible, in company of trained naturalist. Their is no advance safari permit booking system thus while booking your rooms, you can discuss your safari plan with resort management and accordingly finalize your safari drives.

Flora & Fauna

Bera wildlife sanctuary is a small safari destination in compare to other national parks or tiger reserves. In addition to this, human settlement is also a challenge thus scope for wildlife is very limited. If we go by locally seen mammals and birds, we will find limited checklist. Here sightseeing points are mainly the hillocks where leopards have made their shelters and the Jawai dam site where backwater attracts many birds and reptile species. 
 

How to reach

Bera wildlife sanctuary is well accessible by flight, train and surface transfers. Two important cities of Rajasthan i.e. Udaipur and Jodhpur are close to Bera thus it is easily accessible from both the cities. In below given table, we have defined how to reach Bera wildlife sanctuary from its nearby railway stations, airports, tourist destinations. Distance is expressed 

Best time to visit

Best time to visit Bera or Jawai Bandh is from October to February. As leopards and birds are the main safari attractions thus best time to visit is decided according to their sighting. In severe heat during summer season (March to June), prime attractions sighting drops thus we should avoid summers. Till October, monsoon goes thus leopards movement increases and thus their sighting improves. Similarly during winters (November to February) many migratory birds arrives at Jawai dam backwater thus it is good time for birding. 

How to Plan

Bera is located on Aravali ranges which is mainly dry and rocky region. Here tourism season is from October to May month. Wildlife photographers recommends to visit from October to Feb months. As their is no advance booking system so their is not so struggle for safaris. Just try to plan in winters and cover both Jawai dam region and leopard hillocks. Early morning and later evening hours are good for safaris. In daytime, you may road around dam area to enjoy the sighting of birds and crocodiles. 

Accommodation

For accommodation purpose, we can find many home-stays and resorts in budget and standard categories. Here very few safari lodges are in luxury category and mostly are in standard categories. As it is Aravali range area thus we can't find healthy vegetation in lodge campus

Nearby

Bera wildlife sanctuary is close to Jawai Bandh. It is located in Rajasthan state thus many tourist destinations are located surrounding to this wildlife sanctuary. They includes mostly heritage destinations and some other wildlife sanctuaries. Some name are like Kumbhalgarh wildlife sanctuary, Khumbhalgarh fort, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Bhilwara, Nathdwara, Jessore Sloth Bear Sanctuary, Mount Abu etc.