The Park opens from sunrise to sunset around the year. The ticket is Rs 200 per foreign visitor and Rs 25 for Indian visitor. Vehicles are permitted upto Shanti Kutir about 1.7 kilometres inside at Rs 50 per vehicle. After this you can choose to walk, bicycle, or go by cycle rickshaw, Tonga or boat when the water level is high. The cycle rickshaw wallah’s displaying yellow plate meaning authorised double up as guides also carry binoculars. Hotels do supply packed lunches and you can get a bite at a canteen on the second gate and even at Forest Lodge.

The Bharatpur habitat supports an amazing range of birds. For most visitors however the Park is evocative of the Siberian Crane (a winter migrant) and their journey to this wetland is well documented. However this species is threatened as only a few survivors reach after the arduous journey as most of them get hunted down in the mountains.

During the monsoons period of July to august and a month more the wetlands are home to huge colonies of birds that breed and feed here. Some of the species that can be seen at the wetlands are Storks, Moorhens, Herons, Flamingos and Pelicans, Geese and Ducks, Egrets and Cormorants while the Siberian Crane is a winter migratory.

Other wildlife includes Sambhar, Neelgai, Cheetal and Black Buck. The habitat also includes nocturnal Leopard, Jungle Cat, Hyena and Fox. Amongst the rarity one can even sight a Python in the Park.

Siberian Crane
The Siberian crane normally reaches Keoladeo before December and stays till March, a trail that has been for so many years. German naturalist Peter S. Pallas rediscovered this in the 18th century. Traditionally, Fered Unkenar in Iran and Keoladeo Ghana are the only two wintering places for the western race of the Siberian crane. It reaches Bharatpur after a journey of 6,400 kilometres from the cold Siberian breeding grounds.

Braving all the frost and snowstorm of the Gobi desert and the Himalayas, the Sibes or Siberian cranes chose to come all the way to bask in the warmth of Bharatpur during the winter months. Happily they flew in plenty before Bharatpur’s maharaja formally created Ghana. Then those terrible duck shoots began and the poor stopped their yearly visits. Much to the delight of ornithologists, these handsome birds appeared again in the 60s, long after the killings had stopped. And by 1964-65 over 200 of them came to winter here. But happy times were short lived; their numbers started dwindling again and in 1990-91 only 10 cranes came. Then in 1994-95 none came at all. In 1996, however, four Sibes were spotted in Keoladeo about two months after their usual time of arrival and ornithologists all over heaved a huge sigh of relief. All this definitely points to the gradual extinction of these wonderful birds. The total population of the Siberian crane now across the world is less than 2000.

There are many causes to this regrettable lessening. A pair of breeding cranes raises only one chick a year and though the adult stands more than a mighty four feet tall, the tiny young ones often become the food for predatory shorebirds, gulls and dogs. En route their migration to Bharatpur they have to face dangers that are even more dangerous than the hostile terrain – guns. Every year many of these birds are shot down in Afghanistan and Pakistan, despite protective laws in these countries. The remaining few reach Bharatpur exhausted, only to find that there's no food for them any more!

Storks
Out of 17 species in the world, 7 are sighted in Keoladoe sanctuary. The most visible of these are the ungainly painted stork. The birds nest in the high branches of Babul Trees. Another nester is small open bill stork and the black mantle. The black naked and white necked storks are usually shy birds and rarely seen in community.

Cormorants and Darters
These fish-hunting birds are strong fliers and are seen occupying several trees in large community. These elegant birds breed in monsoons. There three varieties of cormorants in the sanctuary while the elegant Indian darter is also known as the snake birds for its thin winding neck and head.

Spoonbills and Ibises
They are seen in large numbers at the sanctuary, the spoonbill has a long spatulate bill and the Ibis has a slender and down curved beak. They often hunt shoals of fishes in groups. The sanctuary is home to white, black and glossy Ibis.

Herons and Egrets
Herons nest in heronries that can be seen amongst mixed nesting colonies. They include common grey, purple, night ant and pond herons. Egrets are also found in large variety like the large, intermediate, little and cattle egrets.

Pelicans and Flamingos
Large pelicans can be seen in shallow water in groups and are recognisable by the characteristic appearance. Rosy, grey and dalmatian varieties are sighted at the park. Flamingos are usually seen at the onset of the monsoon.

Geese and Ducks
Greylag and bar-headed are two species of geese seen in winters at the parks. The ducks are also seen in numbers and variety and they were the very cause of the creation of this as a hunting preserve for duck shooting. Amongst the variety sighted at the sanctuary are ruddy shelduck, common shelduck, common teal, mallard, gadwall, pigeon, shovelor, pochards and tufted duck.