Sanjay Gandhi National Park-Borivali-Mumbai-Maharashtra-India

Borivali National Park is the miraculously preserved green oasis in the center of urban sprawl. This national park is "one of the very few" that is surrounded by�a metropolis like Mumbai , yet sustaining sizable population of big cats like panthers. It is hard to believe that with in just less then an hour and half from Gateway of India, one is transported from hectic and fast life of Mumbai city to a serene and tranquil atmosphere of pleasing verdant wildernes

There a boating facility where visitors can rent a two person pedal-powered boat for Rs. 15 per 15-minute increment at19°13′46″N 72°52′8″E. Two watchtowers are available for panoramic views of the park.

Vanrani narrow gauge train

The Park also features a "toy train" that runs on a narrow gauge railway. The toy train Van rani, which means Jungle Queen, ran for around twenty-five years. It was discontinued in 2001 because of the poor condition of the track. The circuitous route covers a 2.5 km (1.55 mi) distance. However in 2004, fresh bids were announced for the repair of the track, which was estimated to cost around Rs 3 million (Rs 3 million). The tracks have been repaired and the train is now operational. The fun train ride of about 15 minutes takes you along the foothills of the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial on 190 m (620 ft) Pavilion Hill, traverses a couple of bridges and tunnels and passes over the Deer Park.

Tiger Safari and Lion Safari[edit]

Main attractions of the park are a Lion Safari and a Tiger Safari for encouraging Eco-tourism.^[16] The Lion safari is a 20-minute ride through a 12 ha (29.65 acres) fenced forest area in one of the park's green buses.The Park is said to have a total of about 25 lions and lionesses. There are hardly 2 lions which visitors can safely see up close from inside the caged buses. The remaining 23 have been relocated or placed in fenced areas far away from the roads used by the green buses. During visiting hours, some of the resident lions are let out into the enclosure, and can be viewed from the safety of the bus. There are 4 tigers that are kept semi-confined in a 20 ha (49.42 acres) fenced area that is toured by the buses. A 5 m (16.40 ft) high and 2,200 m (7,217.85 ft) long protective fencing surrounds the area. This is done so that all visitors can safely view lions and tigers in their natural habitat.^[17] Here the visitors are caged in the bus so the big cats can roam like in the wild. Two other tigers roam in a much larger area. There are many claims that many times these tigers and lions are tranquilised, so that the number of tourists can be increased