Take a walk with nature in these rainforests



Treasure troves of rich biodiversity and breathtakingly beautiful natural panora mas, rainforests remind us at every step how spectacular planet earth really is. An ecotourist's paradise, these lush landscapes and canopies offers a lot of opportunity to learn about nature and its wonders up, close and personal. While the conservation of these ecosystems remains a matter of concern and debate, we give you a pictorial tour of some of the most stunning rainforests across the globe...

IN INDIA...

The major tropical rainforests are located in the Western Ghats (primarily Karnataka and Kerala), northeastern states (mainly Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Manipur), some parts of Odisha as well as in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

KHAO YAI NATIONAL PARK, THAILAND

Counted among mainland Asia's largest intact monsoon forests, this UNESCO World Heritage site is also Thailand's oldest and most-visited reserve. The landscape -spreading across an area of 2,168 square kilometres -consists of five rainforest zones: evergreen, semi-evergreen, mixed-deciduous, hill evergreen and savannah.Prominent species found: Red jungle fowl, coralbilled ground cuckoo, Asian black bear, Indian elephant, gaur, gibbon, Indian sambar deer, pig-tailed macaque, Indian muntjac, Ussuri dhole, barking deer, otters and wild pig.

AMAZON RAINFOREST, SOUTH AMERICA

Popularly known as the Amazon Jungle or Amazonia, this beautiful moist broadleaf expanse spans across eight countries -Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana -and is easily the world's largest rainforest. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site.Prominent species found: Jaguar, black caiman, cougar, macaw, Amazon River dolphin, black spider monkey, poison dart frog and anaconda.

SINHARAJA FOREST RESERVE, SRI LANKA

Over 60% of the trees found in this UNESCO World Heritage site are considered rare, while its mammals, butterflies, reptiles and amphibians are unique too.This tropical rainforest covers an area of 21 kilometres. The peaks of Sinharaja -which translates to lion kingdom -are Sinhagala, Pinipitigala and Mulawella.Prominent species found: Purple-faced langur, greater racket-tailed drongo, orange-billed babbler, red-faced malkoha, green-billed coucal, Sri Lanka blue magpie, green-pit viper, hump-nosed vipers, tree frogs and birdwing butterfly.

DOMINICA RAINFOREST, CARIBBEAN SEA

This little rainforest island is blessed with an extraordinarily scenic landscape that includes peaks, valleys, waterfalls, birds, flora and fauna. This lush landscape is often promoted as the `Nature Isle of the Caribbean'. It also boasts of the world's second largest hot spring, called the Boiling Lake. The island covers an area of 750 square kilometres.Prominent species found: Jacquot parrot, broad-winged hawk, purplethroated carib, agouti, manicou, sea turtles, bats, butterflies and crabs.