The Govind Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in Puralo tehsil, Uttarkashi district of Uttaranchal. The Sanctuary was established on 1 st March 1955. The total area covered by Govind Wildlife Sanctuary is 957.969 sq.km and is located at a height of 1,300 mt. and 6,323 mt and 35°55' and 31°17'30 latitude and 77°47'30 and 78°37'30 longitude.
The average rainfall in this area is of about 1000-1500 mm which normally occurs in monsoon season which is from July to September. There is light to heavy snowfall also in the entire sanctuary area. This snowfall actually forms tons of river which is the most important tributory of River Yamuna in its upper reaches. So the area has a major role as a watershed to River Yamuna which is a very important river for the Indo Gangetic plains. For lot of endangered animals the large area is the home place. The neighbouring forest divisions helps in maintaining genetic diversity. The are being very rich with medicinal plants helps in forming certain life saving drugs. It even has unmatched scenic beauty.
The Snow Leopard also live in the Himalayas above the altitude of 3500 mts. With the increase in human population the number of snow leopard has gone down and making it a highly endangered species. The Government of India in their eighth plan has decided a Snow Leopard Project to preserve the Leopard in long term. A team of expert has been placed throughout the Himalayas to implement the project of indentified. There are other steps also taken to protect this rare animal by declaring upper reaches as National Park which covers an area of 472.08 sq.km.
From Dehradun say 200 km is Naitwar the entrance and starting point of sanctuary which is approachable on a metalled road. One can even reach there from Delhi by just taking 65 km long bifurcation from Naugaon situated on the Delhi Yamunotri state highway. Daily bus service are there between Dehradu and Naitwar.
There exists around 15 species of mammals and 150 species of birds in the sanctuary. The important mammals of which are Snow leopard, Black bear, Brown bear, Musk deer, Bharal, Himalayan Thar, Serow and Common leopard.
There are endangered birds also found in the area like Monal pheasant, Koklas pheasant, Western Tragopan, Himalayan Snow cock, Golden eagle, Steppe eagle, Black eagle and Bearded vulture. Other important bird groups are pigeons, parakeets, cuckoos, owls, minivets, bulbuls, tits, warblers, thrushes, finches, buntings, etc.
The animal sightings are very poor in the other areas of Himalayas due to low density and rugged terrain. The Ruinsara catchment has been an important area for high altitude expeditions to peaks like Black Peak and Banderpunch.
There are some other places of attraction for tourists also like Har-ki-Doon, Ruinsaratal, Deokyara, Kedarkantha and Bhratsar and the important peaks of the area are Swargarohini, Black Peak and Banderpunch.
The best time to visit the place is from April to June and September to November. The place is easily accessible by air, road and rail. The nearest airport is Jolly Grant, Dehradun 231 kms, Nearest railway station is also Dehradun, 207 kms by road it is easily accessible via Rishikesh-Uttarkashi or via Mussoorie- Purola- Saur. Bus services are available from Uttarkashi, Barkot Dehradun, Naitwar to Saur-Sankri.
