National Chambal Sanctuary, Wildlife sanctuary along Chambal River, Morena district, India

The National Chambal Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary along the Chambal River in Morena district, India, covering roughly 5400 square kilometers across three states. The river flows through quiet stretches with open sandbanks and densely vegetated shorelines, where shallow edges alternate with deeper channels.

The sanctuary was first declared in Madhya Pradesh in 1978, following Government of India approval conveyed in Order No. 17-74/77-FRY (WL) of 30 September 1978. The Madhya Pradesh portion was gazetted on 20 December 1978, Uttar Pradesh on 29 January 1979 and Rajasthan on 7 December 1979, each under Section 18(1) of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. It is administered by the Forest Department under a Project Officer based at Morena.

The sanctuary is named for the Chambal River, whose ravines and hills it protects across Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Boat trips with a driver and guide, arranged at points along the river, are the usual way to watch gharials and dolphins; walking trails in the ravines and along the banks allow closer observation of plants and animals.

Visitors enter the reserve through several access points including Pinahat and Nandagon Ghat and can book boat tours for wildlife viewing throughout the year. Water level variations affect the accessibility of different shoreline areas, so checking local advice before arriving is recommended.

The reserve holds the largest wild population of the gharial, a rare crocodile with a narrow snout that now survives almost nowhere else in the world. Over 320 bird species and eight turtle species rely on the clean river stretches as their habitat.