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Sanjay Van, Delhi
Sanjay Van is free and open from dawn to dusk. It is a 784-acre forest on Delhi's Mehrauli ridge, next to the Qutub Minar, with peacocks calling out of sight, more than ninety bird species, and the ramparts of Lal Kot, Delhi's oldest fort, which you can climb. Trails are long and signs are few, so come in the morning and with company.
Seven hundred and eighty-three acres of city forest on the ridge near Qutub Minar: dense keekar woods, peacocks calling from somewhere out of sight, more than ninety bird species. On a rise toward Mehrauli stand the ramparts of Lal Kot, or Qila Rai Pithora (Delhi's oldest fort, from the 11th and 12th centuries), and nothing stops you climbing them. Free, open dawn to dusk. Trails are long and signposting is thin, so go in the morning and with company rather than alone.
Delhi's oldest fort walls, climbable and unguarded, in a forest most visitors never find
Timings and entry
- Open: dawn to dusk.
- Entry: free, no ticket.
The forest is at its best in the first hours after sunrise, when the birds are active and the paths are cool. Do not stay until dark: the trails are long and poorly signposted, and it is easy to lose the way back to a gate once the light goes.
What to see in Sanjay Van
Sanjay Van belongs to the Delhi ridge, the northern tail of the Aravalli hills, which run some 800 km from Gujarat. The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) set the area aside as a green belt in the 1970s, and since 1994 it has been a notified reserve forest.
- The walls of Lal Kot. On high ground toward Mehrauli stand the 11th-century ruins of Lal Kot, also known as Qila Rai Pithora after Prithviraj Chauhan, Delhi's oldest fort. Nothing stops you climbing the walls, and from the top you look out over the canopy of the ridge.
- Tejendra Point. A 21-foot wooden machan (watchtower) put up in 2011, with views over the forest to the Qutub Minar, the wall of Lal Kot and the Bhulbhulaiya tomb.
- Birds and animals. Peacocks, grey and purple herons, golden orioles, pied cuckoos and the Asian paradise flycatcher, which, the DDA reports, nested here again after 35 years. On the ground: nilgai (the large blue-grey antelope), golden jackals and monitor lizards. Butterflies are everywhere.
- Water bodies. Five connected ponds, restored by the DDA, now hold water year-round and draw birds.
- The edges. On the Mehrauli side are the Ashique Allah dargah (a Sufi shrine) and an old well.
Much of the dense thorn scrub you walk through is vilayati keekar (Prosopis juliflora), a Mexican tree planted to green the ridge quickly that has since crowded out native species. The DDA and a citizens' group, Working With Nature, have been replanting native Aravalli trees such as khejri, dhak and khair.
👣 Gates: where to enter
The forest lies between the Qutub Institutional Area, Aurobindo Marg, Mehrauli–Kishangarh and Aruna Asaf Ali Marg. The DDA lists three entrances.
- Aruna Asaf Ali Marg
Near Neela Hauz, next to the CPWD building.
- Qutub Institutional Area
Behind the International Management Institute and Rockland Hospital.
- Aurobindo Marg
Next to the TB Hospital; this side leads into the medicinal-plant forest.
Walking safely
Sanjay Van is a real forest inside the city, and that is its charm and its catch. Paths are long, signposting is thin, and away from the gates you can walk a long time without meeting anyone. Go in the morning, go with company rather than alone, carry water and a charged phone, and note which gate you came in by. Online stories call the forest haunted; nothing supports them, and the practical risks are simply getting lost or walking deep into empty woods alone.
Best time to visit
October and February–March are Delhi's best months for walking. May and June bring heatwaves, and from November to January smog can be severe, which matters on a long walk. Whatever the month, aim for the first hours after sunrise.
❓ FAQ
What are Sanjay Van's timings?
It is open from dawn to dusk, and entry is free.
What is the history of Sanjay Van?
It is part of Delhi's Aravalli ridge, set aside as a green belt by the DDA in the 1970s and notified as a reserve forest in 1994. Inside are the 11th-century walls of Lal Kot, Delhi's oldest fort.
Is Sanjay Van haunted?
There is no evidence for the ghost stories that circulate online. The real cautions are practical: long, poorly signposted trails, so go in daylight and with company.
Is Sanjay Van safe for visitors?
Go in the morning and with others rather than alone. The forest is large and quiet, and the main risk is losing your way far from a gate.
Is Sanjay Van a tourist place?
Not really: it is used mostly by walkers, joggers, cyclists, birdwatchers and school groups. Most visitors to the Qutub Minar next door never find it.