National Chambal Sanctuary, also called the National Chambal Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary, is a 5,400 km2 (2,100 sq mi) tri-state protected area in northern India for the protection of the Critically Endangered gharial, the red-crowned roof turtle and the Endangered Ganges river dolphin.

Within the sanctuary, the pristine Chambal River cuts through mazes of ravines and hills with many sandy beaches.

[2] Administrative approval of the Government of India for the establishment of the National Chambal Sanctuary was conveyed in Order No.

Other large threatened inhabitants of the sanctuary include mugger crocodile, smooth-coated otter, striped hyena and Indian wolf.

Parts of the sanctuary are threatened by extensive illegal sand mining, which is endangering the fragile lotic ecosystem critical for Gharial breeding.

On 27 December 2010, the Minister for Environment and Forests, Jairam Ramesh, during a visit to the Madras Crocodile Bank, announced the formation of a National Tri-State Chambal Sanctuary Management and Coordination Committee for gharial conservation on 1,600 km2 (620 sq mi) of the National Chambal Sanctuary.

It will conduct further research on the species and its ecology and evaluate the related socio-economic elements of dependent riparian communities.

The best opportunities for sighting and photography of gharial and dolphins can be had by hiring a boat with a driver and guide, available at several points along the river.

Walking trails in the ravines and along the river offer opportunities for close observation of the wide variety of plants and animals in the sanctuary.

[1] There are public vehicle entry points to Chambal Sanctuary at Pinahat, Nandagon Ghat, Sehson and Bharch.