Akal Wood Fossil Park, Jaisalmer - Timings, History, Best Time to Visit

At a distance of 18 km from Jaisalmer, Akal Wood Fossil Park is an archeological park located at Akal on Barmer Road in Rajasthan. This is an ideal tourist spot for geological and Archeological enthusiasts.
Akal Wood Fossil Park is the fossilized remains of forests as old as 180 million years. The park spreads over an area of 21 hectares and is one of the natural wonders in India. The trunk of the trees of this park has been preserved as fossils. The whole area is protected and preserved presently due to its archaeological worth. It is believed that more fossils are lying in deep and still excavations are going on in this region.

Akal Wood Fossil Park has fossils of the prehistoric Jurassic period. Huge fossilized tree trunks and sea shells that are centuries old are major specimens of Indian desert's geological history. The biggest fossil specimen obtained in the region is 13 m long and 1.5 m wide. There are also 25 petrified trunks that mark the life of forests that existed in a warm and humid climate, bordering the sea millions of years back. Apart from these, there are approximately a dozen fossil wood logs that lie horizontally in a random manner. The fossils are of equisetitis, ptyllophyllum and petrophyllum species as well as of dicotyledonous wood and gastropod shells of the lower Jurassic era.

There are some mud brick huts with thatch roofs in the park. These huts contain fossils of dinosaur teeth, bones and stone fossils. A few framed posters hang on the walls narrating the story of Earth and its transitions. The government museum of Jaisalmer now exhibits many pieces from the park.

Timings: 8 AM to 5 PM

Entry Fee: Rs.5 for Indians, Rs.20 for Foreigners and Rs. 10 for Car Parking