The Sagareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the most popular attractions of Sangli, situated at a distance of 47 km from the city. It is mainly a man-made conservation sanctuary, built under a planned afforestation programme involving the local population of the three tehsils of Sangli District.This sanctuary covers a total area of 10.87 sq km and mostly comprises forest areas with grassy hill slopes. It is home to a total of 52 species of fauna, which includes animals like wild goats, wild cows, rabbits, deer, jackals, peacocks, blackbucks, cheetal, sambar, hyenas, foxes, barking deer and porcupines. It also has many species of insects, reptiles and birds.Apart from being home to several species of animals, the premises of this sanctuary also consists of many places of religious, archaeological and cultural importance. These include a large Shiva temple, the Sangreshwar Temple, after which the sanctuary is named. The complex of this temple comprises 51 smaller temples that belong to the Satvahana Period. The popular one amongst these is the Kamal Bhairo Temple, which is placed on the edge of a steep cliff and has been made out of hard basalt rock. Entry to this temple is through a narrow tunnel.The hill top of Sagareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary also provides a panoramic view of the Krishna River and the surrounding sugarcane and grape vineyards. The forests of this sanctuary have a mix of southern dry deciduous trees with species like tamarind, khair, agave, neem, nilgiri, and acacia.