Tiger Safari Holiday at Kanha

Tiger Safari Holiday at Kanha National Park.

Kanha is situated at Maikal Hills and the system is nurtured by tributaries of the Narmada River. The river originates from Amarkantak Resort at Maikal Hill and flows over 700 km to merge into the estuary of Baruch in Gujarat. Interestingly Makal Hills are a confluence of Vindhyan Hill north of MP and Satpura Hills south of Madhya Pradesh. Jabalpur is the the Center of India lying east towards Kanha National Park.

Maikal Hills are a part of Achanakmar Biosphere Reserve which comprise Amarkantak Forests and Achanakmar Tiger Reserve. Kanha is not part of the biosphere reserve but is contiguous with the origin of Maikal Hills and Achanakmar once forming a corridor for wild animals to translocate. Thus a large ecosystem was in place and formed a habitat for all life forms.  On the western side, the forests were connected with what are now Bandhavgarh, Sanjay Dubri, and Panna.

Some of the regions have been mentioned by James Forsyth in his book Central Indian Wildlife. This has become a sad story now since the contiguity is intruded on by human settlements, agriculture, and livestock. Among the isolated pockets, three popular ones are

• Kanha National Park
• Bandhavgarh National Park
• Panna National Park

These are situated in Madhya Pradesh while another reserve the birthplace of white tiger Sanjay Dubri has yet to face the limelight. It too is situated in Madhya Pradesh barely an hour's drive from Bandhavgarh.  

Kanha National Park

Most popular among all the National Parks is Kanha which is also a tiger reserve. It is home to more than 100 tigers, but the fame has come about due to saving the hard ground barasingha or swamp deer. It was a remarkable conservation initiative and made the park popular all over the World. From 66 heads the population now stands at over 600. To save the gene pool some animals have been translocated to other destinations.

The biodiversity is rich and improved after it turned into a conservation unit. All Central Indian mammals and reptiles are found here while more than 250 bird species can be checklisted.

Tourism at Kanha National Park

Twenty percent of the inviolate core is reserved for regulated tourism while the outer area or buffer is also open to tourism. Being the best place to see the tiger and other animals tourists throng in large numbers every year. But the entry is limited hence safaris or game rides should be booked in advance. Those planning a tiger safari holiday should thus book a tiger safari in advance. The safaris should be booked through MPOnline Portal belonging to Madhya Pradesh Government.

There are a large number of wildlife resorts outside the park that organize tiger safaris, rest and recreation. They range from budget to upscale properties.  

Kanha is best accessible from Jabalpur Airport in MP. It is well connected with the capital and all major towns. From the airport, the drive is three and a half hours only. Kanha Tiger Reserve is well connected by a road network. It is well connected by a rail network as well. The park is closed from 1st July and opens on 1st October.