Total Coverage Area : 1945 sq. kms. / 1,94,000 hectares of national park

Established In : 1933 as a sanctuary, 1955 as a National Park, 1975 as a Tiger Reserve

Location : 170 kilometres from Jabalpur in Mandla & Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh.

Description

Kanha is Kipling country and the nearby forests were the setting for the "Jungle Book" by Rudyard Kipling. It's an outstanding national park of Central India, noted for its last remaining population of the hard-ground race of the Swamp Deer. Spotting wild animals is always a matter of luck, but Kanha National Park is so rich in wildlife that the odds are tilted in your favour. There are a healthy numbers of the Tiger found over here, which may be seen during the day, and is one of the best places left to see them. There are herds of spotted deer to be seen. With a little luck, you could also spot the timorous barking deer. There is also a very strong possibility that you will see the rare hard-ground Barasingha, the Swamp Deer. Once there were only 66 of these in Kanha National Park, but careful conservation and management raised their population to over 400. It was in Kanha National Park that the eminent zoologist George Schaller studied the relation-ship between predators and its prey and came out with the book 'Deer and The Tiger'.

Kanha National Park has two main rivers, Halon in the east and Banjar in the west, and the grassy 'maidans' (often old village sites), dotted with clumps of forest harbor large numbers of herbivores. The hills offer support to sizeable plateaus (locally called 'Dadars') and are characterized by extensive grasslands and scant trees. These 'Dadars' are much favoured by Gaur and Four-horned Antelope.

Visiting Season

Months from November-June are favorable for visiting the park; still the best period is February-April.

Access

By Air : Drive from Nagpur (270 kms 6&1/2 hours drive) or Raipur (265 kms 6 &1/2 hrs) and Nagpur from other airports in India. From these airports one has to drive to the park.

By Rail : The most convenient railheads for Kanha National Park are Jabalpur and Nagpur. These two are well connected by fast and super fast trains to other destinations in India.

By Road : To access the Kanha National Park there are two ways, via Khatia or via Mukki. From Jabalpur there are daily bus services to these places. From Jabalpur, Bilaspur and Raipur one can hire taxis to the park.

Temperature

Park Safari Timings

Visitors can enter the core area only in the mornings on a jeep or in the afternoon. One needs to take a forest department guide to help one enjoy the park better. Touring is usually allowed on jeeps, which are available locally. Because of the rush of the tourist season hiring jeeps can become troublesome, so reserve the vehicle well in advance during the peak season.

The visitor's information centre and museum are located inside the forest and in the grounds of the old forest rest house.

Tiger Show at Kanha National Park

The Forest authority of Kanha National park organizes a Tiger Show for tourists through tokens on strictly on first-come-first-serve basis. The vehicles take it in turns to drive to the location where one is taken by elephant to view the tiger. The elephants can approach the tigers at very close proximity, often as close as 3-4 metres without seemingly causing any distress to either animal.

Note : Tiger shows can't be guaranteed since they are strictly subject to the successful tiger tracking.

Accommodation and facilities

At the park entrance, outside the park at Kisli gate, are a number of private lodges and camps including Wild Chalet Lodge, Tuli Tiger Resort, Krishna Jungle Lodge and Kipling Camp. Near the Mukki entrance are Royal Tiger Resort, Shergaon Tented Camps and Kanha Jungle Lodge. Safaris are by 4-wheel drive motor vehicles.

WILD CHALET RESORT - Upper End

Perched on the banks of River Banjar, Wild Chalet Resort is located in the backdrop of lush forests. The 16 cottages having all required facilities and an attractive open dinning area with a fireplace. Each bedroom has private bathroom with bath and / or shower with toilet.

TULI TIGER RESORT - Upper End

Tuli Tiger Resort is a Jungle resort with standard facilities. The resort has air-conditioned cottage type of accommodation and a multi cuisine restaurant serving Indian, Continental and Chinese. Other facilities include swimming pool, Park Safaris, folk dances and campfires. Each air-conditioned room has private bathroom with bath and/or shower and toilet.

KIPLING CAMP - Upper End

Kipling Camp is rustic camp run by enthusiastic Brits. The camp has 20 cottages with attached baths and an attractive open dining area. It is also the home of the elephant - Tara on which Mark Shand traveled for the book 'Travels On My Elephant".

ROYAL TIGER RESORT - Upper End

Royal Tiger Resort is only two minutes drive from the Mukki gate, one of the two entrances of the Kanha National Park. The resort is located in the buffer zone of the forest area in Kanha National Park. The mud cottages of the local tribes inspired the 16 air-conditioned suites. The resort has a well-stocked library. Each air-conditioned bedroom has private bathroom with shower and toilet.

KANHA JUNGLE LODGE - Upper End

Set in the midst of Sal Jungle, Kanha Jungle Lodge has 19 rooms with all the modern facilities of attached baths and hot and cold water. The hotel also has a recreational center, large library with a collection of books on wildlife, magazines and wildlife films and indoor games facilities. The restaurant offers Indian and Continental Cuisine.

KRISHNA JUNGLE RESORT - Mid-segment

Mammals : Rhesus Macaque, Hanuman Langur, Wolf, Wild dog, Golden Backed Jackal, Striped Hyena, Bengal Fox,Civet Cat,Sloth Bear, Sambar, Spotted Deer, Barasingha or Swamp Deer, Barking Deer, Mouse Deer, Tiger, Leopard, Jungle Cat, Leopard Cat, Indian Hare Indian Grey Mongoose, Ruddy Mongoose, Smooth Coated Otter, Four Horned Antelope Nilgai, Blackbuck, Gaur, Wild Boar, Indian Porcupine, Indian Pangolin, Fulvous Fruit Eating Bat,Three-Striped Palm Squirrel, Flying Squirrel.

Flora : Sal (Shorea robusta), Bija (Pterocarpus marsupium), Saja (Terminalia alata), Tendu (Lannia coromendalica), Palas (Butea monosperma), Aonla (Emblica officinalis), Dhawan (Terminalia bellerica), Garhi (Garuga pinnata), Arjun (Terminalia arjuna), are the main tree species. The bamboo(Dendrocalamus strictus) is found in the higher and lower elevations both and the Moghania spp is also found in the lower elevations.

Birds : There are 281 varieties of birds in Kanha National Park like the rare Lesser Florican, Jerdon's Baza and the more common Crested Serpant Eagle, Scarlet Minivet and the Indian Roller. So bird watchers can look forward to a busy and happy time.

Insects : The Giant Wood Spider can be found with the huge webs in the trees in the morning in winter. Kanha also has a varied web of life including the whip-scorpion and may species of butterflies and moths and dragonflies.

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