FAST FACTS
| Topic |
Short Description |
| Safari Season |
October to June |
| Best time to visit |
November to April |
| Nearest Airport |
Jabalpur (190kms), Raipur (240kms), Nagpur (300kms) |
| Nearby Railway Stations |
Gondia (140kms), Jabalpur (200kms), Raipur (240kms) |
| Best time for Tiger |
February to May months |
| When to plan |
4 Months in advance |
| Safari options |
Open Jeep & Canters |
INTRODUCTION
Kanha National Park is part of Kanha Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh. It is spread over Mandla & Balaghat districts areas of state in Central India. It is one of the most well managed, tourist friendly & popular tiger reserve of India. It is considered as second National Park of India and was among first nine national park selected for implementation of Project Tiger in India in year 1974. It lies in Mandla district of state in Satpura Maikal ranges. It was first declared as national park on 01/June/1955 by merging Hallon and Banjar wildlife sanctuaries. At present Kanha Tiger Reserve covers 1949 sq.kms. of area in which 940 sq.km. area is core zone and remaining area is counted in Buffer zone of Kanha reserve. It is a not only popular national park for tiger tourism but also the only natural habitat of highly endangered hard-ground Barasingha (Cervus duvauceli branderi). Successful Barasingha conservation is counted among major achievement of Kanha national park. Do jungle safari in Kanha forest is a fabulous experience for any wildlife lover as it offers picturesque topography with huge plateaus, meadows and valleys. Here we will find semi-deciduous which means even in peak summers, you will find some greenery in park. At present, four safari zones are open for visitors in which one is premium zone and other three are non-premium zones. Popular entrance gates for park are Khatia and Mukki gates. During safaris, most commonly seen mammals are Indian Gaur, Hard-ground Barasingha, Tigers, Spotted Deer, Sambar, Leopard, Black-faced Langurs. In buffer zone we will find small villages and fields. These villages are of local tribal people like Baigas, Gonds, Saharia etc. In this web page we have shared some vital Kanha park information which is good to be known to visitors. Here we have tried to list all popular places to visit in Kanha, its safari zones, Kanha jungle safari information, how to reach the park, Kanha latest news updates etc. Below information in very meaningful and useful, just go through it.
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
At Kanha national park, Jungle Safari is the main tourism activity for tourists. In addition to this, one can do limited nature walk, birding and village visit. Their is no popular tourist spot near park area which one can visit while staying at resort in Kanha. While staying at Kanha resorts, tourists can visit Kanha forest through jungle safari drives, which is done on open jeeps, canters in company of forest guide. Here park is divided into 4 core zones i.e. Kanha zone, Kisli zone, Sarhi zone and Mukki zone. Apart from core zone, their are 4 buffer zones also which can be visited during Kanha tour. At present, here three entrance gates are operating i.e. Khatia gate, Mukki gate and Sarhi gate. All these entrance gates are at distance of approx. 40 to 60 kms from each other and hotels are located in all these safari entrance gates thus tourists have option to choose any one entrance gate for stay and jungle safaris. Here it is important to understand that from Sarhi gate we can't visit Mukki zone and similarly from Mukki zone, we can't visit Sarhi zone thus accordingly we are expected to choose our resort and safari zones and hotels. Here jungle safaris can be enjoyed in both Core zones and Buffer zones. As entrance gates are too far from each other thus we should remain careful while choosing our buffer zones as their entrances are fixed and we can't enter other buffer zone from different entrance gate.
KANHA SAFARI ZONES
Here we have listed names of some important areas in Kanha national park. These names are categorized according to their zone-wise location so that if any tourist want to visit any particular area/s, he/she would take safari ticket of that particular safari zone/s.
|
KANHA SAFARI ZONES (CORE)
|
| Kanha Zone |
Kisli Zone |
Sarhi Zone |
Mukki Zone |
| Kanha Meadows |
Digdola |
Jamuntola |
Bishanpura |
| Kanha Museum |
Sonf Meadows |
Ronda Camp |
Bamni Dadar |
| Shravan Chita |
Kope Dabri |
Mahuadabri |
Duke's Road |
| Shravan Tal |
Magarnala |
Urnakhera Camp |
Ghorella |
| Dashrath Machaan |
Mochidadar |
Silpura Meadows |
Sondar Meadows |
| Bison Road |
Chimta Camp |
-- |
Babathenga Tank |
| Nakti Ghati |
Amahi |
-- |
Lapsi Kabar |
| Umerpani |
Soonaghat |
-- |
Umar Jhola |
Apart from these core zones, Kanha national park management has opened buffer zones also for safari drives. As we know that under Project Tiger, all the included tiger reserves were developed under core-buffer zone strategy. Here inner forest area is declared as core forest and outer forest circle acts as buffer forest. It is considered as most successful way of doing wildlife conservation, especially for saving tigers. Till now we have done safari drives in core zones but now buffer forests areas are also opened for tourists to reduce pressure on core zone and also to ensure more safari options for tourists as limited tourism is allowed in core zone. Below we have listed Kanha buffer zones, available for jungle safari drives.
|
KANHA SAFARI ZONES (BUFFER)
|
| Khatia Zone |
Sijora Zone |
Khapa Zone |
Phen Wildlife Sanctuary |
HOW TO REACH
Reaching Kanha by Air :
Nearest airport for reaching Kanha national park is Jabalpur airport. It is just 170kms from Kanha national park (Khatia gate). It has direct flight connectivity with Delhi, Mumbai etc. Second best option is Nagpur airport which is about 290kms/06:30hrs from Kanha. It is comparatively larger airport with better connectivity. Third option is Raipur airport at a distance of 260kms/06:00hrs from Kanha Mukki gate. Further journey from these airports to Kanha national park is done through taxi vehicles. We offer car rental service from all these airports.
Reaching Kanha by Train / Railways :
Nearest railway station for reaching Kanha national park in Jabalpur (railway code:JBP), at a distance of 165kms. Jabalpur station have direct train connectivity from major tourist destinations and cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Nagpur, Bhopal, Agra, Jaipur, Gwalior, Varanasi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune etc. Further journey is to be done by road. From Jabalpur to Kanha national park, bus and taxi service is available.
By Road :
Kanha national park is well connected by road from rest of the India. It has road connectivity from all directions and can be reached in any season. It is well connected with nearby important cities like Jabalpur, Raipur, Nagpur, Bandhavgarh national park, Pench, Pachmarhi etc. We offer car rental service from all these places to Kanha park or vice-versa. Rewa (261 km) and Shahdol (67 km).
KANHA VEGETATION
Kanha tiger reserve is rich in vegetation types. We can categorize them in three broad categories i.e. Sal Forest, Mixed Forest and Grasslands. Here we can find Sal trees in major safari areas of national park. While doing jungle safari drives, we will observe that Sal trees dominates the forest land. Similarly Kanha national park is popular for its vast and large number of grasslands in meadow areas. Sal forest occupies about 170 sq.kms of the area and usually found in valley and plateau areas. Bamboo is also commonly seen with Sal forest in lower slopes. Mixed forest is distributed mostly at upper slopes and plateau areas of national park, approx. 16% of forest area. Mixed bamboo forest type is spread over 233 sq.km. area of tiger reserve. During jungle safaris, we can also notice valley areas in national park in which Valley grasslands can be noticed with occupies approx. 60 sq.km. area.
JUNGLE SAFARI
Jungle safari is the main tourism activity to do in Kanha national park. Here two rounds of jungle safaris are offered in a day except Wednesday on which park remains closed for evening safari. Here safaris are done on open jeeps in company of trained forest guide. Maximum 06 tourists are allowed in one safari vehicle. In each safari jeep, we will find one driver and one guide on mandatory basis to enhance your safari experience. Apart from jeeps, open bus, called Canter, is also available in Kanha & Mukki entrance gates of national park. For jeep safari, you need to do online safari ticket booking in advance but for open Canter safari, you can't do its seat booking in advance and it is done on current basis i.e. you just reach ticket counter earlier and do your tickets booking on first come first serve basis. Their are 4 core safari zones in Kanha i.e. Kanha zone, Kisli zone, Mukki zone and Sarhi zone. These are the core zones of tiger reserve. Apart from this, their are 4 buffer zones also i.e. Khatia zone, Khapa zone, Phen Sanctuary and Sijhora zone. Here all the visitors are required to carry their original ID documents, during all safari drives. In Kanha national park, only limited vehicles are allowed to enter which is controlled through issuing limited safari tickets. By using one safari ticket, visitor is allowed to visit in one safari zone only. During any safari drives, tourists are bound to obey forest rules and guide is the supreme authority to check that all the rules are obeyed properly and tourists have enjoyed the jungle safari in Kanha national park .
Safari Timing
Here in Kanha National Park, safari timing is basically begins 30 minutes before sunrise in Morning round which lasts for 4 hrs and Evening safari round begins from after noon till 30 minutes after sunset with duration of approx. 3:00hrs. As sunrise and sunset timing varies with season thus accordingly safari timings also changes with season. Here we have share safari timing as per our past experiences:
| Duration |
Morning Safari |
Evening Safari |
| October to November |
06:00 - 10:30 Hrs |
15:00 - 18:00 Hrs |
| December to January |
06:30 - 11:00 Hrs |
15:30 - 18:30 Hrs |
| February to April |
06:00 - 10:30 Hrs |
15:00 - 18:00 Hrs |
| May to June |
05:30 - 10:00 Hrs |
16:00 - 19:00 Hrs |
MAMMALS
Here we have shared mammals checklist of Kanha national park. Here some of the prominent safari attractions are Tiger, Barasingha (Hard-ground Swamp Deer), Indian Gaur, Black buck, Sloth Bear, Leopards etc.
|
KANHA MAMMALS
|
| Barasingha |
Nilgai |
Barking Deer (Muntjak) |
Chital |
| Gaur |
Wild Dog |
Hyena |
Jackal |
| Leopard |
Jungal Cat |
Langur |
Mouse Deer |
| Tiger |
Sambar |
Sloth Bear |
Indian Wolf |
| Ruddy Mongoose |
Wild Boar |
Common Palm Civet |
Small Indian Civet |
| Greater False Vampire |
Smooth-coated Otter |
Indian Palm Squirrel |
Five-stripped Squirrel |
| Flying Squirrel |
Common Mongoose |
Indian Fox |
Ratel |
| Indian Flying Fox |
Indian Porcupine |
Indian Hare |
Indian Pangolin |
| Indian Pipistrelle |
Chowsingha |
Lesser Rat-tailed Bat |
Naked-bellied Tomb Bat |
| Long-armed Shealth-tailed Bat |
Fulvous Fruit Bat |
Pouch-beating Bat |
Anderson's Shrew |
| Madras Tree Shrew |
House Shrew |
Pygmy Shrew |
Black Buck |
BIRDS IN KANHA
Kanha national park is also the best place for bird watching in Central India. Their are about more than 280 bird species found in Kanha forest. Some of the commonly seen Kanha birds are: Indian Roller, Pied Myna, Golden Oriole, Shama, Indian Tree Pipit, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Black-capped Kingfisher, Common Hoopoe, Red Junglefowl, Green Bee-eater, Common Teal, Rufous Woodpecker, Coopersmith Barbet, Indian Grey Hornbill, Barn owl, Jungle Owlet, Brown Fish Owl, Pied Cuckoo, Indian Cuckoo, Greater Coucal, Saurus Crane, Spotted Dove, Common Sandpiper etc. Some of the popular birding areas in Kanha national park are Shravan Tal, Naag Bahera, Bamni Dadar, Babathenga Tank, Sondar Tank, Garhi Road etc. November to April is considered as good time for bird watching in Kanha.
CLIMATE & WEATHER
Kanha national park have moderate climate. Here we can experience all three seasons i.e. winter, summer and monsoon. Here
Winter season is from November to March during which morning temperature dips to 1°C and day temperature remains as 18°C. During winters, morning safari drives are more challenging. From April to June months, we can experience the
summer season when straight sunlight and heat waves poses challenge in safari drives. In peak summers i.e. on May-June months, temperature reaches 45°C level. With the end of June or beginning of July, monsoon clouds arrives and pours good rainfall.
Monsoon season prevails from July to October. During this time, park remains closed for visitors and get prepared for beginning of new season. Here at Kanha tiger reserve you will experience significant difference in day and night temperatures. Due to straight sun-light effect, here day temperature raises swiftly and after sun-set and in early morning hours, we will experience cold. This difference is well experienced in morning safari drives when vehicle enters just before sunrise and exits after sunrise.
|
Months
|
Jan
|
Feb
|
Mar
|
Apr
|
May
|
Jun
|
Jul
|
Aug
|
Sep
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
|
Minimum (°C)
|
01
|
10
|
22
|
29
|
33
|
35
|
28
|
23
|
26
|
28
|
20
|
14
|
|
Maximum(°C)
|
16
|
30
|
35
|
40
|
44
|
45
|
38
|
35
|
34
|
35
|
30
|
22
|
Above temperature chart of Kanha is based on the past years experience. Here we have gathered the average temperatures during each season so that user can get an rough idea. Due to unusual climatic changes, these temperatures may vary.
BEST TIME TO VISIT
Kanha national park is open for visitors from 16-October to 30-June. During this period, anyone can visit the park and enjoy the jungle safari. It has been seen that most of the Indian tourists prefers to visit park as per their festival holidays or children school holidays due to which their presence in better in period of October -December and April - June. Where as foreigner tourists prefers the period from November to April due to severe cold in their countries and holidays in their countries. Best time to visit Kanha national park varies as per interest of visitor. Still if your are interested in core wildlife than December to April is the best time to visit Kanha national park. During this period, you can enjoy some best moments of jungle safari. On the other hand if you are not serious wildlife and visiting park as leisure tour then October to April is the best time to visit. During this time wildlife sighting is good, climatic conditions are good and most of the festival falls during this period. Safari tickets are main challenge during this period. In order to enjoy better discounts, May-June months are good as most of the resorts offers some good summer discounts.
KANHA TAXI SERVICE
We offer tourist taxi service for visiting Kanha national park. As most of the tourists are reaching through flights and trains to nearby airports/railway-stations. For further journey to Kanha, they require reliable taxi service. To fulfill their car hire requirement, we offer Kanha car rental service in which different type of tourist vehicles are made available for reaching Kanha park. Using given car rental service, tourists can visit this national park and its nearby tourist destinations. As per their convenience, guests can hire vehicles on different modes like one-way transfer, two-way transfer or for complete tour package. Some of the prominent taxi service routes are Jabalpur to Kanha, Kanha to Bandhavgarh, Nagpur to Kanha, Raipur to Kanha, Pachmarhi to Kanha, Kanha to Amrakantak etc.
ACCOMMODATION
Since restrictions imposed on the tourists entry in Kanha national parks, tourist arrival has been decreased. Here current situations is such that number of rooms in total number of resorts in more than the maximum number of visitors possibly can visit park. It means due to reduction in safari vehicles limit, tourists arrival has been limited causing better rooms availability in resorts. Their could be room problems in popular resorts but by any case you will get the room in Kanha resorts and lodges. Here some of the popular luxury resorts are Banjaar Tola, Singinawa, Kanha Earth Lodge etc. In Deluxe category, we can find list of popular resorts as Tuli resort, Soulacia resort, Serenity resort, The Baagh, Chitvan Lodge etc. Some of the popular standard resorts are Wild Chalet, Asteya Mukki resort, Krishna Jungle Haveli, Royal Tiger Resort, Mocha Baghira Jungle Retreat, Mahua tiger resort etc. Similarly many budget resorts are also their close to Khatia entrance gate.
NEXT TO KANHA
Their are many different popular tourist destinations which can be visited after Kanha national park. If you are interested in wildlife tourism then you can visit to Bandhavgarh, Pench national park, Satpura national park. If you are interested in leisure tourism then you can visit to Amarkantak, Pachmarhi, Jabalpur city. For tribal tourism, you can visit to Kawardha, Raipur and other Chattisgarh destinations.
KANHA NATIONAL PARK UPDATES
13/Dec/2019 :Deaths of Wild Dogs (Dholes)
Recently 5 wild dogs were found dead in unusual conditions, in Kanha national park. These deaths have been reported in Khatia zone area, by patrolling team. High level enquiry has been ordered to probe the cause of death. Forensic experts have collected the sample of water, available in nearby waterholes, thoroughly checked the area. Officials are now waiting for result of investigation. Dwindling population of wild dogs is already a matter of concern.
12/Mar/2019 :Missing Munna Tiger
Famous tiger of Kanha national park was Munna tiger. Its fore-head stripe pattern give illusion that as if "CAT" was written by nature. This famous tiger is in last days of life thus due to oldness, he was spending his time mainly in buffer Khatia zone of Kanha national park. Since end of January month, Munna tiger is going missing and untraced due to which Forest Department is looking for it.
11/Mar/2019 :Naina Tigress Cubs Killed
Since beginning of this year, Tiger cannibalism has been reported in Kanha national park in which tigress and cubs were killed and consumed. These incidences took place in gaps but it is alarming situation. Famous Naina tigress cubs were killed by male tiger and mostly consumed.
02/Oct/2018 :Increment in Safari Tickets
This is a good news for wildlife lovers. Safari tickets availability problem has been solved to some extent with introduction of additional quota for safari tickets in Kanha National Park. Forest Department of Madhya Pradesh has introduced additional quota of safari tickets for all popular national parks, including Kanha Tiger Reserve which will increase our probability of getting core zone safari tickets. It has been implemented and thus we can find better availability of safari tickets thus this will decrease black-marketing and more tourists can be accommodated in safari drives.
10/Aug/2018 : Tigers in Buffer zone
With the arrival of monsoon season and closing of safari season, tourists movement has been reduced to negligible in buffer zones of Kanha thus tigers movement has been increased in these zones. Recently movement of Munna tiger, Karaighati Male has been noticed in buffer area of Khatia zone, surrounding of Mocha village.
21/July/2018: T2 Tiger in Buffer Zone
In recent update, our sources have reported that tiger movement on buffer zone area has been increased. Here T2 tiger has been seen by local villagers. It has been seen nearby Mocha village area where we can find many resorts located.
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