With the rise in Panna tiger reserve popularity, scope for this question arised. Due to increased tiger sighting, wildlife photographers and nature lovers started thinking about choosing in between Panna national park and Bandhavgarh national park. Both the tiger reserves are spread over Vindhya range but still have lots of difference in terms of mammals checklist, vegetation, topography, birds sightings etc.
Please study the below given comparative analysis exposing the difference of experience during visit to these 2 popular national park of Madhya Pradesh in Central India. Here we have tried to cover all the important features which could affect our decision like location, jungle safaris, animal sightings, topography, accessibility, stay experience, scenic beauty etc.
| Feature | Panna National Park | Bandhavgarh National Park |
| Forest location | It is spread over Panna and Chhatarpur districts of Madhya Pradesh state. Coordinates: 24.5905 N, 79.9417 E |
It is spread over Umaria and Shahdol districts of Madhya Pradesh state. Coordinates: 23.7184 N, 81.0202 E |
| Where in Madhya Pradesh ? | Northern region of Madhya Pradesh. | Bandhavgarh lies in eastern part of Madhya Pradesh state. |
| Geographical Position | Panna forest is spread over northern Vindhya range of Bundelkhand region. | Bandhavgarh forest is spread over southern Vindhya range of Central India |
| Declaration as Tiger reserve | In year 1993-94 | In year 1993 |
| Tiger reserve area | 576.13 sq.km. (Core area)+ 1021.97 sq.km. (Buffer area) = 1598.10 sq.km. | 716.90 sq.km. (Core area)+ 820.03 sq.km. (Buffer area) = 1536..93 sq.km. |
| Airport connectivity | Its nearby flight connectivity options are Khajuraho airport, Jabalpur airport, Gwalior airport. | Its nearby airport options are at Jabalpur and Khajuraho. Options for Bandhavgarh are poor in compare to Kanha NP |
| Topography | It is a table top plateau based forest. Here 3 plateau constitutes this forest. | Its Tala zone is hilly otherwise more plain than Kanha tiger reserve thus animals tracking and sighting is comparatively easy. |
| River system | Here Ken river is the main water source. | Bandhavgarh forest lies in between rivers like Mahanadi in east and Son & Johila river in west. |
| High season | From November to May | From Feb to mid of June |
| Low season | July to Oct | July to Nov |
| Tiger population | Tiger population is less than Bandhavgarh | Tiger population is more than Panna tiger reserve |
| Tiger safari experience | Here we can easily track the tiger but possibility of variations in sighting is poor. | Tiger density is more thus variations in tiger sighting is very good. |
| Tiger sighting probability | Higher than Bandahvgarh | Slightly less than Panna national park. |
| Top 5 attractions | Tiger, Sloth bear, Nilgai, Chinkara, Nightjar bird | Tiger, spotted deer, sambar, Wild elephants, Leopard |
| Core safari zones | Madla zone, Hinouta zone, Akola (Core) zone | Tala zone, Magadhi zone, Khitauli zone |
| Buffer safari zones | Jinna zone, Akola zone | Dhamokhar zone, Johila zone, Panpatha zone |
| Safari options offered by park management | Jeep safari, boat safari | Jeep safari, Canter safari (open bus) |
| Safari achievements | Very good chance to see tigers, leopards and sloth bears in all the seasons. | It offers better chance for tiger sighting (especially in summers). Presence of wild elephants is its unique attraction. |
| Scenic beauty | Panna forest look good in period of Oct. to March. During summers, it looks very dry and dull. | Bandhavgarh forest is more beautiful than Panna forest. It is more dense and green. |
| Birdwatching highlights | 7 Vulture species, Peregrine Falcon in Winter season, Nightjars on ground are the major birding highlight. | Here vultues nests (near fort site), Malabar pied hornbill, Indian paradise flycatcher are major highlights. |
| Night safari experience | Panna night safaris are better than bandhavgarh. | |
| Popular hotel cluster hotspots | Near by Madla gate | Near Tala gate |
| Park management & conservation history | Park management effectiveness is average but revival of tiger population, after total extinction is the major achievement. | Here park management effectiveness is average with no great conservation history |
| Re-introduced species | Tigers | Indian gaur, Hard-ground barasingha |
| Historical background | Here historical structures are not visible but a temple ruins can be seen near breakfast point in Madla zone. | It was private reserve of Baghel kingdom used for hunting expeditions. Historical buildings still visible during safari in Tala zone. |
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