Spectrum Tours » National parks in india »Kanha national park

Madhya Pradesh State is blessed with the one of the most varied wildlife habitats in the world and two most famous national parks cum reserves of India, Bandhavgarh National Park & Kanha National Park. There's another one Panna, maybe not as famous as the other two, but still worth a visit for wildlife enthusiasts .The Kanha Tiger Reserve offers pristine habitats for a wide variety of wildlife. Research and proper management has increased the wildlife population and enhanced the habitat for some species. Although walking and night visits are prohibited, the ease with which large numbers of animals can be spotted has made this amongst the finest and most important wildlife sites in India. The reserve is closed between July and October, but premature showers could result in its earlier closure.

Amongst the best, Kanha is also one of the largest national parks in India. Its coare zone covers an area of 940 sq km, while the buffer is spread across 1,000 sq km. The most noticeable vegetation is the huge bamboo, sal and teak trees. The park is noted for its tiger population. Sightings are frequent and, during summers, local jeep operators actually offer a money-back guarantee for tiger sightings. The park is also famous for its rare barasinghas, whose number had dwindled to an alarmingly low 66 a few years ago, but has been raised to 1,000 due to conservation efforts. Kanha, with its plateaus, hills and grasslands, is also one of the most scenic parks in the country

For the bird enthusiast, jeep rides and elephant safaris can be very rewarding. A day's count can be as high as 120 species, especially during the winter months. Wildfowl, hornbills, eagles, woodpeckers, drongos and scores of other woodland birds keep the tally going. Shravan Tal, located in the central meadows of Kanha, is an unforgettable site for the avid bird-watcher.

Another memorable experience in Kanha is tracking tigers on elephant-back. The mahout is not only the elephant trainer and driver, but an incredible forest guide and philosopher. He possesses an uncanny knack for locating the tiger by being ever alert to the warning cries of monkeys and deer, and to the majestic cat's distinctive excreta, pug-marks on the ground and claw-marks on tree trunks.

The valleys of Kanha were the hunting grounds of the rich and powerful, with the tiger as the foremost attraction. The central Indian Barasingha, a race of Swamp Deer of which there was a sizeable population 100 years ago, was also hunted down. In 1933, realizing the region's wildlife potential, 250 sq km of the Kanha Valley was offered protection, followed by the adjoining HalonValley a couple of years later. However, the indiscriminate killing continued until, ironically, the massacre of several tigers by a privileged hunter caused such an uproar that a special legislation was passed that finally saved Kanha for posterity. It is today a 1,945 sq km Project Tiger reserve, a move that has not only helped the Tiger survive, but very successfully saved the Swamp Deer in central India.

Wildlife :Tiger (below), Swamp Deer (Barasingha) (above), Leopard, Wild Dog (Dhole), Leopard-cat, jungle Cat, Indian Fox, Sloth Bear, Gaur (Indian Bison), Sambar, Spotted Deer (Chital), Barking Deer, Chowsingha (Four-horned Antelope), Nilgai (Blue Bull), Blackbuck, Indian Pangolin, Ratel, Common Mongoose

BIRDS RAPTORS Bonelli's Eagle, Changeable Hawk Eagle, Booted Eagle, Oriental Honey-buzzard, Crested Serpent Eagle, Brown Fish Owl, Jungle Owlet

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Kipling Camp.
Royal Tiger Resort.