Location: Mandla
District, Madhya Pradesh.
Area : 1, 940 sq. kms.
Major Wildlife Attraction : Tiger and other members of
the big cat family, also white tiger and barasingha.
Best Activities: Wildlife watching and sightseeing and
also tiger safari & elephant safari.
Nearby Tourist Destinations: Mandla, Baihar and Bamni
Dadar
When to Visit: April to June and November to January
About Kanha National Park
Kanha National Park, home to a wide range of wildlife is one of India's
largest national parks. It is a mesmerizing area covered with Sal forest and
lightly wooded grassland. The Park also has a web of numerous rivers and
streams. The tiger and the highland barasingha are the highlights of this
park. Realising the danger on the Tiger population in the country, the
Government started the "Project Tiger" at Kanha and in 1974 the
area was declared a Tiger reserve.
The park was created in 1955 by a special law, with a soul aim of
preserving wildlife and saving many endangered species in the process. The
Kanha National Park is famous for its natural beauty and as dwelling ground
to both predator and prey.
Other animals that are found here are the panther, gaur, chital, sambar,
sloth bear, nilgai and blackbuck. Apart from these, there are some 200
species of birds, making Kanha a bird watcher's paradise. Water birds like
cattle egret, racket-tailed drongo, woodpecker, parakeet, etc can also be
seen here.
All in all Kanha National Park is an adventurous experience, which attracts
loads of tourists.
Major attractions in Kanha National Park
The Vegetation
The vegetation of the park is also very rich. It has Bamboo forests flow
into Sal forests and meadows. There are other trees like Bija, Haldu,
Dhaora, Ban-rahar snd Sindhur, making the park cooler and greener.
The Wildlife
One can spot herds of spotted deer with smaller herds of beautiful
Antelope, the Black Buck. If you are lucky enough, you could also spot the
timorous Barking Deer. It's snapping warns other denizens of the forest that
a predator is around. One can also come across the Rare Barasingha and the
Swamp Deer. There are 175 varieties of birds in Kanha. So if you are a bird
watcher, look forward to a full bird show. Most people are interested to see
Kanha's major attraction, the Tiger but one has to be patient to spot one.
Also catch glimpses of all the grazers, a Porcupine, many Gray Langurs,
Mongoose, Hyena, Jungle Cat and even a Leopard. Other wild attractions in
this Tiger dominated country include varieties of Deer - the Barasingha,
Chital or Spotted Deer, Chousingha, Nilgai, as well as the majestic Gaur or
Indian Bison and wild Pig.
Other Attractions
Elephant Safari
The elephant safari at Kanha provides you with an opportunity to observe
animals and sighting in a better way.
Kanha Museum
The museum at the Kanha National Park, displays the tribal culture of
Madhya Pradesh along with attributes and activities of the park.
Getting There
Air : The nearest airport is at Nagpur (266-kms) and is connected by
various domestic airline services with Mumbai.
Rail : Jabalpur at 169-kms is the convenient railway station to
visit Kanha.
Road : Kanha National Park is connected by road with Jabalpur
175-kms, Khajuraho 445-kms, Nagpur 266-kms, Mukki 25-kms, Raipur 219-kms.
Within the park: Koshi - Kanha (9-kms), Kishi - Katia (4-kms), Kishi - Mukki
(32-kms). There are regular bus services available from Jabalpur to Kanha.
Accommodation
Kanha National Park has some very exciting accommodation facilities like
log huts and wild resorts along with the regular accommodation facilities.
