Tiger Travel in Pench National Park

Tiger travel in Pench National Park takes wildlife enthusiasts to the setting of the BBC’s popular ‘Tiger: Spy in the Jungle’ 2008 television series. This wildlife reserve is home to a prime habitat in the Satpura Hills, in the Seoni and Chhindwara districts of Madhya Pradesh in India. Previous to the series, this park was little-known by visitors to the country, although it lies in the region of India that inspired Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book. Including Pench National Park on the itinerary of a Tiger travel tour increases the possibility of multiple sightings in a range of habitats, as well as the opportunity to see more of India’s natural beauty and wildlife.

History of Pench National Park

The area this reserve is located in has an illustrious history in India. Its natural wealth and richness earned it a description in the Ain-i-Akbari (or the "Constitution of Akbar"), a 16th century document written by the Emperor Akbar’s vizier, Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak, recording the administration of Akbar’s empire. It belongs to a much larger text, the Akbarnama (or the "Book of Akbar"). Searching for the majestic Tiger, travelling through such a historically beautiful region is an immense privilege.

In the late 19th century, Rudyard Kipling wrote his famous book The Jungle Book, inspired by the region encompassing this reserve. The park is also known as Mowgli Land in memory of Kipling’s stories. More recently, in 2008, the BBC brought the park to the public’s attention with the aforementioned television series, which showed the story of a Tiger family living in the park, using innovative, less intrusive filming techniques such as a camera held on the tusk of an elephant.

Visiting Pench National Park

Pench National Park protects 758 square kilometres of the animal's habitat, with 299 square kilometres of core park area and the rest comprising a buffer zone. The undulating landscape creates a range of habitats within the park, including Teak forest and other magnificent tree species such as Saja, Bija and Lendia. The white Kulu trees stand out among the green. Grasses and low-lying plants break open the forests.

The primary reason to visit Pench for Tiger travel is, of course, the opportunity to see the magnificent animal in a stunning natural setting. The park is well populated with them, giving wildlife enthusiasts the high possibility of a sighting. Other species often sighted in the park include Chital, Sambhar, Nilgai, Wild Boar and Asiatic Jackal. The density of herbivores in Pench National Park is particularly notable, giving visitors plenty to see as they explore the park. Flora enthusiasts will be treated to a beautiful array of species, as over 1,200 species of plants have been recorded in the park area, including some rare and endangered species.

Marissa Ellis-Snow is a freelance nature writer. If you’re looking for Tiger travel, Naturetrek specialises in expert-led natural history and wildlife tours worldwide. Naturetrek brings over 25 years of experience to to wildlife tours to some of the most spectacular regions on Earth.

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