Kanha National Park

The Illustrious, ethereal and magical world of fairy tales enters the mind of the many when they embrace the thought of Kanha. It was close to the year 1860 that Kanha came to be recognised as a biodiverse sanctum. Captain James Forsyth, an officer in the Bengal Staff Corps at the time, discovered the awe inspiring beauty that the land offered. He penned his thoughts on the park in his book called the "Highlands of Central India". A readable combination of forest surveys, ethnography of the people that resided here and a personal memoir of his excursions.

Kanha is known for its exceptional park management as it campaigned to relocate villages within the core area of the national park like Sonf, Bishanpura and Gorhela, on a voluntary basis. This played a major factor in the success of their conservation efforts as it reduced man animal conflict by a considerable margin while subsequently aiding the local community by providing better healthcare facilities, education and livelihoods. Even the Hard Ground Barasingha, "Jewel of Kanha" was placed in special enclosures to encourage its breeding and as a result brought it back from the brink of extinction. The outcome was quite palpable as the number of this iconic species of deer sky rocketed. From merely 66 Barasinghas that were left in the park, Kanha is now home to over a 1000 of these Swamp Deer. This was by no means a trivial feat, and the department were rightly awarded as awarded as the best tourist friendly national parks, by the Government of India.

Kanha encompasses a mosit deciduous landscape comprising of predominantly Sal trees that stand tall through the safari trails. The area also possesses sprawling grasslands that can be seen till the very end of the horizon, this where one has a good chance of witnessing a diversity of deer species, including the magnificent Barasingha. The park is dotted with water holes where animals quench their thirst or a Tigress playing with her cubs during the hot summer months. Apart from these beings, Kanha is a great wildlife destination to even spot Sloth Bears and Wild Dogs. The bird diversity here too is extremely enthralling with over 300 species seen here through the year. Some resplendent mentions include the Malabar Pied Hornbill, the Emerald Dove, The Spotted Eagle Owl, Black Hooded Oriole, Asian Paradise Flycatcher and the White Rumped Shama.

When it comes to the demarcation of the Core area, Kanha has 4 different zones known as Mukki, Kisli, Sarhi and Kanha. While the first three are the most visited zones by tourists, Kanha is deemed as a premium zone by the forest Department, fees for which is also higher by almost 50%. Munna, one of Kanha’s renowned Tigersis often seen here.

The other three zones too, are known for excellent Tiger sightings. This King of the Juglet co-exists beautifully with two other large predators- the Leopard and Wild dogs. Tracking them is not an easy feat, hence at they can be regarded as even a greater sighting than the Tiger.

Only 20% of the Core area of the national park is open to tourists. This is more than enough as it gives us plenty to view and explore.

Top Recommended tours are:

Kanha, Bandhavgarh & Corbett Tour

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