How to reach Kanha National Park

This is the original Kipling country of which he wrote so vividly in his Jungle Book. Kanha's sal and bamboo forests, rolling grasslands and meandering streams stretch over 940 sq km in dramatic natural splendor which form the core of the Kanha Tiger Reserve created in 1974 under Project Tiger. The park is the only habitat of the rare hardground Barasingha (Cervus Duvaceli Branderi).

The forests of the Banjar valley and Halon valley, respectively forming Kanha's western and eastern halves. By a special statute in 1955, Kanha National Park came into being. Since then, a string of stringent conservation programmes have been launched, for the overall protection of the park's fauna and flora. Kanha boasts of about 38 species of mammals. Some of the inhabitants of this park are the gaur, the largest of the world's cattle; the sambar, the largest Indian deer; and the chausingha, the only four-horned antelope in the world. Other frequent visitors include the Nilgai antelope, the sloth bear, the dhole, or Indian wild dog, and an occasional Leopard. Some 300 species of birds inhabit the park, that includes the storks, egrets, black ibis, raptors, owls, and the red-wattled lapwings.

By Air

• Raipur is the closest airport, 220kms, max 4 hour drive, has daily flights to New Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Hyderabad
• Jabalpur is also 250kms, max 4-hour drive, has daily flights to New Delhi.

By Train

• Gondia is 130kms, 2.5-hour drive, has trains from New Delhi.

Other Destinations

• Bandhavgarh national park: 240kms, 4.5 hour drive.
• Pench national park: 210kms, 4 hour drive

Park Season, Excursion Timings, and Fees

The park is open daily from 1 November to 30 June, in spite of the fact that administration holds the alternative to close prior if the downpours start before the finish of June. The opening times are planned to accord generally with the occasional varieties in atmosphere, just as with the length of the day at various seasons. There is constantly a late morning break, with the goal that representatives may have lunch and rest and the creatures may have a reprieve, as well.

Opening hours are as follows:

1 November-IS February Sunrise to 11 AM. 3 P.M. to sunset

16 February-30 April Sunrise to 11 AM. 4 P.M. to sunset

1 May-30 June Sunrise to 10 AM. S P.M. to sunset

Entry fees and regulations are as follows:

Park entry for Indian citizens: Rs. 10/

Park entry for foreigners: Rs. 100/

Light motor vehicles: Rs. 10/- per vehicle up to 5 persons and Rs. 2/- for each additional person.

Park entry for student groups: Rs. 10/- per group.

Opening hours are subject to change because of special conditions: for example, heavy rain showers may make park roads temporarily hazardous, or official activities such as census taking may be scheduled. In practice, "sunrise" and "sunset" are interpreted as "dawn" and "dusk," with vehicles being admitted at 6:30 A.M., for example, if sunrise occurs at 6:50. The gate attendants tend to be stricter about exit times, since darkness follows sunset quite rapidly at this latitude.

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