Kanha Tiger Reserve, or more accurately Kanha National Park, is one of the 50 tiger reserves in India, and is considered the largest national park in Madhya Pradesh with an area of over 1,940 km2. The Kanha area was divided into two sanctuaries in the 1930s, Hallon of 250 km² and Banjar of 300 km². Here is our Travel Guide to Visit Kanha National Park.
On June 1, 1955, Kanha National Park was established. Kanha Tiger Reserve was established in 1973. The park covers an area of 940 km² and is located in the two districts of Mandla and Balaghat in Madhya Pradesh.
With a surrounding buffer zone of 1067 km2, Kanha National Park joins the neighbouring Phen Sanctuary which has an area of 110 km2, forming the largest national park in Central India. Moreover, the park is even among the top 10 most famous tourist spots in India.
The park is home to a large population of Royal Bengal tigers, sloth bears, leopards, Indian wild dogs, and swamp deer: the Barasingha, the pride of the park. Rudyard Kipling in his famous novel The Jungle Book was largely inspired by this diverse and rich environment that Kanha offers, composed of ravines, precipices but also green meadows, dense and wild forests, bamboo, sal, a tree famous for its wood.
Initially, Kanha National Park was designed to save the critically endangered Barasingha, but gradually developed extensive programs to protect endangered animal species. Kanha National Park is currently one of the most exotic wildlife reserves in Asia. In addition to its open grasslands, the park is home to rare species such as the blackbuck or Indian antelope, the sambhar, chital, and the swamp deer.
Flora of Kanha National Park
Kanha National Park is renowned for its rich and diverse flora. It is home to over 200 species of flowering plants and over 70 species of trees. The lowland forest is a fusion of sal and various trees, interspersed with open grasslands. While the highland forests are primarily made up of bamboo. Also found in this dense forest is the magnificent Davidia involucrata, or the pouch tree.
The main flowers that grow in Kanha Reserve are Sal, Lendia, Saja, Tendu, Palas, Mahua, Dhawa, Bija, Achar, Aonla and Bamboo. Various climbing plants, shrubs and plants that sprout in the forest give Kanha Park a certain liveliness. The aquatic plants that proliferate in the various lakes of Kanha National Park also make this place unique.
Some plants provide a favorable pasture and habitat for migratory and aquatic birds. Under the Madhya Pradesh Forestry Project, eco-development processes to preserve the flora of Kanha National Park are being initiated for the development of the forest sector in Madhya Pradesh.
This grandiose long-term project reflects the government's strategy for managing the reserve: 106 eco-development committees have been created in the buffer zone and 25 in the core zone. Likewise, the less important villages located in the surrounding area also become useful and important elements for the realization of this project.
In forest areas, eco-development committees (EDCs) sponsor, replenish and improve the productivity of forest resources, such as the production of fodder, timber and firewood, while ensuring the active collaboration of villagers mandated for these activities.
Wildlife of Kanha National Park
Visiting Kanha National Park gives you the opportunity to catch a glimpse of endangered species such as tiger, gaur, bison and various species of deer such as chital or axis deer, sambhar, swamp deer, Indian muntjac, blackbuck, blackbuck and mouse deer.
Other animals that inhabit Kanha National Park include the black-tailed antelope, the nilgai, the sloth bear, the leopard, the tiger, the hyena, the cobra, the grass snake, the porcupine, the langur, the rhesus macaque, the honey badger and the mongoose.
Visiting Kanha National Park is also an opportunity to discover the great varieties of birds such as the northern pintail, the stork, the pond heron, the dabbling duck, the egret.
But we also find there: the spur-winged lapwing, the partridge, the peacock, the spotted parakeet, the rock pigeon, the kingfisher, the small green or oriental bee-eater, the hoopoe, the drongo, the warbler, the chaffinch, the woodpecker, the owl.
The Barasingha, or Swamp Deer, or Duvacel's Deer, is the animal species that best embodies Kanha National Park. The Barasingha is an exceptional animal that is the park's emblem. Swamp deer roam the open grasslands among teak and bamboo forests.
20 years ago, the Barasingha were threatened with extinction, but fortunately, they were saved from ferocious animals thanks to effective and strict measures such as the installation of fencing to protect them from predators. Thus, you will often hear the roar of the Barasingha echoing around the Kanha National Park during the mating season.
The park also has a museum that showcases the park's events, features, and activities. It is also a space that also illustrates the rich tribal culture. The museum is closed on Wednesdays.
Kanha: The Jungle Book National Park where you can follow in Mowgli's footsteps
Considered by many to be India's most beautiful wildlife reserve, the 954-square-kilometre Kanha National Park began as a private hunting park for high-ranking officials of the British Empire in the early 20th century until it was finally designated a national park in 1955.
Located in the state of Madhya Pradesh, Kanha is an area with three entrances (Kisli, Mukki and Serai) that allow entry to this natural sanctuary that encompasses more than a thousand different species of flowers and is divided into diverse ecosystems such as its plains, wetlands or tropical forests where Bagheera or Shere Khan lie hidden by bamboo.
In fact, the name Seoni Jungle, coined by Rudyard Kipling, is the name of one of the reserve's neighboring towns. The Council Rock, where the wolves in the book met, is located near a tributary of the Wainganga River, near which Shere Khan planned to bury Mowgli's bones.
Climate of Kanha National Park
Kanha enjoys a tropical climate. Summers remain hot and humid, with a high of 40.6°C and a low of 23.9°C.
During the winter season, the climate remains pleasant with temperatures ranging between 23.9°C and 11.1°C.
In Kanha, the average annual rainfall is around 152 cm.
Best Time to Visit Kanha National Park
If you are planning to visit Kanha National Park, the best time to visit is from mid-October to the end of June. During the monsoon season, from July to mid-October, the park remains closed.
How to reach Kanha National Park
Kanha National Park is located in the Mandla and Balaghat districts of Madhya Pradesh state in central India.
Kanha National Park is easily accessible from most parts of India, by air, train or road.
Kanha National Park has basically two entry gates: Khatia Entrance Gate and Mukki Gate.
Khatia Gate is in Mandla district and Mukki is in Balaghat district in Madhya Pradesh.
From the Khatia Gateway, one can explore the Kisli, Kanha and Sarhi areas of Kanha National Park while the Mukki Gateway covers the Mukki range of the national park. Check out our tours with Kanha and other national parks and Taj Mahal
By road:
Kanha National Park is well connected to major destinations in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh.
By train:
The nearest railway stations to reach Kanha National Park are Gondia and Jabalpur. Gondia railway station is 145 kms away, about 3 hours drive from Kanha (gateway to Khatia). Jabalpur Railway Station is 160 kms away, which is about a 4 hour drive from Kanha (Mukki Gateway)
By plane:
The nearest airports to Kanha National Park are Jabalpur, about 160 km away, Raipur, 250 km away, and Nagpur, 300 km away.
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