Kanha Tiger Reserve or Kanha National Park came in to being in 1955. It is situated in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Kanha is mainly a tiger reserve and it was created on 1974 under the Tiger project, whose sole purpose was to save the tigers and provide them a natural habitat. Famous writer Rudyard Kipling in his unparalleled work of fiction “Jungle Book” used the Kanha National Park as the backdrop of his story. This national park has successfully saved the Barasingha or the hardground deer from extinction. The park is also very much focused on the preservation of the other flora and fauna. The main residents of this park are the world famous and India’s national animal Tiger. Also found are sloth bears, Indian leopards, barasingha and Indian wild dogs.
Kanha National Park
The main reasons for the establishment of kanha national park are to save and to provide a natural habitat for all the animals, including the endangered ones. Firstly, the mascot of the park, the barasingha was an endangered species and the population of this species was dropping alarmingly. The park took preventive measures to save it. Kanha is the biggest national park of Madhya Pradesh. This park also accommodates the Bengal tigers. This national park has been voted as the largest and biggest national park of Central India. And Kanha Tiger Reserve also holds a place of it’s in the 10 Famous Places for Tourists.
Kanha National Park Location
The national park is situated 600 – 900m above the sea level. The park covers a total area of 940 square kms which falls within the two districts of Balaghat and Mandala. It has a surrounding buffer zone of 1067 square kms and the adjacent Phen Sanctuary which is 110 square kms together makes the Kanha Tiger Reserve. This park is a huge national park, with lots of flora and fauna. It has big meadows which stretch for miles dense parts of the forest where sunlight barely enters due to thick canopy of trees and foliage.
Kanha National Park Map
The jungle of kanha national park is teeming with different kinds of plants and animal life. It is one of the best maintained national parks where the animals roam around fearlessly. The plant life within the core area is very dense and well grown, with different kind of trees like sal, bamboos and banyan trees etc. The park’s most coveted wildlife attractions are the tiger, gaur, bison, chital, the barking deer, the barasingha, the black buck, the chausingha, nilgai, sloth bears, jackals and reptiles of different kind. There are a few animals which can be found outside the core area of the reserve. Those are jungle cats, fox, civets, hyena and honey badgers. The reserve attracts around 300 different species of birds like the black ibis, woodpecker, pigeon, paradise flycatchers, red-wattled lapwing, maina etc.
How to Reach Kanha National Park
Travelling to kanha national park is very simple. One can use means of air travel or road travel to get to the destination. Jabalpur Airport is the nearest airport and there are direct flight from Mumbai and Delhi. Air India and Spice Jet have numerous flights going in and out Madhya Pradesh. Jabalpur also has a well connected railway network. There are many trains that go directly to Jabalpur. It is also a good idea if the national park is reached through Mandala. Mandala has a tourist taxi service which goes all the way to the kanha national park.
Kanha National Park Online Booking
The entry fare and the timings for the kanha national park are as follows:
Kanha Zone Safari ( Vehicle Included) – 6500 INR (For Indian Nationals) – 9500 INR(For Foreign Nationals)
Sarahi Zone (Vehicle Included) – 6500 INR (For Indian Nationals) – 9500 INR(For Foreign Nationals)
Kisli Zone( Vehicle Included) – 6500 INR (For Indian Nationals) – 9500 INR(For Foreign Nationals)
Mukki Zone( Vehicle Included) – 6500 INR (For Indian Nationals) – 9500 INR(For Foreign Nationals)
You can book for Jungle Safari’s at : Online Booking for Kanha National Park Jungle Safari
Best Time to Visit Kanha National Park
Best time to Visit this place would be between the months of February to June. The kanha national park stays open from 6.30 am to 11.00 am every morning and reopens from 3.00 pm to 6.00 pm every day. The reserve stays closed due seasonal and maintenance reasons from July 1st to October 15th.
For a nature and wild life lover, kanha national park is the best place to visit. With a huge array of animal as well as plant life, the eccentric wind blowing throughout and the incessant songs of the birds, this place is a must visit.
