KANHA NATIONAL PARK , KANHA KISLI NATIONAL PARK IN MADHYA PRADESH

 KANHA NATIONAL PARK 

Kanha National Park is nestled in the Maikal range of Satpuras in Madhya Pradesh, the heart of India that forms the central Indian highlands.The national park is being popularized as the Tiger reserve and interestingly is being declared as one of the finest wildlife areas in the world. Spreading across two revenue districts the Mandala and the Kalaghat, Kanha National Park was declared a reserve forest in 1879 and revalued as a wildlife sanctuary in 1933. Its position was further upgraded to a national park in 1955.

The Kanha National Park is spread across the area of 940 sq km in the Maikal chain of hills. By bringing up the buffer and core zone all together, the Kanha Tiger Reserve has the total area of 1945 sq km.

The landscapes and the surrounding luxurious meadows along with the wooded strands and the dense maroons of forests offer magnanimous sightseeing experiences for the nature lovers. Making the land more beautiful and adorable, the crystal clear streams amidst the dense jungle cleanses the surroundings and makes the wildlife unrivalled. This vivacious land has been the source of inspiration for Rudyard Kipling, a famous writer for his outstanding creation- "The Jungle Book".

The Kanha National Park is the ideal home for wide ranges of wild creatures; right from the mighty tigers to the most populated Barasingha and the countless species of plants, birds, reptiles and insects. This reserve has fascinated many travelers around the corners of the world with its well developed infrastructure specially meant for them. The best location here to enjoy the most is the Bammi Dadar, also known as the Sunset Point.

Kanha in Madhya Pradesh (five hours driving from Jabalpur, six from Nagpur) has sometimes been called the N'Gorongoro of India. The simile is apt, albeit Kanha is far greener and its cordon of hills far more densely wooded. Unlike Tanzania's N'Gorongoro, the Kanha valley is not a volcanic crater, though the enclosing hills are a consequence of geologically ancient volcanic activity. The horseshoe-shaped Kanha valley, which accounts for nearly a third and the oldest part of the Kanha National Park, is bound by two distant spurs emanating from the main Mekal ridge, forming its southern rim. The spurs, in their gently tapering traverse, nearly close in the north leaving but a narrow opening for the meandering Sulkum or Surpan river, the valley's main drainage. Herds of the Kanha miscellany, the axis deer (chital), the swamp deer (barasingha), the blackbuck (hiran), the wild pig and occasionally the gaur, throng the central parkland of the valley, providing the basis for the com­parison with N'Gorongoro. With its confiding herds and relatively tolerant predators, Kanha offers an almost unrivaled scope to a keen photographer of Indian wildlife.

Wildlife sightings are good all over the preserve. One needs to book Kanha National Park entry in advance and arrange for gypsy as early as possible especially during the holiday season and festivals like Holi, Diwali, Dusshehra, New Year and Week Ends.

How To Reach Kanha National Park Madhya Pradesh
Kanha National Park is situated at Mandla & Balaghat Districts of Madhya Pradesh State in Central India. Kanha National Park has excellent Air, Road & train connections from most parts of India. There are two key locations of Kanha National park, Khatia & Mukki Entrance gate. Khatia entrance gate falls on Mandla district & Mukki on Balaghat district of M. P. State. From Khatia Entrance gate one can explore Kisli, Kanha & Sarhi zones of Kanha national park & Mukki entrance gate covers Mukki range of the national park. Khatia Entrance gate is well connected from Jabalpur & Nagpur & Mukki entrance gate is from Jabalpur, Raipur & Nagpur.

By Road:
Kanha National Park is well connected from the major destinations of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra & Chhattisgarh. Distance of Kanha National Park from some nearby destinations & approximate driving time is:
Destination     Distance from Kanha National Park
Nagpur     300 Kms / 06 to 07 Hrs Drive
Jabalpur     160 Kms / 04 Hrs Drive
Raipur     250 Kms / 05 Hrs Drive
Bilaspur     250 Kms / 05 Hrs Drive
Bhilai     270 Kms / 05 to 06 Hrs Drive
Bandhavgarh National Park     250 Kms / 04 Hrs Drive
Pench National Park     200 Kms / 04 Hrs Drive

By Train:
The Nearest Railway Stations for accessing Kanha National Park is Gondia & Jabalpur. Gondia railway station is 145kms / 03:00 hrs drive from Kanha (Khatia Entrance Gate). Jabalpur railway station is 160kms / 04:00 hrs drive from Kanha (Mukki Entrance Gate)

By Air:
The Nearest Airport for Kanha National Park are Jabalpur 160 Kms, Raipur 250 Kms & Nagpur 300 Kms.