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Kanha National Park
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Acclaimed as one of the
finest national parks in Asia - Kanha National Park,is
located in the Banjar and Halon valleys in the Mandla/Balaghat
districts of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.
Kanha attained the status of a National Park in 1955, and
forms the core of the Kanha Tiger Reserve, created in 1974
under Project Tiger.
The park is sprawled over a total area of 1,945 sq. km, of
which 940 sq. km constitutes the main park. The vast area
surrounding the main park acts as the buffer zone. The
river-valley basins, open parkland meadows and grasslands
at Kanha form the perfect grazing ground for a wide
variety of wild animals.
It is believed that the name Kanha came from the texture
of the soil found in the area. It is locally called kanhar
and this apparantely gave the park its name.
The most popular draw for tourists visiting the Park is
undoubtedly the tiger. Another prominent attraction of
Kanha is the almost extinct hard-ground Swamp Deer (Barasingha).
The best time to see them is during end Dec/early Jan when
the big breeding stags battle with one another over the
females. The animal was almost pushed to extinction in the
70’s but thanks to conservation efforts that included
relocation of villages, the barasingha is flourishing now,
an event worth celebrating.
There are two main entry points into Kanha – Kisli and
Mukki, both on the western side of the park. If one enters
through the Kisli gate from Khatia (15 mins), one will
find the most amount of biodiversity. Most park safaris
start from Kisli and the majority of the camps are also
located at Khatia.
Fauna:
Bengal fox, barasingha, black duck, Chital, deer, dhole,
Gaur, four horned antelope, flying squirrel, gaur, golden
jackal, Hanuman langur, Indian grey mongoose, India hare,
India spotted chevrotain, mongoose, Indian Muntjac,
jackals, jungle cat, leopard, Nilgai, pangolin, porcupine,
Rhesus macaque, small Indian civet, smooth coated otter,
striped hyena, sambar, sloth bear, tiger, wild boar, wild
dogs and wolf.
Almost 300 bird species, both resident and migratory.
These include crested serpent eagle, red jungle fowl,
common peafowl, bee-eaters, the Indian roller,
racquet-tailed drongo, Indian grey hornbill and the
Malabar pied hornbill.
Many amphibians include the Indian bullfrog, Malabar
fungoid frog, common Indian toad, monitor lizard, forest
celotis, ratsnake, krait, rock python, vine snake,
catsnake, copperhead snake, mud turtle and atlas moth.
Best time to visit:
Though the park is open from October to June 30, the best
period is November to March.
Temperatures can vary from 2 to 29 deg C. Winter can be
cold and frosty.
Best sightings are in March as the weather is good and
grass cover low. Also, shrinking water pools ensure beter
sightings, For barasinghs sighting, Dec and Jan are the
best months.
Safari timings:
Safari timings are from 0600 to 1200 hrs; and then 1500 to
1730 hrs. Timings can change marginally depending on
sunrise and sunset.
Go there for:
Barasinhgas, tigers and birds.
How to reach:
by road:
Kanha is 980 kms SE of Delhi; 480 kms SE of Bhopal and 270
kms NE of Nagpur.
From Delhi, take NH 2 to Agra,NH 3 to Biaora, NH 12 to
Jabalpur via Bhopal, NH 12A to mandla, district roads to
Kanha (Kisli) via Bamhni.
From Nagpur, Kisli is 259 km via Nainpur and Chiraidongri,
and Mukki is 289 km via Balaghat.
Khatia (3 kms from Kisli) and Mukki are the main entry
points to the Park. From Jabalpur, Kisli is 165 kms via
Chiraidongri, and Mukki is 203 km via Motinala and Garhi.
by rail:
Jabalpur is the nearest railway station to the Park.
Nagpur is also convenient.
by air:
The nearest major airport is Nagpur (280 Kms/7 hrs) or
Jabalpur (165kms/4hrs).
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© 2008, Banjara Camps & Retreats Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi. All rights reserved.
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