Kanha National Park

Location - Kanha National Park is located in Mandla district of Madhya Pradesh
Nearest Town - Nearest town is Mandla which is at adistance of 65 kms from the park.


About Kanha National Park
Occupying a core area of around 940 sq kms (the total area is 1945 sq kms),Kanha National Park is one of the most significant parks in te country. The Kanha valley was declared a sanctuary in the 1933, however, it was only in 1955, that the area was accorded the status of a National Park. Located in the Mandla district of Madhya Pradesh, the park is one of the earliest toinitiate ‘Project Tiger’ to control the increasingly depleting population of tigers in India. The project was a huge success and contributed extensively in doubling the nuber of tigers in the country in last two to three decades.

About the park itself, the more said, the lesser it seems. The beauty of the park and the variety of its inhabitants have forced many, including the very famous Rudyard Kipling to pen something special. Jungle Book, hug ely popular with children, is one book written by the renowned author that drawsits inspiration from the surroundings of Kanha National Park.

The topography of the land is also interesting with a valley of the regioncarrying a striking resemblance to a horse shoe in its shape. A ripplingriver (Surpan River) finds its way through the maidans and grasslands of thepark.


Best Time To Visit
The best time visit the park is between the months of April to June andNovember to January. From July to Mid-November, the park remains closed dueto monsoons. The annual rainfall received by the park is around 1600 mm.


Wildlife of Kanha National Park
The main attraction of Kanha National Park is without doubt, the tiger.Tourists can find (though with much effort and patience) the ‘king ofthis park’ roaming around freely in the vast expanse looking extremelygorgeous and arousing deep interest and awe in the mind and hearts of itsonlookers.

Fauna
Apart from the tigers, there are other animals in the park that will catchthe attention of the tourists including porcupine, gray langurs, mongoose,hyena, jungle cat, leopards, barasingha, chital, chousingha, nilgai, Indianbison and wild Pig. Due to incessant poaching, there was a time when thepopulation of Barasingha fell to a paltry figure of 66 from an original3000. However, a conservation drive in association with the localitesensured that the number of Barasingha was restored to atleast a respectablefigure of 1000.

Reptiles in the park
The reptile population in the park comprises monitar lizards, pythons and ahuge variety of snakes.

Avi Fauna
For the lovers of birds, Kanha has around 300 varieties. Most of the tourists come to this park with an intention and desire to spot a tiger,though it is not always possible. The tourists might not succeed in their attempt, as the tiger may refuse to grant a view to these tourists. In such cases, the tourists atleast have the satisfaction of watching some beautiful birds. They are always present to delight the tourists on their visit to the Kanha National Park. The bird population of the park include pied or marshharriers, red jungle fowls, painted spur fowls, lesser whistling teals,common teals, pintails, cotton teals, shovelers, peafowls, Indian rollers,racket tailed drongos, red wattled lapwings, brown fish owls, nightjars,laggers, shaheen falcons, kestrels, barn owls, white eyed buzzards, blackwinged kites, shikras, crested serpent eagles, crested honey buzzards,yellow wattled lapwings, green bee-eaters, doves, black Vultures, scavengervultures, long billed vultures, white backed vultures and gray hornbills.

These are just a few names and there are many more varieties that a tourist will come across on his trip to the Kanha National Park.


Trips in Kanha
» Elephant Safari - Tourists can best enjoy the beauty of the Kanha National Park sitting at the back of an elephant. Theride itself is a tremendous experience and combined with glimpses of exoticanimals, it becomes completely delightful.

» Kanha Museum - Tourists visiting Kanha National Park are pleasantly surprised to find a museum within the boundaries of the park. The museum presents the attributes and activities of the park and also showcases the tribal culture of the state of Madhya Pradesh.


Reaching There
» By Air - The nearest airport is in Nagpur at a distance of 266 kms which in turn is connected by various domestic airlines.
» By Rail - The nearest rail head is at Jabalpur which is at a distance of 169 kms from Kanha.
» By Road - Roadways connect Kanha National Parkwith Jabalpur, Khajuraho, Nagpur, Mukki and Raipur. Regular buses to and from Jabalpur to Kanha make it easier for any tourist to visit the park..