India is becoming a hot destination for wildlife watching safaris especially tiger safaris. Tourist and natural history photographers come from all over the world to visit national parks and tiger reserves in India to get a glimpse of striped cat – Tiger. These black and orange strips have been attracting people for hundreds of years. Be it seals found at Indus Saraswati civilization sites or in Indian folk lore Tiger has its own identity and now it has been given the honor of National Animal of India. Once India could boast of more than 40,000 of these striped cats roaming free in Indian forests but their number has decimated to less than around 1000 in last hundred years mainly due to game hunting, poaching and habitat destruction. To see this magnificent creature you have to visit tiger reserves in India with some of them having name internationally.
When the than US President Mr. Bill Clinton had visited India he had especially visited Ranthambhore national park to see this magnificent striped cat, the king of Indian jungles. Other famous names have visited national parks like Kanha, Bandhavgarh and others spread all over the country. Tourists visiting these national parks gets a chance of not only seeing a tiger in its home but also to enjoy the Indian forests and see other wild animals. India has 28 tiger reserves spread all over the country so deciding on one is very difficult.
Certainly if you are visiting a certain part of the country any nearby national park can be visited but if you are coming for Tiger safari I will any day recommend central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh which prides itself of 5 Tiger reserves and national parks including Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Pench, Panna and Satpuda having good tourist infrastructure. Now choosing any one here is again a very difficult task but I will recommend Kanha and Satpuda National parks of all since here you do not only get a chance to see the king of forests but the habitat is also very beautiful.
Kanha National Park is always my first choice because the sal and bamboo forests and grassland here have always attracted me the most and I enjoy being here like nowhere else. Most of my award winning photographs of wild animals has been clicked here. Being at Kanha gives me immense pleasure, people here are very good natured and well behaved and it is one of the best managed national parks in the country. Be it guides, gypsy owners or resort staff all are very happy to serve you and you never feel out of place. Their knowledge and detailed descriptive stories make you feel as if what they are narrating is happening with you and you can visualize everything as a movie.
Situated in Mandla and Balaghat districts of central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh Kanha national park is spread over 1940 Sq. Kms. with 940 Sq. Kms. being core and the rest as buffer. The main wildlife attraction here are Tiger, Hard Ground Barasingha, Gaur, Sambhar, Chital, Barking deer, Black buck, Sloth bear, Jackal, Fox, Porcupine, Jungle cat, Python, Pea fowl, Hare, Monkey, Mongoose and leopard amongst hundreds of other mammals, reptiles and insects.
The birds species in the park include Storks, Teals, Pintails, Pond herons, Egrets, Peacock, Pea fowl, Jungle fowl, Spur fowl, Partridges, Quails, Ring doves, Spotted parakeets, Green pigeons, Rock pigeons, Cuckoos, Rollers, Bee-eater, Hoopoes, Drongos, Warblers, Kingfishers, Woodpeckers, Finches, Orioles, Owls, and Fly catchers. It is winter destination for number of migratory birds who visit central India and winter stoppage for many who take rest while passing over to their final destinations in southern part of the country.
A conservation story worth telling is of a deer species which came back from the brink of extinction due to hard work and efforts of the forest department. Also known as ‘Jewel of Kanha’ and commonly known as Swamp deer or Barasingha, it was decimated to meager 66 number from which it has rebound and today Kanha national park has more than 350 of them. Seeing them in winters which is also there rutting season is one of the best time.
Kanha Tiger reserve has a well developed tourism infrastructure and is well connected with almost all major towns in central India like Jabalpur, Nagpur and Raipur. It has accommodation facilities which can serve the most elite to economy tourists. Tourists can stay at Taj safari’s Banjar Tola having luxury tented accommodation to Kanha Village Eco Resort (they were awarded Best Eco Tourism Initiative award recently) which has cottages made of clay and mud but with all modern amenities and required luxuries. Accommodations for economy to high end tourists are available here. Madhya Pradesh tourism and forest department also have properties which can be booked through them.
You need to book your safari which is in two parts, morning one takes off at around 5 and lasts for around 6 hours and evening one starts around 4 and is for 3 hours. Timing change as per season and sun rise and sun set so just check it with your hotel. These safaris can also be booked through your accommodation provider. In the morning you can also get a chance to see Tiger on elephant back, known as Tiger show, where the Mahouts try to locate tiger and ferry tourists to get a glimpse of the king.
When in Madhya Pradesh you can also do bird watching, try adventure activities, visit historical monuments and places with religious importance. See Indian culture and especially tribal culture which still remains unadulterated at many places. So, planning a trip to see Tigers in the wild, just don’t think, visit Kanha national park and I am very sure you will be very happy with your decision.
