Wildlife Holidays: Wlidlife Holidays: Kanha National Park

LOCATION

Kanha National Park is a National Park and a Tiger Reserve in the Mandla and Balaghat districts of Madhya Pradesh, India. The major feature of this region's interesting topography is the horseshoe shape valley and the whole park area is surrounded by the spurs of the Mekal. The Surpan River meanders through Kanha's central Maidans, grasslands that cover the extensive plateau. Steep rocky escarpments along the edges offer breathtaking views of the valley. In the 1930s, Kanha area was partitioned into two sanctuaries, Hallon and Banjar, covering 250 and 300 sq km each. Kanha National Park was created on June 1st, 1955. Today it sprades over an area of 940 sq km in the two districts Mandla and Balaghat. Together with a surrounding buffer zone of 1009 sq km and the neighboring 110 sq km Phen Sanctuary it forms the Kanha Tiger Reserve(Created in 1974 under Project Tiger).

KANHA WILDLIFE

FLORA: The lowland forest of sal(shorea robusta) and other mixed trees, grassy meadows and ravines provided inspiration to Rudyard Kipling for his world-famous novel "Jungle Book". The highland forests are tropical moist dry deciduous type and of a completely different nature with bamboo on slopes (dendrocalamus strictus). A very good looking Indian ghost tree locally called kullu (a variety of gum tree) can also be seen in the dense.

The famous Kanha Tiger Reserve abounds in meadows or maidans which are generally open grasslands that have sprung up in fields of abundant villages, evacuated to make way for the animals. Kanha meadow is one such example. There are many species of grass recorded at Kanha some of which are important for the survival of Barasingha deers (Cervus duvauceli branderi). Dense forest zones with good crown cover has abundant species of climbers, shrubs and herbs flourishing in the understory. Aquatic plants in numerous tal(lakes) are life line for migratory and wetland species of birds.

FAUNA: Tiger tiger burning bright. If statistics and common sense are expected to converge on your luck of spoting a tiger, then Kanha might be the place to sought after. According to the census of 2006, there are 131 tigers roamig on the face of Kanha. If your adventurous mind needs more predatory stimulation, there are Leopards(80 in 2000), Indian wild dogs(according to the locales and experienced hunters of the past, a herd of these beasts can very well force a tiger to stay away from their trail!), rare Indian wolves(canis indica), Sloth bears(111 in 2000) to strive for.

The most abundant prey species for the large predators is the spotted deer or Chital, whose number is estimated to be about a staggering 20000! The second largest population of deer is that of Sambar (Cervus Unicolor) which constitutes an important prey base of the tiger. Other commonly observed mammals include the common grey langur (6668 in 2000), wild boar (8534 in 2000), Gaur (wild asian ox; more than thousand in 2000),Sambar(3621 in 2000) and Barasingha or swamp deer (this is the hardground swamp deer (Cervus duvauceli branderi), found only in Kanha, barely 1200 survive in the wild). Barasingha were only 60 left in this planet when measures were taken to prevent extinction. As of June 2006, the count is around 1200. An attempt to raise the Black Buck(small Indian antelope) here has failed. The Chousingha(another deer species) and the Nilgai (blue bull), though rare, can also be found in Kanha.

Other larger mammal species of the park are rhesus macaque, golden jackel, bengal fox, smooth-coated otter, honey badger, small Indian civet, python, mouse deer, barking deer, Indian gray mongoose, ruddy mongoose, striped hyena, jungle cat, leopard cat, Indian spotted chevrotain, Indian pangolin, Indian porcupine and Indian hare.

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, papihas, rollers, bee-eater, hoopoes, drongos, warblers, kingfishers, woodpeckers, finches, orioles, owls, and fly catchers.

OTHER ATTRACTIONS

Another heightened attraction within the Park is Bamni Dadar, that offers the most awe-inspiring vista of the sunset against the backdrop of green fields with grazing Sambars and Gaurs, magnifying the natural splendor of the area.

The museum at Kanha national park is another interesting visit that informs the attributes and activities of the park and the tribal culture of the state of Madhya Pradesh.

APPROACH

►KANHA IN GOOGLE MAPS◄

AIR: Nagpur at 266-km is the nearest Airport to visit Kanha National Park and is connected by various domestic airline services with Mumbai, Dehli, Kolkata, Chennai and other metros.

RAIL:Jabalpur at 169-kms is the convenient rail head to visit Kanha.

ROAD:Kanha National Park is connected by road with Jabalpur 175-kms, Khajuraho 445-kms, Nagpur 266-kms, Mukki 25-km, Raipur 219-km.

Within the park: Koshi - Kanha (9-km), Kishi - Katia (4-km), Kishi - Mukki (32-km). There are regular to and fro bus service available from Jabalpur to Kanha.

TIME TO VISIT

The climate of this region is tropical. Summers are hot and humid with a maximum and minimum temperature of 40.6°C and 23.9°C. Winters are pleasant with an average maximum and minimum temperature of 23.9°C and 11.1°C, respectively. The annual average rainfall is 152 cm. The park is closed from July to mid-November during monsoon.

ACCOMMODATION

There are enough decent accommodation options in Kanha, and the scene is getting better every passing day. There are a number of star category hotels catering to the needs of tourists coming to explore Kanha National Park or interesting in exploring the scenic region around.

APPAREL

Cottons, but bring woolens as well, as early mornings and evenings can be chilly, especially in a moving jeep and in the cool season. Try not to wear loud colors.

QUICK FACTS

Area: 1945 sq. km
Altitude: 600-900 meters above sea level
Time to avoid: The park is closed from July to mid-November during monsoon.
Best Season: February to June
Nearest Airport: Nagpur(266 km) connected from most of the metros by domestic airlines.
Key Wildlife: Tiger, Leopard, Bear, Wild Indian Dog, various species of deer and birds.