Kanha
Information
An small town of Madhya Pradesh
in central India, is maily famous for the
picturesque Kanha National Park which is spread
over an area of around 1,945 sq km and at
the altitude of 600-900 m above sea level.
Kanha's sal and bamboo forests, rolling grasslands
and meandering streams stretch over 940 sq
km in dramatic natural splendour provided
inspiration to Rudyard Kipling for his famous
novel "Jungle Book".
The park was initiated in 1955 by a special
law and, since then, it has dedicated itself
in preserving a variety of animal species.
Many endangered species have indeed been saved
here. Today Kanha is among the few most scenic
and beautiful wildlife reserves in Asia. This
Kanha Tiger Reserve, created
in 1974 under Project Tiger
in India is now the ideal
home for both predator and prey.
The Park's landmark achievement is the preservation
of the rare hardground Swamp Deer (Barasingha),
saving it from near extinction. Stringent
conservation programs for the overall protection
of the Park's fauna and flora, makes Kanha
one of the most well maintained National Parks
in Asia. A heightened attraction within the
Park is Bamni Dadar, popularly
known as Sunset Point that offers the most
awe-inspiring backdrop of the sunset against
grazing Sambhars and Gaurs, magnifying the
natural splendor of the area. Aside from its
diverse wildlife and bird population, the
frequent sightings of tigers roaming in the
wild at Kanha Wildlife Sanctuary remain the
most popular draw.
Major wildlife
attractions of Kanha
The main wildlife attractions in the park
are tiger, bison, gaur, sambhar, chital, more
pictures.... barasingha, barking deer, black
deer, black buck, chousingha, nilgai, mouse
deer, sloth bear, jackal fox, porcupine, hyena,
jungle cat, python, pea fowl, hare, monkey,
mongoose, tiger, and leopard.
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.
However, if one animal species were to represent
Kanha, it would probably be the barasingha,
or the swamp deer. The barasinghas at Kanha
are unique, being the hard ground variety,
which populate the large open tracts of grass
amidst the forests of teak and bamboo. Twenty
years ago, the barasingha was faced with extinction
but some desperate measures including the
fencing-off of some animals helped save them
and again the air in Kanha bugle with their
rutting calls.
The open meadows during the cold winter months
are usually teeming with barasinghas and there
is plenty of tiger activity around the fringes.
A female with two small cubs would circle
around at least two or three times during
the day and the swamp deer would go berserk,
their husky alarm calls ringing through the
jungle. Far from being the cunning, smart
aleck, portrayed in Disney's adaptation of
the Jungle Book, the real "Sher Khan"
is true blue-blooded royalty.
There is a museum at Kanha depicting attributes
and activities of the park and tribal culture.
It is closed every Wednesday.
Best time to
visit Kanha
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.
Suggested
itinerary for Kanha (10 Nights
/ 11 Days)
Destinations Covered : Delhi - Agra - Bandhavgarh
- Kanha - Jabalpur
Day 01: Arrive Delhi
Arrival at the airport & transfer to the
hotel. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 02 : Delhi
Half day tour of New Delhi including Lakshmi
Narayan Temple, President House, Rajpath,
India Gate, Qutab Minar
PM: Drive to Agra. Overnight at the hotel
in Agra.
Day 03 : Agra
Morning visit the famous Taj Mahal and Agra
Fort.
Evening board overnight train to Bandhavgarh
Tiger Reserve.
Day 04 : Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve
Morning arrive Bandhavgarh and transfer to
hotel. Evening jeep drive/ Elephant ride looking
for the tiger.
Day 05 : In Bandhavgarh.
Morning and Evening Jeep drive/ Elephant ride
in the park.
Day 06 : Bandhavgarh - Kanha
Morning Jeep drive/ Elephant ride in the park
PM : Drive to Kanha. On arrival check in to
hotel for overnight stay
Day 07 : In Kanha
Morning & Evening Jeep Safari in the park.
Day 08 : In Kanha
Morning & Evening Jeep Safari in the park.
Day 09 : Kanha - Jabalpur - Delhi
Morning Jeep Safari. In the afternoon drive
to Jabalpur railway station to board overnight
train to Delhi.
Day 10 : Delhi
Arrive at Delhi Railway Station and transfer
to hotel
PM : Half day sightseeing in Old Delhi including
Jama Masjid or Friday Mosque, Red Fort and
Raj Ghat.
Day 11 : Delhi Departure
Transfer to international airport for flight
back home.
How
to reach Kanha ?
By Air : Nagpur at 266-kms
is the nearest Airport to visit Kanha National
Park and is connected by various domestic
airline services with Mumbai.
By Rail : Jabalpur at 169-kms
is the convenient rail head to visit Kanha.
By Road : Kanha National
Park is connected by road with Jabalpur 175-kms,
Khajuraho 445-kms, Nagpur 266-kms, Mukki 25-kms,
Raipur 219-kms. Within the park: Koshi - Kanha
(9-kms), Kishi - Katia (4-kms), Kishi - Mukki
(32-kms). There are regular to and fro bus
service available from Jabalpur to Kanha.
.
