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This is without a doubt
one of India's most spectacular and exciting parks. The dense
sal forests, bamboo thickets and Mekal River provided the
inspiration for Rudyard Kipling's 'Jungle Book'. The park is
situated in the Mandla district of Madhya Pradesh, its
interesting mix of river valleys and steep rocky escarpments
provide a diverse habitat for all manner of indigenous
wildlife.
The park was created in 1955 and one of its first ambitious
projects was to protect and preserve the local population of
Barasingha (a unique type of swamp deer). This involved the
relocation of several villages, a process that has been
replicated in several parks with considerable success. The
park came under the Project Tiger umbrella in 1974.
At nearly 2000 sq. km Kanha is one of India's largest parks,
and after Sunderbans, home to the second largest population of
tigers. |
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The mixed forests of sal and bamboo provide good breeding
grounds for approximately 200 different species of birds, as
well as 22 mammal species. Kanha is noted for its open meadows
and water holes, and although tiger sightings are generally not
so frequent there is a more visible diversity of mammals and
birds than at ‘nearby’ Bandhavgarh. In fact Gaur (Indian Bison),
Barasingha and Dhole (wild dog) are seen in very few other
parks. Herbivores also include chitel, sambar, and blue bull (nilgai),
feeding on these prey species are jackal, leopard, hyena and of
course the tiger.
Over the years Kanha has received a fair amount of international
attention, having featured in numerous newspaper and magazine
articles. After Bandhavgarh and Ranthambhore it is one of the
best locations to see Tigers and visitors appreciate the more
relaxed approach to tracking and viewing wildlife here.
Jeep safaris enable you to view larger areas of this vast park,
and offer the mobility to track tigers by following fresh
pugmarks and alarm calls. As in Bandhavgarh elephants are also
used to track wildlife, although not everyone is a fan of
waiting in line for your chance to be shown the tiger. Relative
to Ranthambhore and Bandhavgarh, the Mukki side of Kanha does
continue to offer a more intimate experience of Indian wildlife;
with fewer lodges available there is a natural limit on visitor
numbers. Since it takes around 4 hours to drive through the park
from Kisli gate, and its more numerous lodges, to Mukki gate
there is always some protection from seasonal peaks but early
booking is important.
Kanha lies in the heart of India and can claim to be one of its
most prestigious National Parks, the land painted so vividly by
Kipling does not disappoint. The park opens sometime between
October 1st and November 1st depending on the amount of rainfall
received and closes at the end of June. Kanha is a half day
drive from Bandhavgarh, and is accessible by air to Nagpur from
Delhi or Mumbai followed by a 6-7 hour drive to the park. 1st
class overnight sleeper trains operate to Jabalpur, 4-5 hours by
road from the park. Pench is four hours from Kanha, en route to
Nagpur.
A range of accommodation is available including the wonderful
Kanha Jungle Lodge, set in 11 acres of mature sal forest near
the Mukki entrance to the park. A proportion of the cost at the
Jungle Lodge is given to the Tiger Trust, a non-governmental
organisation founded by the late Kailash Sankhala in 1989, which
works closely with the neighbouring communities and park
authorities to improve education and awareness. |
