Vanam / Parks / Madhya Pradesh
कान्हा टाइगर रिज़र्व
Sal forests and open meadows, the land that inspired The Jungle Book.
Kanha Tiger Reserve lies in the Mandla and Balaghat districts of Madhya Pradesh, in the Maikal hills of the Satpura range. The area was protected as a sanctuary in 1933 and became Kanha National Park in 1955. It joined Project Tiger in 1973.
The landscape is a mix of tall sal and mixed forest, bamboo and wide grassy meadows called maidans. It is often linked to Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book. Kanha is best known for the hard-ground barasingha, a swamp deer that survives nowhere else in the wild and was brought back from only a few dozen animals in the 1970s. The reserve is also home to tigers, leopards, sloth bears, dhole, gaur and a long list of birds.
Taller bars mean better wildlife viewing. Select a month to read what it is like.
The dots show how likely you are to see each animal on a typical safari.
India's national animal and the reason most visitors come to a safari.
Tigers are seen regularly in the Kanha and Mukki zones.
A swamp deer with up to twelve antler tines that has adapted to dry grassland. Kanha is its last home.
Seen on the central meadows; the only wild population of this subspecies.
The most common deer on safari, and the main prey of tigers and leopards.
A red, pack-hunting wild dog that whistles to keep its pack together.
The largest wild cattle in the world, with a muscular shoulder hump.
A long-tailed monkey whose alarm calls often reveal a hunting tiger or leopard.
A secretive spotted cat that often hunts at night and rests in trees or rocks.
India's national bird; the male spreads a train of long feathers when displaying.
The largest deer in India, whose alarm call warns the forest of a predator.
A shaggy, long-clawed bear that feeds mainly on termites and fruit.
Distances and travel times are approximate. Closure dates and permit rules change, so confirm them with the forest department before you book.
The hard-ground barasingha, a swamp deer saved from near extinction, plus tigers and its landscape of sal forest and meadows.
The core zones close roughly from July to September. Check the forest department site for exact dates.
Kanha and Mukki are the most popular. The best zone changes by season, so ask your guide on the day.
The area was first protected as a sanctuary.
Declared Kanha National Park.
Brought under Project Tiger.
By the late 1960s, the hard-ground barasingha had fallen to only a few dozen animals in Kanha. Protection of the meadows and relocation of villages helped the herd recover, and Kanha is now its only wild home.
Tell us your dates and group size. We will arrange the safari permits, stay and transfers.
