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Kanha national park
wildlife photos, safaris, map of Madhya Pradesh, trains to Jabalpur, accommodation near Kisli
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Kanha was originally created to protect the barasingha (swamp deer) and it is also an important refuge for the tiger, leopard, Indian wild dog, hyena, sloth bear and Gaur (Indian bison).
The 1998 census counted 106 tigers and 332 Barasingha at Kanha. The state of Madhya Pradesh, where Kanha national park is located, is home to about a quarter of India's tigers.
The most easily seen
mammals at Kanha are the
langur monkeys, spotted deer, sambar deer, wild boar and barasingha. Kanha is also home to over 300 species of birds as well as reptiles and fishes.
Kanha is composed of grassy meadows (about 15% of the park)
enclosed by dense sal forests, riverine forests and flat topped hills (about 50% of the park) with slopes and tops covered by dry
deciduous woodlands where bamboos are more common.
Part of the Kanha area was declared, in 1879, as a reserved forest and later in 1935 named the Banjar valley sanctuary.
In 1955 Kanha was raised to national park status and in 1973 designated a tiger reserve under Project Tiger.
The area of land under protection at Kanha has been increased several times with the
addition in 1970 of the Mukki valley and in 1974 of the Hallon valley. The entire 940 sq km area of Kanha national park is considered to be core zone, free of human disturbance. A buffer zone of about 1010 sq km surrounds Kanha and is considered to be a multiple use area.
Photos of Kanha national park, click to enlarge. All photos © Imtiaz Dharssi
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Good Points about Kanha
- Beautiful location with wide variety of wildlife, including tiger.
Bad Points about Kanha
- Long, difficult journey to reach Kanha national park.
- Accommodation is relatively expensive.
national parks:
Corbett national park []
Jaldhapara national park []
Ranthambore national park
Indian travels:
Darjeeling []
Jaisalmer and Thar desert []
Lucknow []
Naini tal []
Khajuraho
Travel tips for Kanha national park
- Location of Kanha: Madhya Pradesh, India. The nearest train station is at Jabalpur, the park is 175 km south-east of Jabalpur.
- Map: Zoomable map of area around Jabalpur and Kanha national park.
- Access to Kanha national park: The park is closed from the beginning of July to the end of October because of the monsoon. Visitors are only allowed to go on jeep safari at designated times; from sunrise to noon (06:30-10:00) and then from late afternoon to sunset (14:30-18:00). Jeep bookings can be made at Kisli gate. The cost per jeep booking is about Rs 800 which is shared between the passengers. There is also an entry fee for the park (Rs 200 for foreign tourists).
If the forest authority tracks a tiger, they arrange a tiger show. Visitors are taken on a quick elephant ride to see the sleeping/drugged tiger.
- Getting to Kanha national park:
For independent, budget travellers this is a tough journey. It's fairly straight-forward to get to Jabalpur by train. However, from Jabalpur, you have to take a rickety old bus to reach Kisli gate at Kanha national park. There are two buses every day at 08:00 and 11:00 and they take at least 6 hours along a very basic road.
Below, are the timetables for trains to Jabalpur from Delhi and Bombay.
Train timetable: Delhi to Jabalpur
| Train No. |
Train Name |
Origin |
Dep.Time |
Destination |
Arr.Time |
Days Of Run |
| M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
S |
| 1450 |
MAHAKOSHAL EXP |
H NIZAMUDDIN |
16:20 |
JABALPUR |
10:30 |
Every Day |
| 2412 |
GONDWANA EXPRES |
H NIZAMUDDIN |
14:30 |
JABALPUR |
05:50 |
Every Day |
Train timetable: Jabalpur to Delhi
| Train No. |
Train Name |
Origin |
Dep.Time |
Destination |
Arr.Time |
Days Of Run |
| M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
S |
| 1449 |
MAHAKAUSHAL EXP |
JABALPUR |
16:10 |
H NIZAMUDDIN |
10:40 |
Every Day |
| 2411 |
GONDWANA EXP |
JABALPUR |
15:55 |
H NIZAMUDDIN |
07:25 |
Every Day |
Train timetable: Bombay to Jabalpur
| Train No. |
Train Name |
Origin |
Dep.Time |
Destination |
Arr.Time |
Days Of Run |
| M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
S |
| 2322 |
CALCUTTA MAIL |
MUMBAI CST |
21:25 |
JABALPUR |
13:40 |
Every Day |
| 1093 |
MAHANAGARI EXP |
MUMBAI CST |
00:10 |
JABALPUR |
16:35 |
Every Day |
Train timetable: Jabalpur to Bombay
| Train No. |
Train Name |
Origin |
Dep.Time |
Destination |
Arr.Time |
Days Of Run |
| M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
S |
| 2956 |
JP BCT SUPFAST |
JAIPUR |
14:05 |
BORIVALI |
07:10 |
Every Day |
| 9008 |
ARAVALI EXPRESS |
JAIPUR |
08:40 |
BORIVALI |
06:08 |
Every Day |
- Accommodation: There are dormitory beds (Rs 400 per night including meals), non air-con log huts
(Rs 1,100 per night) and air-con log huts (Rs 1,500 per night) inside the park. There is also a good choice of, better value, budget
accommodation just outside the park gates, at Kisli.
- Food: Basic thali style food.
More information about Kanha
