After a Six day birding trip in the biting cold of January
to the beautiful Tal Chhapar Sanctuary (Trip details will be posted soon enough)
I was eagerly looking forward to a well-planned back to back trips, first to
the Kanha Tiger reserve with Nisarga Bhraman (NB) and from there a private trip
to the Pench Tiger reserve with Five of us friends. Being visiting kanha for
the first time and having heard about how beautiful the forest was I was
naturally curious about what actually lay before me.
Trains seats were booked on the Vidharba express for 21st April
scheduled to leave CST at 19.10hrs.Plan was to go to CST after attending office
and take the train. My friend Shriram Joshi very generously arranged to pick up
my luggage thus saving me loads of trouble carrying stuff around. We reached Gondia
at the scheduled time at around 11.15 am. As soon as we stepped out from the AC
train compartment we got a taste of the simmering Heat of The region.
Temperatures normally hover around 43-45 degrees in normal summer time. I
checked my Cell for the Temperature App and saw it displaying digits at around
44 Degrees!!! Coming out of the station we found a small stall selling fresh
sugarcane juice and a few rounds were the perfect remedy for our parched throats.
By then Our Pickup to our Hotel had arrived and we bundled inside the AC
Traveller thankful to get some respite from the scorching heat. We were to have
lunch on reaching the hotel, but had to wait at the station for arrival of the
second group of people who were delayed due to their train running late, So We had
our lunch at a restaurant nearby and proceeded to our hotel which was a good three
hours drive away. The plan was to make it to the hotel and thereafter to Kanha
Tiger reserve’s Mukki Gate in time for the Days Evening Safari at 3PM.
Butter smooth roads surrounded by green forests lulled
everyone into a small nap. I was sitting beside the driver in the front seat
and had unhindered views of the beautiful landscapes unfolding before me.
Somewhere in between during the beautiful drive I even spotted a Jackal at a
small stream running in the forest.
We reached our Hotel “Chitvan Jungle lodge” at around 2.45pm
and were warmly greeted by the General Manager Mr.Ashwani Agarwal and Naturalist Mr.Naren Malik. Cold towels were
handed to the guests along with glasses of chilled and refreshing Lemon Drink.
Our luggage was taken out from the car and was transported to our allotted rooms
immediately. This impressive, impeccable and personalised service by the staff
of this luxuriously Splendid Eco-Hotel continued right till our last day in
this splendid property. Let it be the minute attention to detail or the ever
courteous helping hand or putting the guest and his/her comfort on top of their
minds each and every individual of the staff came as a topper at every
occasion. Kudos to Mr.Ashwin and his team.
After a quick freshening up we got into our respective
safari jeeps and sped to the Mukki Gate of the reserve. Day one and our Safari today
was in the Mukki Zone. Upon completing the usual registration and ID
formalities we entered the jungle.
Kanha Tiger Reserve is located in the Maikal Hills of the Satpuras
spreading over two revenue districts – Mandla and Balaghat. It is situated in
the eastern sector of the central Indian Highlands and ranges over an area of
940 sq km in the Mailkal chain of hills. The Reserve consists of the National
Park which forms the Core Zone and a Buffer zone around the core bringing the
total area up to 1945 sq. km. Kanha was
declared a reserve forest in 1879 and notified as a wildlife sanctuary in 1933.
Its status was further upgraded to a national park in 1955. The habitat has an
excellent interspersion of geographical attributes and welfare factors which
foster a rich population of wildlife. The altitude of the park varies between
450 metres and 950 metres above sea level. The two major rivers here are the
Banjar and the Halon – in addition, numerous small tributaries break down
through the hill gorges into the valleys, to meander through the meadows. The
meadows, dotted with clumps of the great Sal tree, lie interspersed with larger
areas of Sal forest while at higher altitudes the bamboo becomes predominant. Beside
the Tigers for which Kanha is justly famous, the abundance of wildlife here is
remarkable – the magnificent Gaur; The hard ground Barasinga, the herds of
Chital,Jackals,wild dogs and the ever present Langurs. In all, some 22 species of large mammals
are regularly found within the Park – and the birdlife is equally impressive.
 |
| Waiting for the Tiger at the picturesque Babathenga Talao |
 |
| The rare hard-ground Swamp Deer (Barasingha) |
Within minutes of entering the gates we sighted a Jackal merrily walking down the safari track!! After clicking him to our heart’s content we reached the Umarjhola area where Sameer (NB Lead) who was with our other group gypsy informed us that they just had The Umarpani Male Tiger crossing the road in front of their gypsy seconds before we reached. Now this is the Fun of the safari. You Miss some and then you get something else in return. Our guide and driver both decided that the tiger might keep walking the fire line (Paths or swatches cut into the forests to arrest/stop spread of fire in the jungle) and might appear from the other end. So we drove to the other end of the Fire line but after waiting for some time there gave up and decided to proceed further.
 |
| Indian jackal (Canis aureus indicus) |
Personally for me I was happy just being in this beautiful Evergreen jungle paradise and a Tiger sighting if any was an added bonus. We went further and were passing through the Babathenga talao (Lake) area when we heard couple of Sāmbhar alarm calls and stopped to check them out. But apart from couple of gaurs (Indian Bison’s) we could see no other moment in the area. Time to head out to the gates was almost up and so we decided to exit the gates.
As we neared the safari pick up / drop point of our Hotel we
were greeted with a welcome sight. Chitvan’s staff stood ready with cold towels
and chilled glasses of juice. We gratefully accepted both with thanks and proceeded
to our rooms to freshen up. Chitvan’s luxurious property boasts of around 20
luxurious Rooms. There is a backup electricity and hot water supply along with
a well-stocked mini fridge. The suite that we occupied was on an elevated
level. The accommodation is based on five elements i.e. Pritvi(Earth),
jal(water), agni(fire), akaash( sky) and vaayu( air). We stayed in the
Agni Suites: These Suites stand tall, and grand.
 |
| Chitvan - A Luxuriously Splendid Eco-Hotel |
By the time we refreshed ourselves, the dinner was ready. In-fact
the dining hall is a huge warm and welcoming hall with a mini balcony. It
boasts of large dining tables and a well laid out sumptuous buffet. There is a
swimming pool just outside and the tribal wall paintings adorning the walls add
to the ambiance. After a quick Dip in the pool I made myself available for the
dinner. Today’s menu consisted of Barbecue Chicken (My favorite) along with
other dishes. After a heavy dinner we retired to our rooms for some
well-deserved sleep.
“Good Morning Sir,
this is your wakeup call”. It was 4.30am.All I wanted was to sleep Just a lil
bit more but I put the mind over the mattress and jumped out of the bed. After
Freshening up we gathered under the starlit sky at the pickup point which was
under a huge shady Black Jamun (Syzygium cumini) tree. Chitvan’s attentive
staff was already on the ground wishing us Good mornings and offering us tea/
coffee and biscuits with a smile.
We got into our safari Jeeps which were already waiting for us. Today
we would be going to the Kisli zone. We had come to know that a female
Tigress-Budbudi female with three cubs was regularly sighted at a waterhole
near the kisli entry gate and decided to check it out. Kisli Zone lies adjacent
to Kanha Zone and has the same habitat type. The meadows are smaller but
nevertheless tiger sightings are as good. On the way we stopped at The Nakti
ghati anicut and enjoyed some good birding. Here Couple of peacocks and peahens
were lazing in the small stream while 8-10 yellow-footed green pigeons (state
bird of Maharashtra) rested on a small tree, a pair of hooded oriole’s played
around while two pairs of Racket tailed drongo’s played catch-me-if-you-can
amongst the branches, one Oriental honey buzzard waited for his breakfast.
We heard some Sāmbhar alarm calls a couple of times but even after waiting for twenty minutes when nothing turned up we decided to go to the lake and wait for the Budbudi female. Upon reaching the place we found almost six gypsies waiting at the waterhole. We waited for almost 40 minutes before the guide suggested that all of us have our breakfast at the centre point designated area and return after we were done. We were provided a tasty, excellent and filling packed breakfast by “Chitvan”. After polishing off the delicacies and washing it down with some chilled juice we headed back to the waterhole. But Today luck was not on our side it seems and there was almost no movement and no alarm calls as well. We prepared to leave for the gate as there is quite a bit of a distance to be covered between Kisli and the Mukki zones.
 |
| Oriental honey-buzzard (Pernis ptilorhynchus) |
We heard some Sāmbhar alarm calls a couple of times but even after waiting for twenty minutes when nothing turned up we decided to go to the lake and wait for the Budbudi female. Upon reaching the place we found almost six gypsies waiting at the waterhole. We waited for almost 40 minutes before the guide suggested that all of us have our breakfast at the centre point designated area and return after we were done. We were provided a tasty, excellent and filling packed breakfast by “Chitvan”. After polishing off the delicacies and washing it down with some chilled juice we headed back to the waterhole. But Today luck was not on our side it seems and there was almost no movement and no alarm calls as well. We prepared to leave for the gate as there is quite a bit of a distance to be covered between Kisli and the Mukki zones.
Journeying back I marvelled at the variety of colours the jungle was
decked up in. Herds of deer darted around in the meadows, pairs of ‘Barasinga’-a
species unique to Kanha- lounged around, and birds chirped their hearts out and
flew from tree to tree branch to branch, Sambhars munched on some fresh grass,
the omnipresent Langurs with tiny babies in their wombs sat in groups grooming
each other.
I was totally lost in this beautiful world of the Jungle but came to my senses as our driver slowed the gypsy down and came to a stop. A pair of barking deer were busy grazing right beside the track. Normally these species is extremely shy and will take off and disappear at even a hint of an approaching jeep, but this particular pair was maintaining almost a touching distance from our gypsy and was quite bold. Both the male and female were so close to us that I was forced to take portraits of them with a telephoto lens being mounted on my DSLR. Moving a little ahead we stopped to shoot a male jungle fowl walking along with its two females. We reached Mukki gate at the prescribed time and headed for ‘Chitvan’.
 |
| The Ever-Green Forests of Kanha |
I was totally lost in this beautiful world of the Jungle but came to my senses as our driver slowed the gypsy down and came to a stop. A pair of barking deer were busy grazing right beside the track. Normally these species is extremely shy and will take off and disappear at even a hint of an approaching jeep, but this particular pair was maintaining almost a touching distance from our gypsy and was quite bold. Both the male and female were so close to us that I was forced to take portraits of them with a telephoto lens being mounted on my DSLR. Moving a little ahead we stopped to shoot a male jungle fowl walking along with its two females. We reached Mukki gate at the prescribed time and headed for ‘Chitvan’.
 |
| The Indian muntjac(Muntiacus muntjak),also called red muntjac or barking deer |
After freshening up we were invited for a presentation on the Kanha
Tiger Reserve by ‘Chitvans’ in-house naturalist Mr.Naren Malik. For close to an
hour Naren held us totally spellbound by his narration and doled out vast
amounts of information related to the wild animals of the Jungle of Kanha. We
were shown some awesome photographs taken by him during his almost eight years
of association with the Kanha National park. He regaled us with anecdotes and small
interesting titbits of information about wild animals, answered all our queries
and shared some mind boggling facts.
With two back to back safaris without sighting a tiger the mood in the
gypsy was understandably a little muted. Day two and third safari of our trip, today
we were going to the Mukki zone-the same zone as yesterday. Our driver for this
safari was to be the immensely knowledgeable and multitalented Mr.Naren Malik,
the in-house naturalist at ‘chitvan’ .With a mountain of knowledge that comes
with around 8 years of roaming the jungles of Kanha, Naren knows the jungle,
all its routes and the moment of the Tigers like the back of his hand. Whatever
questions thrown at him were answered with great courtesy and with additional
information. He knew the history of the big cats dating back to generations. He
regaled us with stories of the jungle and of the Tigers and leopards and other
inhabitants during the safari.
We were passing through the road which runs parallel to the Umarjhola
Lake when our ever vigilant guide Ramesh exclaimed “Sir Tiger in the Lake”. Naren
immediately applied the brakes and turned the gypsy around and positioned it in
such a way so as to get a good angle for us for photography and at the same
time facilitate movement of other gypsies passing by. The tiger drinking
thirstily from the lake was none other than Link7, the popular male tiger from
the Mukki zone, son of legendary Munna of Kanha and also known as chotta Munna.
As anyone who has been to the Umarjhola Lake area of Kanha knows that due to
height of the sand bund which is adjacent to the lake and running parallely to
the road it’s almost impossible sitting in the gypsy and sighting any wildlife.
Only a small window is available to take a peek inside from the far end of the
lake. I thanked Ramesh for his alertness. Link 7 was in absolutely no hurry to
go anywhere from the lake. He gave me many opportunities and numerous frames –Lapping
up and drinking water from the lake with his tongue out - sitting innocently
with his massive head resting on his front paws - staring dreamily at his
reflection in the lake waters – all moods of his were captured to the heart’s
content.
At the end of the day we returned to the gates wearing huge
beaming smiles spread across our faces. At Chitvans we were greeted by the
Manager Mr.Ashwin Agrawal who wished us on our tiger sighting. It’s said that
you don’t have to ask a person if he has seen a tiger it’s written on his / her
face. How true and observant of the staff to notice such small details.
Day three and it was to be the fourth and final safari of this
trip to Kanha. We were assigned Mukki zone and as soon as we entered the zone
we heard numerous sambhar alarm calls. But even after waiting for some time we
saw no moment. This continued for some time-we would hear alarm calls and track
couple of pug-marks but could not sight a single tiger. Maybe the tiger was
trying to get us back for another trip to this beautiful evergreen Jewel.
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| Tiger (Panthera tigris) - Link7 A.K.A chotta Munna in various moods |
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| GoodBye - Golden Hues of Kanha |
After quickly freshening up we bid goodbye to ‘Chitvan’- our home for the past couple of days. General Manager Mr.Ashwani Agarwal and Naturalist Mr.Naren Malik were present to bid us goodbye and to invite us to visit this splendid property again.
From this Kanha group of twelve people - Myself ,Sameer, Shriram
and Amruta would now be travelling to Pench Tiger reserve (A three Hour road journey
from Kanha) where Our friend Vishaka would be joining us for further Five
safaris there.
That Journey continues in the Next Blog Coming up …….
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For More Pictures please Visit :
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Some valuable Information You Can Use about the Kanha Tiger Reserve:
Kanha National Park is divided under 4 zones namely Mukki, Kanha,
Kisli, and Sarhai zones.
Mukki Zone
Unofficially the most popular zone of all due to favourable tiger and wildlife sightings. This zone is used mostly by tourists staying on the Mukki side of the Park. This is an ideal zone to look for Tigers, Hard Ground Swamp Deer, Indian Bison, Wild Dogs, and Leopards. The waterholes harbor many water birds. The topography is less hilly with marshy grasslands at Soundher and Bishanpura.
Kanha Zone
Kanha zone is a premium zone, and the tourists have to pay extra fees to do safari in this zone. Kanha Zone ensconces Sal belt, mixed forests, grassy meadows and number of water bodies like Sarvan Taal. The meadows are preferred for tiger safaris as maximum numbers of tiger sightings take place here. Elephant rides or tiger show are regularly held here which increase the chance of sighting tigers.
Kisli Zone
Kisli Zone lies adjacent to Kanha Zone and has the same habitat type. The meadows are smaller but nevertheless tiger sightings are as good. The road leads to Bhamni Dadar Sightseeing point. The Nakti ghati anicut is good for birding and offers a good chance to see the tigers in dense forests.
Sarhai Zone
Sarai Zone is a recent addition to tourism infrastructure at
Kanha. The area consists of dense mixed forests and is considered as most
scenic. The gate does not have accommodations close by hence tourists stay at
the Khatia village. The entry for tiger safari at Sarhai is through the Khatia
Gate used for entry into Kanha and Kisli Zones. This is a good place to see the
Nilgai or Blue Bull antelope besides tigers and other animals . This zone is
about 60kms from the Mukki gate.
Important areas in Mukki Range, Kanha :
OURAI: Between
years 1974 to 1976 many tribal villages have been shifted out of the park.
Ourai was one of them. This place is good for herbivores like Barasingha,
Sambhar Deer spotted Deer and Bison. The chances to see Tiger & Leopard are
good. Distance from Mukki to Ourai is 1 kms.
BISHANPURA: This old village site has been shifted out between 1973 to 1975. Now this place has develop into a beautiful grass land with ample of water and emerging into a favorite converging point for herbivores like Sambhar deer, spotted deer, wild boars etc. This place attracts water birds. This place also has a very good chance for Tiger as well as Leopard sighting due to good herbivore population and water in the area. Distance from Mukki to Bishanpura is 11 kms.
DUKE’S ROAD: This road is in a‘D’ Shape and the name of this road is kept on the name of Mr. Dukes’ a scientist who has done research on Swamp deer. The chance of seeing Tigers and Leopards in this area is quite well. Distance from Mukki to Dukes Road is 10 kms.
GHORELLA: This village site was shifted in the year 1974 and has been converted into a beautiful grass land. Distance from Mukki gate is 6kms.
SONDAR: Like many other tribal villages Sondar was also shifted out between 1973 to 1976. The significance of the place is Sondar water tank, a good water body, from which it aquired the name. Sondar tank attracts a lots of wild animals and Barasingha can be easily sighted there feeding on aquatic plants. This place attracts lots of water birds and there is good chance of seeing Tiger and Leopard during summer time. Distance from Mukki to Sondar is 8 km.
BISHANPURA: This old village site has been shifted out between 1973 to 1975. Now this place has develop into a beautiful grass land with ample of water and emerging into a favorite converging point for herbivores like Sambhar deer, spotted deer, wild boars etc. This place attracts water birds. This place also has a very good chance for Tiger as well as Leopard sighting due to good herbivore population and water in the area. Distance from Mukki to Bishanpura is 11 kms.
DUKE’S ROAD: This road is in a‘D’ Shape and the name of this road is kept on the name of Mr. Dukes’ a scientist who has done research on Swamp deer. The chance of seeing Tigers and Leopards in this area is quite well. Distance from Mukki to Dukes Road is 10 kms.
GHORELLA: This village site was shifted in the year 1974 and has been converted into a beautiful grass land. Distance from Mukki gate is 6kms.
SONDAR: Like many other tribal villages Sondar was also shifted out between 1973 to 1976. The significance of the place is Sondar water tank, a good water body, from which it aquired the name. Sondar tank attracts a lots of wild animals and Barasingha can be easily sighted there feeding on aquatic plants. This place attracts lots of water birds and there is good chance of seeing Tiger and Leopard during summer time. Distance from Mukki to Sondar is 8 km.
LAPSI KABAR: An
expert hunter and Guide named Lapsi is set to have been killed at this spot in
1930. Kabar is local name for a grave. The legend has it that Lapsi was
accompanying some sports men in the jungle when he had a close encounter with
the Tiger. Distance from Mukki to Lasi Kabar is 10kms
BABATHENGA TANK : This water body attracts a variety of birds. It is frequented by many spices of animals and there is high probability of seeing a Tiger or a Leopard here. Distance from Mukki to Babathenga is 12kms.
UMARJHOLA : This is a small but a good water body which attracts lots of herbivores like Sambhar ,Chital, Barking Deer, Wild Boar and Bison. The chances are very good for Tiger and Leopard sighting, as it has a good brricade from the tourist trainl, hence it is not easy to see animals in this water body, but around the water body one can the movement of the animals. It has some good shade due to nearby trees, and Tiger and Leopards commonly come and wait in the shade area for their prey. Distance from Mukki to Umarjhola is 9kms.
BAMNIDADAR : It is one of the highest plateau in the Kanha Tiger reserve and during the british Raj this area was also used as a air strip to land the Britishers who landed here to do safaris and game hunting. It offers a beautiful panorama of the plains of Mukki, Ourai, Ghorella and Bishanpura. The drive from Sharvan tal to Bamnidadar is a very good experience of jungle excursions. Distance from Mukki to Bamnidadar is 15kms.
BABATHENGA TANK : This water body attracts a variety of birds. It is frequented by many spices of animals and there is high probability of seeing a Tiger or a Leopard here. Distance from Mukki to Babathenga is 12kms.
UMARJHOLA : This is a small but a good water body which attracts lots of herbivores like Sambhar ,Chital, Barking Deer, Wild Boar and Bison. The chances are very good for Tiger and Leopard sighting, as it has a good brricade from the tourist trainl, hence it is not easy to see animals in this water body, but around the water body one can the movement of the animals. It has some good shade due to nearby trees, and Tiger and Leopards commonly come and wait in the shade area for their prey. Distance from Mukki to Umarjhola is 9kms.
BAMNIDADAR : It is one of the highest plateau in the Kanha Tiger reserve and during the british Raj this area was also used as a air strip to land the Britishers who landed here to do safaris and game hunting. It offers a beautiful panorama of the plains of Mukki, Ourai, Ghorella and Bishanpura. The drive from Sharvan tal to Bamnidadar is a very good experience of jungle excursions. Distance from Mukki to Bamnidadar is 15kms.
Important Areas in Kanha Range :
KANHA MEADOWS : Kanha meadows are perhaps the best place to view wild life. They are favoured by herbivores and therefore also predators. Here many species of herbivores such as Chital, Barasingha, Sambhar Deer, and Gaur can be seen either grazing or passing through on there way to the water hole and Tiger, Leopard or wild dogs may be lurking in the near by thickets. Distance from Mukki to Kanha Meadows is 23kms.
SHARVAN TAL : This small earth bund tank in the central Kanha meadows is mythologically linked to the death of the legendary Sharvan Kumar at the hands of King Dasharatha (father of Lord Rama). Kind Dashratha was hunting game, when he heard some sound in nearby bushes, and he thought it to be some game shot an arrow in the direction, it turned out to eb Shravan, he died. His blind parents then cursed King Dashratha that he also will undergo lot of sorrow as his son will be destined to leave him. Ramayana the great Hindu epic was thus born. It is a very important water body in the area which attracts a lot of wild animals. Distance from Mukki to Shravan Tal is 24kms.
SHARAVAN CHITA : Sharavan Kumar a dutiful son and the embodiment of total filial dedication is set to have been cremated (chita is local name for a dead body) at this place about 5000 years back, the soil colours are strikingly different from its immediate surroundings and this adds to the mystery of the myth. The spot can be seen from a distance while moving on the Bamnidadar – Keraghat road. Distance from Mukki to Shravan Chita is 35kms.
KANHA MUSEUM : This place is located at the park head quarters in Kanha village, it contains fascinating, well conceived exhibits relating to the entire eco system and its fauna and flora. The museum complex consist of seven rooms distributed between two buildings. The museum opens daily at 0700hrs and remain accessible to the visitor during the excursion hours throughout the day. Distance from Mukki to Kanha museum is 25kms
Important areas in Kisli Range :
DIGDOLA : This comes in Kisli range and is located at a high altitude in the park. Digdola names has been kept because in this route there is rock which is nicely balanced. In this route also there is good chance of seeing Tiger, sloth bear and Leopard. distance from mukki to Digdola is 37kms.
SONF MEADOW : This is the abandoned site of the first forest village to be shifted out of the park in the year 1973. The place attracted a few Barasingha initially and later on proved to be an excellent restoration site for the dwindling numbers of the Barasingha .The area today is as good as kanha meadows for viewing wild life such as Chital, Sambhar, Wild Boars , Jackal and occasionally Wild Dog, Bison and Tiger. Distance from Mukki to Sonf meadow is 35kms.
KOPERDABRI : There is a story about the place that one Bhagwan Prasad Patel a forest guard of the Koper - Dabri camp had come back from forest and had his supper with his two game watchers and was lying down in his cot. Suddenly he heard the breaking end crashing of tree branches and bamboo frame works and the jingling of heavy chains. It was a small herd of departmental elephants consisting of two females and their calves led by the whimsical Tuskar Shivaji who was reported to be in must for the past few weeks. Patel consoled the frightened game watcher, but the watchers moved into the jungle .The elephants were now inside the little courtyard and were trying to pull down the roof of the camp. Patel immediately ran away from there and try to reach the sal tree and scramble up to a safe height on a tree the elephant caught up with him, and pulled him down and trampled him death. Patel's wife is now a forest guard in the department. Distance from Mukki to Koperdabri is 35kms.
Important areas in Sarhai Range :
This is new part of the park which has been opened recently.
SILPURA MEADOW: This
place attracts blue Bull, Chowsingha, and varieties of beautiful birds. The
forest of Sarai region does not have much of Sal trees, so the look of the
forest is some how different from other range of the park. There is a good
chance of seeing Tiger as well as Leopard. Distance from Mukki to Silpura
meadow is 45kms
Park Season, Excursion Timings :
The Park is open daily from 16th October to 30 June, although management reserves the option to close earlier if the rains begin before the end of June. The opening hours are scheduled to accord roughly with the seasonal variations in climate, as well as with the length of the day at different seasons. There is always a mid-day break, so that employees may eat lunch and rest and the animals may have a respite, too. Morning Safari is about 6 hours, and the evening safari is about 3 hours. These hours are subject to change because of special conditions: for example, heavy rain showers may make park roads temporarily hazardous, or official activities such as census taking may be scheduled. In practice, "sunrise" and "sunset" are interpreted as "dawn" and "dusk," with vehicles being admitted at 6:30 A.M., for example, if sunrise occurs at 6:50. The gate attendants tend to be stricter about exit times, since darkness follows sunset quite rapidly at this latitude.
Temperatures
obtained from the forest department in celsius
Month
|
Min
|
Max
|
October
|
8 - 15
|
25 - 35
|
November
|
6 - 15
|
25 - 35
|
December
|
4 - 12
|
21 - 25
|
January
|
3 - 10
|
26 - 30
|
February
|
8 - 13
|
25 - 32
|
March
|
13 - 18
|
30 - 35
|
April
|
15 - 20
|
35 - 44
|
May
|
20 - 25
|
40 - 45
|
Tiger and general wildlife sightings are good from October till May, but
weather wise, Nov, Feb and March are good months. For Tiger photography,
March till May are better months, as it gets hot, and the Tigers are seen
relaxing around the water holes.Weekends are relatively busier compared to
the weekdays, so those wanting complete peace, and seclusion travel during the
week days to Kanha
1 comment:
Awesome photos and the writing .... this really a good handbook for the people visiting the park for the first time ...
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