Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh, India

Tour to Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh, India

Why Kanha?

Kanha's wildlife is unrivalled. It is home to a myriad of life-forms ranging from the mighty Royal Bengal Tiger and the Barasingha to countless species of plants, birds, reptiles and insects. Kanha is popular for its vast meadows. Meadows of Kanha, perhaps the best places to view wildlife were once sites of human settlements which after their relocation, developed into beautiful grasslands.

These meadows are popular converging points for herbivores. One can see Cheetal (Spotted Deer), Sambar (Dark coated Deer), Gaur (Indian Bison), Barasingha (Twelve Horned Deer), Chowsingha (Four Horned Deer), Wild Boar and sometimes carnivores like Tiger, Jackal, Dhole (Wild Dog).

About Kanha:

Kanha forests were inhibited by two aboriginal tribes, the Gonds and the Baigas who practiced shifting cultivation. Kanha was declared as Reserve Forest in 1879, upgraded to Wildlife Sanctuary in 1933, notified as National Park in 1955. 27 villages from the core area were shifted to the buffer area in 1969 and Kanha was declared a Tiger Reserve in 1973 under Project Tiger.

Today, the core zone of 940 sq. km which is Kanha National Park, and buffer zone of 1,009 sq. km – a total of 1,949 sq. km - form the Kanha Tiger Reserve.

In the Mythology:

Kanha - name comes from "Kanhar", a type of clayey soil found in the area; or from "Kanva", a holy sage (father of Shakuntala) who lived in the area. Also King Dasaratha (father of Lord Rama) gets his curse by unexpectedly killing Shravan Kumar, a young Brahmin on pilgrimage with his blind parents in this forest. One can find the "Shravan Tal", the pond where Shravan died; the cremated place of Shravan, and the hiding place of King Dasaratha, from where he shot the arrow, inside the Kanha Forest.

Miserable History:

Several Kings from our history killed a huge number of tigers as a sport. They believed that their fame depended on the count of the tigers they killed. Immediate major threat to the existence of the tiger population is the illegal trade in poached skins and body parts between India, Nepal and China. Failure of government, political commitment and well organized gangs of professional poachers made the "Panthera Tigris" an endangered species. China is considered the main enemy to tigers because of its traditional medicine which use every body part of tigers. Officially tigers are extinct in China.

Cautious Present:

The tiger population in India at the turn of the 19th century was estimated at 45,000 individuals. The first ever all-India tiger census was conducted in 1972 which revealed the existence of only 1,827 tigers. According to 2002 survey they were 3,500, in 2008 they were 1,411 and in 2011 survey they are 1,706. Out of these, 700 adults can be found in Madhya Pradesh alone, thus making it "The Tiger State of India" and Kanha is home to 89. Out of 39 tiger reserves in India which are governed by "Project Tiger", Kanha occupies the third place for good tiger density, the first and second being "Corbett Tiger Reserve" of Uttaranchal and "Bandipur Tiger Reserve" of Karnataka respectively.

Details about the Tour:

Type:	Custom (Not a Packaged Tour)
Period:	03-06-2011 to 05-06-2011
Duration:	03 days, 02 nights
Route:	Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh) to Nagpur (Maharashtra) – 475 Km on road via Bus Nagpur to Kanha (Madhya Pradesh) – 270 Km on road via Car Total – 745 Km (14 Hours including 1.5 Hour refreshment at Nagpur)
Members:	05 (Srihari, Jagannadha Raju, Varma, Padma Kumar and myself)
Expenditure:	INR 6,000 per person (Costly but worthy)
Accommodation:	Vanya Resorts, Kanha. Contact No.: +91-94247 31366; Person: Shaid Khan; Tariff: Double Bed Room at INR 1,500 – INR 2,500 (INR 400 per Extra Bed)
Entry Charge:	INR 1,230 per Safari (Inclusive of INR 1,030 for Forest Department and INR 200 for Guide. Since Kanha has been identified as Premium Zone for spotting Tigers, sooner or later, there may be a hike in these charges). Suggestion for Best Guide: Mr Madan Choubey; Contact No.: +91-94258 50259
Safari Vehicle:	INR 1,000 for morning safari and INR 1,500 for afternoon safari. Suggestion for Best Driver: Mr Sandeep Yadav (Gappu); Contact No.: +91-96176 87422; Jeep No.: 7
Safari Timings:	05:00 Hrs to 11:00 Hrs and 15:00 Hrs to 18:00 Hrs. (Timings may differ depending on climate and season)
Best Season:	16th October to June end. Park remains closed in monsoon i.e., July to 15th October.

Tour Chronology:

02-06-2011, 21:00 Hrs

After a seven month long gap from previous tour to Coorg (Karnataka, India), we started our much anticipated journey to Kanha National Park. Srihari, Raju, Kumar and me packed our luggage and started to the boarding point i.e., Fire Station near Paradise Circle, Hyderabad.

After 45 minutes of auto rickshaw journey, we reached the point where Varma has been waiting for us. Finding that there is still some time for the bus to arrive we finished a light and quick dinner at Yatri Nivas, a hotel nearby.

02-06-2011, 22:30 Hrs

Bus has arrived; we got settled in our seats, chit-chatted for an hour and then slept.

03-06-2011, 06:30 Hrs

Arrived at Dharampeth, Nagpur where a private car booked in prior awaits us. Lodged into a small hotel for refreshments and after 1.5 Hours started to Kanha.

03-06-2011, 12:00 Hrs

Arrived at Kanha National Park. Gathered information about the visiting hours, safari zones, engaged a safari vehicle (open-top Gypsy). We have managed to get a nice air conditioned accommodation with the help of Sandeep Yadav a.k.a Gappu, our safari driver. Gappu looked after the formalities of filling the entry form, standing in the queue for entry passes and engaging a good guide. Meanwhile we had our lunch and got ready for the afternoon safari (03:00 pm to 06:00 pm; 03 Hours)

Bituminous Road in the Buffer Zone of Kanha Tiger Reserve

03-06-2011, 15:00 Hrs

Got into the gypsy and entered the gate.There are government cottages inside the core area, which we later found that they will be relocated to the buffer zone, involving some safety measures. We first spotted the Cheetal (spotted deer), the most commonly spotted and most populated animal (22,000+) in the forest. Langoors accompanied us at every instance. Few moments later we came to a vast meadow with beautiful dry grass, grazing herds of cheetals, bisons and sambars. We were greeted into the forest by a spotted owl inside a tree hole on the road side.

Safari Vehicles in Queue at Entrance Gate, Kanha

Our Safari Vehicle. Anti-clockwise from right:
Varma, Srihari, Kumar, myself and Gappu (Driver)

The lowland forest is mixture of Sal-wood trees, Arjuna trees and others. The highland forest is tropical, moist and dry deciduous type with Bamboo and others. A beautiful Indian Ghost tree can also be seen in the dense forest. The rocky terrain of the highland is the best place for spotting leopards. Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to see them but we saw the leopard's nail marks freshly carved on a tree trunk. Though the forest is home to over 300 species of birds, most of them can seldom be spotted because of ever-green sal-wood trees and dense forest which block our sky view. Even then, some birds like Red Wattled Lapwing, Indian Roller, Forest Fowls, Peafowl, Racket Tailed Drongo showed their presence by constantly appearing on our way.

Safari Track inside the Core Zone, Kanha

Grazing Herds of Cheetals and Sambars

in Vast Meadows during rain

Male Cheetal

Ghost Tree (Kullu)

An Hour later, the climate cooled and it began to rain. Watching thousands of sal-wood seeds flying in the vast sky over the meadow left us with mind-blowing experience. After half-an-hour the rain stopped, and the beauty of the forest after the rain is unexplainable. We saw the beautiful scene of peacocks doing their mating dance after the rain. On our way back we saw domestic elephants brought there to work (removing felled trees etc). Three hours later we were back at the gate.

Sal Wood Seeds in Flight

03-06-2011, 18:00 Hrs

Our first trip to the forest came to an end. All the way we were thinking of spotting a tiger but in vain. We still have two more trips to the forest before we leave Kanha, in which Gappu has assured of showing the tiger. We told him to engage a better guide for tomorrow as the guide who came with us today didn't share information well. Our friend Raju has more information than the guide especially regarding the birds. Kumar filled-in the entry form for tomorrow's safari and once again its Gappu turn to get the entry pass.

03-06-2011, 21:00 Hrs

We had our dinner at returned to our cottage. We got refreshed and went to sleep.

04-06-2011, 03:30 Hrs

Never in years we woke up this early. We got refreshed and went to the gate. Gappu is waiting for us, this time with the best guide who gave us good information about the forest and helped us to spot the tiger, not once but twice.

04-06-2011, 05:30 Hrs

We entered the gate. The probability to spot animals will be high in the early hours of the day, because they will be out to gather their food. We are moving through the same Kanha zone of the forest as it has more chances of spotting a tiger. There will be a gang of forest staff mounted on 5 to 6 elephants, for tiger surveillance; once they get spotted they will captivate it in an imaginary confinement. Meanwhile the first 25 safari vehicles reporting at the enrollment office inside the park will be given passes to view the tiger, which the guide will take care of. Our guide got us enrolled with our ticket number being 21. Before the tiger gets spotted, we got another chance to view nearby forest. We spotted the Wild Boar which is listed under the animals that are rarely spotted. We saw Quails running across our path, once again the mating dance of peacocks, Flame-back Woodpeckers, Jackal, Tree Pie (bird), Eurasian Golden Oriole (bird), Bee Eaters (bird), Wild Ravens (crow), Paddy Field Pipets (bird), Honey Buzzard (bird).

Canteen, Museum, Enrollment Office inside the Park, Kanha

Kumar and Varma on elephant back

Myself on Elephant back

04-06-2011, 07:30 Hrs

We returned to the enrollment office and waited for our turn. There is a canteen and a museum located at that place. We got information that the tiger was spotted we left for the spot. The tiger was spotted some 30 feet away from the road, so we got down from our vehicle (first time inside the forest), got onto an elephant and went inside. Encircled by three elephants in an imaginary ring of 10 meters radius there lays a female tiger before our eyes making us speechless. Being professionals in photography, Raju and Srihari captured the beauty of the beast in their cameras which will be stored permanently in our deep memories.

Tigress

Raju, Capturing the desperate moments

Myself, Varma, Kumar and Srihari sharing

a light moment at the Information Centre

After a few moments they brought us back to our vehicle and we returned to the canteen. With the spotting of the tiger our wish got fulfilled. We had our breakfast at the canteen and went again for spotting. This time we went to a secluded place where our guide told us to sit quietly and hear to the Mother Nature. We sat there for a few moments listening to the sounds of animals, birds, trees and I can't find words to express my feelings. It can't be expressed, it must be experienced. After that we continued our journey into the highlands where we spotted the Wild Hare which is also a rarely spotted animal, a Mongoose which is very shy, balanced rock formations, Arjuna tree, and ghost tree. We got information from another vehicle that a male tiger is hunting deer in open meadows and at once we rushed there. To our astonishment we saw the tiger in the open land which has already made an attempt to catch deer but failed. It is moving in the meadow and all the deer are running away from it and some are watching from a safe distance. We watched it go out of sight and rushed to the other side of the meandered road where we can catch the tiger cross the road. Along with ten other vehicles we got the view of the tiger crossing the path, scenting its territory and vanishing into the woods. This time we felt much happy because, earlier when we sighted the tiger it was in captivity, but now it was free and in full action. Later we came to know that this tiger was called "Langda Munna". It got the name because one of its hind legs got slightly injured in one of its childhood fights.

Tiger (Langda Munna) Crossing the Road

Mating Dance of a Peacock

Gaur, the Wild Bison

We returned to see the museum. A trip through the museum is an exciting and educative experience. Models, photographs, specimen, interesting and illustrated notes, amphitheatre showing documentary on the flora and fauna enhance the visitor's understanding of Kanha's amazing beauty. We continued our journey back and returned to the gate at 11:00 am. Six hours of pleasant, oxygenated trip into the wild made us happy and we felt sad of our life in the polluted environment back in Hyderabad.

Skeletal Exhibits at the Museum, Kanha

Barking Deer, Kanha

04-06-2011, 11:30 Hrs

We returned to the base and thought to skip the evening safari because of its short duration and less probability of spotting animals. So we had our lunch, told Gappu to book entry tickets for the next day morning and went to cottage to take rest. We came out in the evening, went into a tribal art emporium, found inappropriate rates and came back. When we asked the persons who have just returned from the evening safari about the spotting, they said that a female tiger was spotted in the Kanha zone, relaxing at a water spot. Felt very bad for missing the opportunity. Adding insult to the injury, this time she came along with her two cubs. So, we cannot depend on logics or probabilities and all we need is a good guide and pure luck to spot a tiger. Had our dinner at Barasingha Restaurant and quickly slipped into sleep. Srihari, Raju and Varma tried to explore the wilderness at night by entering the buffer zone with search lights. After moving some distance they saw the glittering eyes of cheetals grazing in the dark. Fearing ambush, they returned to cottage.

05-06-2011, 03:30 Hrs

Last day of our tour started. Got up, refreshed and were at the gate by 5'o clock. Gappu is waiting with the same guide at the gate. Today we are trying Sarai, the third and the new zone of the Kanha National Park. The park is divided into three zones: Kanha (the gorgeous), Mukki (the popular) and the Sarai (the new one), to distribute the visitor crowd. These three zones cover only 35% of the core area. There are 114 safari paths meandering through these zones. While filling the entry forms, it's a must to specify the zone, and it is strict that we must be confined to the specified zone. Any violation of rules inside the park will be treated severely, and may lead to a ban on the driver and vehicle or the guide or on the visitor. We have witnessed a safari vehicle getting banned for violating the queue discipline at the entrance gate; a guide got banned for a rude talk with the canteen personnel inside the park. So, if you want to enjoy the safari, follow the rules. On our way we saw the carcass of Gaur (Bison) devoured by a tiger in the early hours. It lies 5 feet away from the path, in the woods. We came to open land and there we saw Dhole couple (Wild Red Dogs) which were out to hunt deer. Dhole was one of the less commonly spotted animals of Kanha. Late Prime Minister Rajiv Ratna Gandhi, after his visit to Kanha with his family, quoted that he was disappointed because he couldn't see the wild dogs.

Dhole, the Wild Red Dogs

The Harp Eagle, Kanha

Kumar and Myself at a Check-post, Sarai

We saw Indian Grey Horn Bill flying in the tall sal woods, Harp Eagle trying to catch a super fowl, serpent eagle waiting patiently on a branch by the pond, white breasted King Fisher, Flame backed Wood Pecker over the termite hill, Black shouldered Kite, Partridge and most commonly the jungle fowls, peahens and peacocks. We spotted a female Neel Ghai (a kind of huge deer with a slightly long tail than normal), which is also a rarely sighted animal. On our way back we saw chowsinga (four horned deer), barking deer and when we reached the place where we have seen the wild dogs, we waited sometime to listen to the nature. Our guide spotted an adult sloth bear running in the vast plains ahead. We rushed to the other side to get a view of the bear, tried a lot but couldn't see him again.

05-06-2011, 8:00 Hrs

We waited few moments there and with the information from other vehicle we went ahead to view a huge herd of Barasingha (around 50 – 60). On the way we saw a monitor lizard which quickly escaped into the bamboos. We spent some time watching the grazing Barasingha and then returned back. In an hour we will reach the gate and our tour is going to end. On our way back no one spoke a word. Stealing words from our mouths, Varma showed his grief about leaving the forest. In just three days, hardly 14 hours, we have developed an inseparable bond with forest which we will remember forever and we have decided that every year a trip to Kanha will be a must. That's the magic of Kanha, the land of tigers.

Sambar, Sarai

Barasingha, Sarai

Spotted Owl, Kanha

Srihari and Kumar

Raju, Varma and Myself

Gappu (Driver), Kumar, Madan Choubey (Guide),

Verma, Myself and Srihari

05-06-2011, 10:00 Hrs

Bidding Goodbye to spotted owl for the last time we returned to the gate. We got refreshed, relieved Gappu and the guide from our appointment and tipped them well for his well assistance, vacated the cottage, bought some tribal made decorative items and were on our way back to Nagpur. Halted for lunch at a small village, bought some eatables and continued our journey.

05-06-2011, 18:30 Hrs

We reached Nagpur along with bursting rain. Saw the Indian Centre Point, also referred to as the "Zero Mile", from the North, East, South and West tips of India are equidistant. We ate at Haldirams, one of the India's largest sweets and snacks manufacturer based in Nagpur. We reached our pickup point at Dharampeth and waited for our Bus.

05-06-2011, 22:00 Hrs

Bus has arrived. We didn't know when we have slept and in the morning we woke up finding ourselves at Paradise Circle, Hyderabad. Got into an auto rickshaw and reached home. Once again our busy life started.

Today, after two weeks from our tour, I finished writing my blog remembering each and every moment we spent in the forest.