Have you ever pictured your first time spotting the magnificent Royal Bengal Tiger? Imagined the early morning mist, tall bamboo trees, open grasslands and the first peek of yellow and black stripes? The thrill that will run through your veins as you witness the deep feline eyes while frolicking through an exhilarating forest journey. Well, if any of the aforementioned scenarios made you just a tiny bit excited,
Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve is the place for you! With one of the largest pools of tigers, in this forest you are guaranteed to come across a tiger during your expedition. Coupled with the rich diversity of other carnivores, herbivores, birds, reptiles and varying degrees of rivers, mountain slopes covered by great forests, extensive valleys and plains, seemingly carpeted by a low, dense, rich vegetation, a vacation in Bandhavgarh is a must.
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India
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Madhya Pradesh
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Nearest Airport
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Jabalpur Airport
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Wildlife Sighting Index
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9/10 for Tiger sighting
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Beauty of Forest Index
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9/10 for Beauty of Forest
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9/10 for Stay & Amenities
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Bookings Open
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120 Days in advance
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60 Days in advance
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History of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve
Perhaps you can recognise this park from when it featured in BBC Earth and David Attenborough wildlife documentary series, Dynasties pertaining to one of the resident tiger’s families. But even if you don’t, let me tell you some interesting facts about its culmination.
Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, has been named after a famous hillock unique to this woodland. This hillock was gifted by Lord Rama to his brother in order to keep watch over Sri Lanka – old name Ceylon – and thus the word translates to “Brother’s Fort”.
In 1968, around 105 square kilometres of this park were named Bandhavgarh National Park, but later the surrounding area totalling to about 1,161 square kilometres was included in this beautiful greenland.
Panpatha Wildlife Sanctuary was included as part of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in 1983, and in 1993 Bandhavgarh National Park, Panpatha Wildlife Sanctuary and a Buffer Zone Area of the park were declared as the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve.
Flora of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve
The flora in Bandhavgarh Park is varied and ranges from grasslands to densely forested slopes. The forest in Bandhavgarh National Park, falls within the tropical moist deciduous belt dominated by Sal and Bamboo, which form varying mixtures with each other. Bandhavgarh is diverse in geography, as it comprises hills, valleys, rivers, marshes and meadows to give rise to diverse vegetation that eventually becomes food for its extensive herbivore population.
- Saja (Terminalia tomentosa)
- Dhauda (Anogeissus latifolia)
- Tendu (Diospyros melanoxylon)
- Arjun (Terminalia arjuna)
- Palas (Butea monosperma)
- Salai (Boswellia serrata)
- Bhirra (Chloroxylon sweitenia)
- Gamar (Gmelina arborea)
- Dhaman (Grewia tilifolia)
- Kalasiris (Albizzia lebbek)
- Khair (Acacia katechu)
- Frankincense tree (Boswellia serrata)
- Kusum (Scleichera trijuga)
- Haldu (Adina cardifolia)
Fauna of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve
The tranquil ravines, grooves, grasslands and meadows invite many wildlife to flourish and thrive in the Bandhavgarh National Park. Around 37 species of mammals, including our mighty Royal Bengal Tiger are the attractive features of this park. Moreover, tourists can also spot gaur, sambar, foxes, barking deer, nilgai, indian wold, chital, striped hyena and some more riveting species roam the lands. The park is known for at least 250 species of birds and 70 different types of polychromatic butterflies garnish the coppice. Interesting to mention that the only reason why travellers can spot the rare specie of gaurs in the reserve is because of the gaur relocation project handled by the Madhya Pradesh forest department in 2012, where almost 50 gaurs were established in the park from the nearby Kanha Tiger Reserve.
- White Tigers
- Bengal Tigers
- Leopards
- Sambar
- Barking Deer
- Nilgai
- Wild Boar
- Gaur
- Chausingha
- Chinkara
- Asiatic jackal
- Bengal fox
- Sloth bear
- ratel
- grey mongoose
- striped hyena
- jungle cat
- leopard
- small Indian civet
- palm squirrel
- lesser bandicoot rat
- Little grebe
- egret
- lesser adjutant
- Sarus crane
- black kite
- crested serpent eagle
- black vulture
- Egyptian vulture
- common peafowl
- red jungle fowl
- dove
- parakeet
- Indian roller
- wild pig
- spotted deer
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Explore The Known and Unknown of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve
The actual expanse of the Tiger Reserve is mind bogglingly huge but tourism areas are restricted. Around 207 square kilometres is open for tourists and is further divided into three zones for the Jeep Safari. The Tala Zone is the premium zone which means a ticket for the tiger safari here costs double the price.
However, wildlife enthusiasts can be reassured that the money is definitely worth it as tiger sightings are excellent in this area. The Magadhi Zone is the most popular tourist spot and also yields excellent tiger sightings along with sambar, barking deer and jackals.
The Khitauli Zone is a bird watcher’s dream and blue bull and sloth bears are also frequently sighted here. Tigers are great at camouflage so Tiger Safaris are often the best way to spot one, the game drives are usually scheduled in the morning and evening and tourists are encouraged to participate in as many as possible for the maximum chance of spotting a real tiger! These Jeeps are 7 seaters along with one guide who will not only maneuver you through the area but tell you interesting facts and keep you entertained. So make sure to not miss out on this cruise through the rough lands while wearing neutral shades of clothes to avoid alerting these clever beauties. Elephant back rides are also common and often enjoyed throughout the park, so enjoy a slow intimate moment with the warm elephant herds as you clear your heavy eyes with clear skies, serene thickets and compelling biodiversity.
Other famous attractions in the area you can enjoy includes a trip to the past via the Baghel Museum, climbing your way all the way to the Climber’s Point, visiting the compelling Bandhavgarh Ancient Caves, paying tribute to the 35 feet long reclining statue of Lord Vishnu with Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva on either side. Considering the long list of vivid attractions and activities saved up for you at Bandhavgarh, I would personally advise you to definitely bring a good camera to take some striking pictures in the woods.
Bandhavgarh Safari Booking
Bandhavgarh Safari Timings: (Morning and Evening)
01th Oct – 31th Dec: 6:00 AM- 11:30 AM 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
01th Jan – 31st Mar: 6:30 AM – 11:30 PM 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM
01st Apr – 30th June: 6:00 AM – 11:30 AM 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM
How to reach Bandhavgarh
Reaching Bandhavgarh is an easy affair. There are daily flights to Khajuraho from Delhi by Jet Airways and Indian Airlines and from Khajuraho it is a 5-6 hour road journey. There are also daily flights to Jabalpur from Delhi and Mumbai by Spice Jet and Indian Airlines, from Jabalpur it is a 4 hour drive. Bandhavgarh, however, is best connected by train – Umaria, Katni, Satna and Jabalpur are convenient rail heads and many trains connect there from all parts of the country.
The park is also well connected with Kanha and Panna National Park and allows easy access from major towns like Jabalpur, Satna, Khajuraho and Rewa if you prefer to arrive at your destination via road.
Resorts at Bandhavgarh
A vacation at Bandhavgarh National Park is not complete without the perfect resort to enjoy a sweet rest and surely, here, you can have various options for a great stay snuggled in the lap of nature.
Options for residence include high end resorts like Mahua Kothi and Syna Tiger Resort, luxurious resorts like Treehouse Hideaway Resort and Kings Lodge, Deluxe Resorts like Tiger Trails Resort and Bandhavgarh Meadows along with Standard Resorts like Mowgli Jungle Resort and Salvan Resort.