Overview of Kanha Tiger Reserve
Kanha Tiger Reserve also known as Kanha kisli national park. Kanha National Park is situated in the Maikal range of Satpuras in Madhya Pradesh, India. This is one of the well known National parks in central India. Not only this, it is said to be the largest national park in Madhya Pradesh India. kanha national park is famous for tigers, diverse wildlife, and dense forests and this place ranks in top 10 famous place for tourists.
This is known across the world and travellers from all over the world travel to KanhaNational Park to see Royal Bengal Tigers in India. This park area is split into two sanctuaries i.eHallon and Banjar which is 250 and 300km sq respectively. It is spread between two districts which are Mandla and Balaghat.
The area of this national park totals the area of 1945 sq km including buffer and core zone all together in Maikal chain of hills. Kanha National Park was announced a reserve forest in 1879 and later revalued as a wildlife sanctuary in 1933 and in 1955 this was further upgraded to National Park.
History of Kanha Tiger Reserve
As Kanha Tiger Reserve is said to be one of the oldest tiger reserves of India. This particular region was under control of Gondwana dynasty where Gond rulers were ruling over the huge area of Central India. This was nothing but the part of their kindom. Trible people like Gond, Baiga made their living here. This park was originally upgradation of Banjar valley sanctuary and in the year 1935, British Indian Government declared it as Banjar Valley Sanctuary.
Kanha national park has four safari zones before i.e Kanha zone, Mukki Zone, Sarhi Zone and Kisli Zone was not created till 2010 and kisli zone was nothing but the part of Kanha zone only. The very famous Elephant ride which was known as ‘Tiger Show’ was closed for tourists as per the directives of NTCA. Till the year 2008, private vehicles were also allowed for jungles safari drives but since 2008 only registered safari vehicles were allowed for safari drives.
In 2000 the Kanha national park was awarded as the best tourism friendly national parks by the Department of Tourism , Government India. In 1938 over 3000 Barasingha dwindled to near extinction level right up to 1970. Its was sad to know that the extinction of Cervus duuauceli branderi, one of the India’s handsomest deer. Early measures to save the barasingha population were limited to declaration of Banjar Valley area as a sanctuary in 1933. Later after many attempts by the reports of Claude Martin in 1975 the reproductive success of the barasingha was highly satisfactory. Kanha National Park saved the world wide extinction of barasingha.
Wildlife and Biodiversity in Tiger Reserve
Flora of Tropical Forests
The abundance of wildlife species exist in Kanha National Park are seen in the core of Kanha reserve, Kanha reserve was created under Project Tiger in 1974. This place consist of Sal, Bamboo forests, Rolling Grasslands which spreads over 940 sq km in dramatic natural splendour. And that is the reason this is known as the original Kipling country of which it is written in Jungle Book.
One discovers Sal, Saja, Lendia, Dhawa, Tendu, Palas, Bija, Mahua, Aonla, Achar and Bamboo. Not only this there are many other species of climbers, forbs and grass can also be found here. This is the unique experience and can be experienced only in Kanha Tiger Reserve during the Kanha Safari Tour.
Fauna and Tiger Sightings
The aura of the Kanha forest offers millions of wild souls which are as tangible as water. This park has species of tigers , leopards, wild dogs, wild cats foxes and jackals. The mainly seen animals are spotted deer, sambar, barking deer, and four horned antelope.
Recently mouse deer was also discovered here not only this the amazing part is that Blackbuck have become inexplicably rare as if they have vanished somewhere but here they have been reintroduce inside a fenced area in the park. This Tiger Reserve in India provides the sighting of striped hyena and sloth bear very commonly.
Animals like fox, hyena, jungle cat, civets, porcupine, ratel, or honey badger and hares can be sighted outside the park confines. Numerous Species of birds that is around 300 which are more commonly seen are the black ibis, bee-eaters, cattle egret, blossom- headed parakeets, pond herons, drongos, common teal, crested serpent eagle, grey hornbill, Indian roller, lesser adjutant, little grebes, lesser whistling teal, minivets, Malabar pied hornbill, woodpeakers, pigeons, paradise, flycatchers, mynas, Indian peafowl, red junglefowl, red –wattled lapwing, steppe eagle, Tickell’s blue flycatcher, white eyed buzzard, white- breasted kingfisher, white- browed fantall, wood shrikes and warblers, vultures, various kinds of reptiles etc. and much more all these are experience only during Jungle Safari In Kanha.
Jungle Safari Experience in Kanha Tiger Reserve
The entry gates and wildlife safari in Kanha Tiger Reserve will surely get you thrilled, as you see the wilderness in their natural habitat. These gates give you the sighting more of majestic Bengal tigers in good numbers, Swamp Deer ( Barasingha), sambhars and Gaurs etc.The Jungle Safaris are booked for accessing these gates in Kanha Tiger Reserve. The jungle is segregated into two parts that is core zone and buffer zone where the core zone gates are Kanha, kisli, Mukki and sarhi whereas the buffer zone gates are Khapa, Khatiya, Phen, Sijora zone.
Online only entry tickets can be booked whereas one has to pay guide and jeep charges differently at the gate.
Safari Timing in Kanha :
- Morning Safari : Morning safari starts at 6:30 am and ends at 11:30am .
- Evening Safari: Evening safari starts at 3:00pm and ends at 6:15 pm.
- Wednesday Kanha National Park is closed in the evening.
Jungle safari Timings in Kanha may vary as per the season.
Types of Safaris in Tiger Reserve
Jeep Safari in Kanha National Park:
The safari system here plays the same role as Bandhavgarh; similarly, there is an open Jeep , where a maximum 6 people and minimum 1 person can be accommodated at a time in one jeep per safari with one guide and one driver. Jeep safari can be done in all the zones i.e core and buffer both. This is recommended for family groups, friends groups and wild lifers and photographers.
Canter Safari in Kanha National Park:
This is a common safari of 18 seats where 18 people can accommodate at a time in one safari. This safari comes with a condition where minimum 12 people needs to be there for the safari. This is a shared safari and it is big open jeep. This is an economical option for safari. This safari cannot be booked online.
How to Reach Kanha Tiger Reserve
Kanha does not have any such airport or flight facility so in order to reach the nearest airport to Kanha Tiger Reserve is Jabalpur which is 165 Kms from Kanha same as Bandhavgarh having daily flight connectivity. Second option could be Raipur or Nagpur Airports. Which have the direct flight connectivity from Delhi, Mumbai & Kolkata.
Travel Distances from Major Cities
- Distance from Jabalpur to Kanha National Park – 165 km
- Distance from Nagpur to Kanha National Park – 300 km
- Distance from Pench National Park to Kanha National Park – 200 km
- Distance from Bandhavgarh to kanha National Park – 260 km
- Distance from Raipur to Kanha National Park –270 km
- Distance from Satpuda National Parkto Kanha National Park –400 km
- Distance from Tadoba National Park to Kanha National Park – 500 km
Best Time for Tiger Sightings in Kanha Tiger Reserve
The Temperature in kanha goes to its extreme in summers which is from April to June the maximum counts to be 430 C mean while in winters its quite cold from November to February, where the frost often cloaks the meadows. The duration between October starting to June end said to be the best time tovisit in kanhaas the rain fall during monsoon rejuvenated all the nature & vegetation. This period is best for bird watching because lot of migratory birds visits during winter season.
Hence this is the great & almost sure opportunity to wildlife photographers specially who are looking for some rare photographs of the largest member of the cat family in Kanha Tiger Reserve. July to September all the buffer entry zones in Kanha Tiger reserve are open, Jungle safari during monsoon in KanhaNational park is operation most of the time.
However this is at the sole discretion power of forest department. The forest is most beautiful during monsoon season in Kanha.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about Kanha Tiger Reserve Safari
- Kanha: Best for consistent tiger sightings and stunning safari scenery.
- Pench: Best for a peaceful, raw jungle experience with rich biodiversity.
- Kanha Zone – Known for scenic meadows and frequent tiger sightings.
- Mukki Zone – Very popular for big cat sightings and open forest landscapes.
- Kisli Zone – Offers diverse wildlife and connects to the Kanha zone.
- Sarhi Zone – Less crowded and excellent for a peaceful safari experience.
In addition to the core zones, Kanha has several buffer zones, such as Khatia, Khapa, Phen, and Sijhora, offering good sightings with easier availability.
- Jeep Safari (Core Zones): Explore the prime tiger territories of Kanha, Kisli, Mukki, and Sarhi.
- Jeep Safari (Buffer Zones): Less-crowded routes with good sightings; also open during the monsoon season.
- Full-Day Safari: A special permit allowing you to stay inside the park from sunrise to sunset—ideal for wildlife photographers.
- Elephant Safari: Conducted by the Forest Department based on availability, mainly for patrolling and monitoring.
For regular tourists, jeep safaris are the recommended and preferred option.
- October to February (Winter): Morning Safari 6:30 AM – 11:00 AM, Evening Safari 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM
- March to June (Summer): Morning Safari 5:30 AM – 11:00 AM, Evening Safari 3:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Note: Actual timings may vary slightly daily based on sunrise/sunset and Forest Department updates. Visitors must reach the gate 30–45 minutes early for ID verification and boarding.