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Location: Umaria District, Madhya Pradesh

Main Wildlife: Tigers, Leopards, Bears

Area: 105.40-sq-kms

Bandhavgarh National Park is one of the wild life sanctuaries in the Indian state Madhya Pradesh. The national park is situated at 197 km away north-east of Jabalpur. This wild life park derived its very name from an ancient fort in the area. Bandhawgarh National Park belongs to the Vindhyan mountain ranges of central India and it boasts to have the highest density of tiger population in the country. Now there are about 46 to 52 tigers one can spot here.

White Tigers
Bandhavgarh National park was once known for the white tigers but sadly no white tigers have been spotted here in the last 50 years. The last time white tigers were spotted in India, it was here in Bandhavgarh. Sources say that white tigers were spotted as many as eight times in and around Bandhavgarh during the first half of the 20th century.

Plant Life at Bandhavgarh
The Bandhavgarh National Park is dominated by Sal (Shorea robusta) trees, which are an important component of the deciduous forests of North and Central India. Sal forests have uniform and thick growth of tall and straight Sal trees that have rounded leaves. The Sal tree is an important source of precious timber and yields a resin that is used as incense. On the upper slopes of Bandhavgarh National park a mixed forest replaces the Sal forest, while in the north there are large stretches of bamboo and grasslands. The overall undergrowth in the Bandhavgarh wildlife sanctuary is not very dense.

Attractions of Bandhavgarh
Once a hunting reserve of the royal family of Rewa, Bandhavgarh was declared a park in 1968. This is also the site where the fanmous WHITE TIGERS of Rewa were discovered. Through an elephant safari into jungle, the chances of seeing a tiger are quite good. Other wild attractions include, Nilgai, Chausingha, Chital, Chinkara, Wild Boar and sometimes a Fox or Jackal.

Jeep and Elephant Safari in Bandavgarh
early morning hours till evening. A forest department guide is always their with the visitors on these jeep trips taken inside the park. Elephant safari trips are organised for tiger tracking early in the morning.

How to Reach

Air: Khajurao at 230-kms is the most convenient airport connected by various domestic airline.

Train : The nearest railhead Umaria at 30-kms is on the Katni-Bilaspur section of South-Eastern Railway. Another convenient railhead Satna (117-kms) is on the Bombay-Howrah main line of the Central Railway.

Road: Some of the important road distances are: Khajuraho (via Satna)230-kms, Varanasi (via Rewa) 340-kms, Katni 75-kms, Rewa 115-kms, Umaria 30-kms, Kanha 250-kms.

Best Time to Visit Bandhavgarh National Park
The best time to explore wildlife in Bandhavgarh is during summer months when the undergrowth disappears and the animals/birds move closer to the water bodies. During winter months wildlife sightings are rare.