One of the best known tiger reserves all over the world - Kanha National Park is located in the Banjar and Halon valleys in the Mandla/Balaghat districts of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Such magnificent is the natural splendor of Kanha that it is known to have inspired Rudyard Kipling to write his famous novel, Jungle Book". Acclaimed as one of the finest national parks in Asia - Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh is a sanctuary boasting of abundant and varied wildlife in its most natural setting. Kanha attained the status of a National Park in 1955, and forms the core of the Kanha Tiger Reserve, created in 1974 under Project Tiger.

The Kanha National Parkis sprawled over a total area of 1,945 sq. km, of which 940 sq. km constitutes the main park. The vast area surrounding the main park acts as the buffer zone. The river-valley basins, open parkland meadows and grasslands at Kanha form the perfect grazing ground for a wide variety of wild animals. The most popular draw for tourists visiting Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh is undoubtedly - the TIGER. Kanha is the perfect place to spot this ferocious beast, roaming freely in the wilderness of its natural habitat. There are several Tiger Reserves in India, but nowhere can you see tigers as often, and as regularly as in Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh.

Major Wildlife Attractions of Kanha
Spotting wild animals is always a matter of luck but Kanha is so rich in wildlife that the odds are titled in your favour. First time visitors are often so keen to spot the larger animals that they overlook the smaller ones. There are 175 varieties of birds in Kanha. So if you happen to be bird watcher, look forward to a full bird show.

Most people are keener to meet Kanha's major attraction, the Tiger; still one has to be patient to spot one. But while on a mission to find a tiger, one can easily catch glimpses of all the grazers, a Porcupine, many Gray Langurs, Mongoose, Hyena, Jungle Cat, even a Leopard. Other wild attractions in this Tiger country include varieties of Deer - the Barasingha, Chital or Spotted Deer, Chousingha, Nilgai, as well as the majestic Gaur or Indian Bison and wild Pig.

Other Attractions In Kanha
Elephant Safari:
The animals at Kanha are best observed from the elephant back and the open country makes the chance of sightings reasonably good.

Kanha Museum:
There is a museum at Kanha national park, depicting attributes and activities of the park and the tribal culture of the state of Madhya Pradesh.

Best Time to Visit
The visiting season to Kanha national park is within the months of April to June and November to January. The park is closed from July to Mid-November that is during the monsoon season.

How to reach there
By Air:
Nagpur at 266-kms is the nearest Airport to visit Kanha National Park and is connected by various domestic airline services with Mumbai.

By Rail:
Jabalpur at 169-kms is the convenient rail head to visit Kanha.

By Road:
Kanha National Park is connected by road with Jabalpur 175-kms, Khajuraho 445-kms, Nagpur 266-kms, Mukki 25-kms, and Raipur 219-kms. Within the park: Koshi - Kanha (9-kms), Kishi - Katia (4-kms), Kishi - Mukki (32-kms). There are regular to and fro bus services available from Jabalpur to Kanha.