Bandhavgarh National Park

Bandhavgarh National Park is one of the most famous Tiger Reserve in world for tiger photography. In addition to it, Bandhavgarh Fort at top of a hill, inside the tiger reserve forest area, is also another important attraction. It is situated in Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh state in Central India. Bandhavgarh location is in East Madhya Pradesh on vindhya hills. The main hill of Bandhavgarh is surrounded by 32 other small hills. Prominent ones are : Bandhaini, Badi Dogari, Hanuman-Manch, Bamniya, Ganesh Hill, Mahamaya, Baluhai Dongari and Seeta Mandap. Park is visited by wildlife lovers from all corners of world. It is open for visitors from mid October to June month and remain closed for the months July-Aug-Sep-Oct. In special conditions these dates may vary like park roads are under repair etc. Bandhavgarh was declared a national park in 1968. It was the former hunting preserve of the Maharaja of Rewa. This is also as White Tiger's country. These have been found in the old state of Rewa for many years. The last known was captured by Maharajah Martand Singh in 1951. This White Tiger, Mohan, is now stuffed and on display in the palace of the Maharajahs of Rewa. The last known White Tiger was captured by Maharajah Martand Singh in 1951.
More than 22 species of mammals and 250 species of birds found in Bandhavgarh National Park. Mammals such as Dhole, the smallIndian Civet, Palm Squirrel and Lesser Bandicoot Rat are seen occasionally. Gaur(Indian Bison) was found here before 1998 and now forest dept. is has reinstated them in Magadhi zone enclosure.

How to reach Bandhavgarh
Bandhavgarh is spread over Vindhyachal hills in Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh. Tala village is important gateway for Bandhavgarh. Almost all popular resorts are around this village.
By Road: Park is in Umaria - Rewa road. It is well connected with cities like Jabalpur (190kms), Katni (100kms), Satna (150kms), Allahabad (300kms), Varanasi (425kms) etc. Road conditions to reach Bandhavgarh is above average. Nearest town from park is Umaria town at a distance of 37kms.
By Train: Umaria (37kms), Katni (100kms), Jabalpur(190kms) are important railway stations for reaching Bandhavgarh. Umaria is the nearest railway station for tiger reserve. It has direct train connectivity with Agra, Delhi & Raipur.
By Flight: Nearest airports to reach Bandhavgarh are Jabalpur (190kms) & Khajuraho (250kms). Both the airports have direct flight connectivity with Delhi.

Bandhavgarh Mammals Checklist
Commonly seen list of Bandhavgarh mammals:

Mammals Name	Scientific Name	Mammals Name	Scientific Name
Leopard	Panthera pardus	Indian Muntjac	Muntiacus muntjak
Tiger	Panthera tigris tigris	Indian Gazelle/Chinkara	Gazella gazella
Sambar	Cervus unicolor	Dhole/Wild dog	Cuon alpinus
Wild Boar	Sus scrofa	Nilgai or blue bull	Boselaphus tragocamelus
Hanuman Langur	Presbetys entellus	Jungle Cat	Felis chaus
Golden Jackal	Canis aurius	Indian Porcupine	Hystrix indica
Striped Hyaena	Hyaena hyaena	Indian Fox	Vulpes bengalensis
Chital	Cervus axis	Four-horned Antelope	Tetracerus quadricornis

Please note that Indian Bisons (Gaurs have been re-introduced) into Bandhavgarh. At present they can be seen in Magadhi zone enclosure. After some time, observing their adaptibility to surrounding, they will allow to move freely in Bandhavgarh forest.

Bandhavgarh Safari
Jungle safari in Bandhavgarh is a great adventurous experience for any visitors. Just like other national parks of Madhya Pradesh, here also, 02 safari rounds (morning & evening) are offered to visitors in a single day. Mostly jungle safari is done on open safari jeeps in mandatory company of a forest guide in each vehicle. Maximum 06 persons are allowed in a vehicle excluding driver & guide. Safari fee is as per vehicle means for 01 or 06 pax, charge will remain same. Bandhavgarh safari timming is as given below:

Safari Rounds	Safari Timming
Morning Safari	06:00hrs - to - 10:30hrs
Evening Safari	14:30hrs - to - 17:30hrs

One can enjoy jeep safari and elephant safari in bandhavgarh during park safari. Two types of elephant rides in Bandhavgarh. First is 5-10min. ride during Tiger Show program. When tiger is somewhere at a location which is not accessible through safari jeep, elephants are used to show the tiger to visitors against a nominal fee, charged by park authority (on the spot) it is termed as Tiger Show. Second type of elephant ride is doing safari on elephant back only (without using jeeps). It is very costly and usually preferred by film makers. Bandhavgarh Safari zones are: Tala Zone, Magadhi Zone, Khitauli Zone & Panpatha Zone. Among them Tala & Magdhi are popular one. Safari is done on routes specified by official. One can do safari booking by his own at entrance gate counter, through a travel agent or through resort.

Places to See in Bandhavgarh :
Bandhavgarh is indeed an example of natural beauty. There are many hills and very dense forest, even sun rays could not reach the surface of earth. Bandhav Bandhaini are very famous hills. Many tanks, springs and waterfalls are present here. Atleast 39 caves are found within 5 km. surrounding of Bandhavgarh. After visiting following unmatched Tourist spots of Bandhavgarh, every visitor, whether it is Indian or Foreigner tourist, concludes its visit: cost-efficient, memorable and suggestive.
At the center of the park is the bandhavgarh hill, rising 811 meters above sea level and surrounding it are a sloping valleys. At the top of the bandhavgarh hill, we can see Bandhavgarh Fort. There is no records remain to show when Bandhavgarh Fort was constructed. It is thought, however, to be some 2,000 years old, and there are references to it in the ancient books.the Narad-Panch Ratra and the Siva Purana. Various dynasties have ruled this fort: for example, the Maghas from the 1st century AD, the Vakatakas from the 3rd century; the Sengars from the 5th century and the Kalchuris from the 10th century. In the 13th century AD, the Baghels took over, ruling from Bandhavgarh until 1617, when Maharajah Vikramaditya Singh moved his capital to Rewa. The last inhabitants deserted the fort in 1935. About 39 ancient caves are also present in park territory.

Best time to visit Bandhavgarh :
Park is open for visitors from Oct. to June. Our experience says Feb - Mar - April is good time to visit Bandhavgarh if you are interested in tiger photography tours. During this time visibility is good due to dryness in forest. For budgeted tourists, May - June is good time as during this time one can enjoy special summer discounts, offered by Bandhavgarh resorts & lodges but severe heat poses problem during afternoon safaris. Those who are interested in lush green jungle and birding, may prefer to visit in months Nov - Dec - Jan. December is peak season, specially last week of month due to Christmas festival, New year eves and winter holidays in schools of India.