Safari in Bandhavgarh

arguably the best and most scenic tiger reserve

Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve is located in the west of Madhya Pradesh in Central India, roughly 800 km (500 miles) from New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.

Originally established as a wildlife sanctuary in 1968, the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve was established in its present form in 1993 and now extends over a very modest 105 sq km (40 sq miles). However, when you include the surrounding buffer zones it all adds up to a slightly more respectable 716 sq km (276 sq mi).

The human history of the area dates back thousands of years, demonstrated by various cave habitations and rock-art sites (the most visited of which is known as Badi Guf).

The name Bandhavgarh translates as ‘The Brother’s Fort’, which is thought to refer to the time when the Buddha gifted the area to his sibling, Laxmana, when they returned victorious from Lanka.

At the centre of the reserve sits a prominent hill, encircled by sandstone cliffs, on top of which are the romantic ruins of Fort Bandhavgarh, including the Shesh Shaiya temple, which houses a renowned statue of a reclining Buddha.

The landscape consists of an open upper plateau, whose slopes are covered in thick sal deciduous woodlands and bamboo thickets. The valley floors contain scenic areas of open grasslands, marshes and streams.

Bandhavgarh has a reasonably high biodiversity, with around 37 species of mammals, around 350 species of birds, 80 species of butterflies and a good range of reptiles.

The reserve is said to have the highest density of tigers anywhere in the world. In 2012 a census reported 48 cats (thought to have risen to around 60 by 2020), which is a lot in a reserve of this modest size. Whilst in other reserves visitors hope to see a tiger, here you can expect to see at least one on most days.

Although the national park is best known for tigers, it also contains a wide range of wildlife, with predators including Indian leopards, jungle cats, desert cats, striped hyenas, Asiatic jackals, Bengal foxes, dholes (Asian wild dogs), mongooses and sloth bears.

Prey species include wild boars, rare barasinghas (swamp deers), gaurs (Indian bisons) (reintroduced in 2020), sambar deers, chital deers, Indian muntjacs (barking deers), chousingha (four-horned deers) and blackbucks. Primates include southern plains grey langurs and rhesus macaques.

Reptiles include cobras, kraits, vipers, rat snakes, pythons, turtles and monitor lizards.

The reserve is also home to over 250 species of birds, including changeable hawk eagles, little grebes, egrets, black ibises, lesser teals, white-eyed buzzards, black kites, crested serpent eagles, black vultures, Egyptian vultures, common peafowls, red jungle fowls, doves, parakeets, kingfishers, Malabar pied hornbills, blue-bearded bee-eater, woolly-necked storks, shikras, Indian pittas, orioles, Indian rollers and Indian peacocks. The richness and tranquillity of the grasslands enables pairs of rare sarus cranes to breed here during the rainy season.

The primary activity here is vehicle safari inside the reserve, which is tightly controlled and largely operated by the park authorities. We will always do everything we can to make sure that you get the best access to the reserve, including access to as many sectors and for as many hours as possible.

In common with most tiger reserves, scouts go out early in the morning on elephants, in search of these elusive big cats. If they get a sighting, then they report this to the vehicle drivers. If you are first to arrive on the scene, then it may be possible to ride one of these elephants a short distance to view the sighting. Other than this, elephant-back safaris are no longer offered.

Bandhavgarh is one of the best known and most-visited tiger reserves in Madhya Pradesh. Vehicle traffic inside the reserve during high season can be unpleasantly high, with serious clustering around major sightings. Traffic avoidance measures are strongly advised.

It’s also important to note that the visibility for wildlife viewing in Bandhavgarh can be more challenging than other nearby reserves like Kanha and Pench, the jungle here is definitely thicker.

The reserve, in common with all in Madhya Pradesh, is closed on Wednesday afternoons.

Close to the main park entrance is the Baghel Museum, which houses many precious and beautiful belongings of the Maharajas of Rewa.

Also in the greater area are the Cheshpur Waterfalls (a scenic picnic spot on the River Johila), the Jwalamukhi Temple (dating from around 950 AD and set on the banks of the River Charan Hanga) and a petrified forest. There is also a zoo in Mukundpur where they breed white tigers.

The best time of year to visit the Bandhavgarh area is generally considered to be during Oct-Jun, although there are considerable climatic variations over that period.

During October the daytime temperatures usually rise to around 25C/77F, whilst the nighttime low temperatures hold up around 12C/54F. However the rainfall is much lower, dropping to around 50mm (2”) per month. Sunshine is around 8 hours per day (around 75% of daylight hours), meaning that skies are usually clear. At this time of the year the national park is lush and green, with water-filled streams. The green backgrounds provide great contrast for wildlife photography, but the long-grasses can be a major impediment to actually finding the animals.

During Nov-Jan the daytime temperatures usually rise to around 25C/77F, whilst the nighttime low temperatures plunge to around -3C/27F. There should be very little rainfall. Sunshine is around 8 hours per day (around 80% of daylight hours), meaning that skies are usually clear. At this time of the year the national park is still relatively lush and green, with enough humidity in the air for great polarised photography. However, the long-grasses can remain a significant impediment to actually finding the animals. Obviously the morning safaris can be very cold and you should bring suitable clothing.

During Feb-Mar the daytime temperatures can climb steeply to around 34C/93F, whilst the nighttime low temperatures manage to drop to a comfortable 12C/54F. There should be very little rainfall. Sunshine is around 9 hours per day (around 75% of daylight hours), meaning that skies are usually clear. At this time of the year the national park is still surprisingly lush, although the grasses should have died back sufficiently to make wildlife viewing a little easier. However there should still be lots of flowers and fresh leaves around, with beautiful fragrances in the air.

During Apr-Jun the daytime temperatures can climb very steeply to around 42C/108F, whilst the nighttime low temperatures manage to drop to a reasonably comfortable 18C/64F. There should be very little rainfall up to June, when there can be 100mm (4”) over the course of the month. Sunshine is around 9 hours per day (around 70% of daylight hours), meaning that skies are usually clear, but this drops in June to 6 hours per day (45% of daylight hours) as the monsoon clouds gather. At this time of the year the national park is relatively dry, the long grasses should all have died back and the visibility for wildlife viewing should be really good. Additionally the animals tend to cluster around the few remaining water sources. Clearly the temperatures are an issue, as is the increased number of insects, repellent is strongly recommended.

The national park closes, usually mid-June to mid-October, due to the very high monsoon rainfall, which typically leaps to over 500mm (20”) per month. Naturally the lodges all tend to close as well, so visiting during this period is really not an option.

Getting there

The Bandhavgarh area can be accessed in a number of different ways…

By air

The closest airports and their most common connections are…

Jabalpur : 120 km to the west : Delhi, Agra

By train

The closest train stations and their most common connections are…

Umaria : 30km to the west : Delhi, Agra
Katni : 75km to the northwest : Delhi, Agra
Jabalpur : 120km to the west : Delhi, Agra

By road

The area is rarely reached by road, since the distances are so large. However, having arrived in this part of India, exploring by road is quite popular, often combining some or all of the main national parks of Bandhavgarh, Kanha, Pench and Satpura.

Where to stay

Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve is largely entered through a single gate on the north side and virtually all the accommodation options are ranged through the farmland and forests in that vicinity.

usually accessed by air from Delhi