Located in the Vindhya Hills, Bandhavgarh in Madhya Pradesh encompasses 32 hills covered with a mixed forest of sal, dhobin and saga and large stretches of grasslands with bamboo grooves. Bandhavgarh National Park is famous for its tigers and the adventure unfolds at day break. The early morning mist blankets surround your open jeeps. As we advance into the heart of the Bandhavgarh Forest, a sense of expectation grips you. Tigers regularly give audience in these parts. Other wild animals are also easy to sight and capture on film. Experienced naturalists unravel the mysteries of nature as you drive deep into the jungle.

In the wild zone !!

Bandhavgarh is blessed with a large variety of residents - both in terms of animals and birds. In the category of animals, it is possible to sight , leopards, gaur , chital (spotted deer), Sambar deer , Dholes, nilgais , wild boars, sloth bears, rhesus macaques, black faced langurs, jungle cats, hyenas, porcupines, jackals, foxes, wild dogs, chausinghas and ratels, among others. It is the density of it's big cat population that has made Bandhavgarh really famous across the globe.

Many of it's tigers have played pivot roles of numerous films made on wildlife. In Bandhavgarh, one gets to see some of the larger specimens of wild boar, Sambhar Deer and Barking Deer are found anywhere in the country.

The Bandhavgarh national park is a jungle consisting mainly of sal trees. It is only in the slightly higher reaches that it changes to a more mixed vegetation of sali, saj, saja, dhobin etc. In the northern region of the park, there are vast stretches of grasslands and bamboo forests. A lot of this is what appears to be young bamboo, which can be seen from it's green and slim appearance. This northern region also consists of a series of rocky ridges with deep crevices cut by perennial streams. In the south, the extensions, which were included into the park in 1986, consist of low hills covered with forest but interspersed with grasslands that were formerly agricultural land. The central portion of the park, which consists of the original 106 square kilometers and the fort, is still the main sighting area. This area consists of 32 hills and also some marshy stretches divided by large grasslands and a few water bodies. The forest cover surrounding these is very dense all the way up the hilly slopes, like those leading up to the "Shesh Saya".

Visitors can visit the park during the time period of November to June; still the best period to come is January-April. Park is open from October to June.

» By Air - The most convenient route to Bandhavgarh National Park is by air to Khajuraho from where it is a five-hour drive (237Km). Though long, the driving is interesting; the road crosses the Ken river, some stretches of which have been declared a crocodile sanctuary famous for the ghariyal, a rare fish eating crocodile; and goes past Panna town, famous for its diamond mines, to Satna, the midway-point, from where it branches off on a subsidiary road across ridges of Vindhyachal to Bandhavgarh.

» By Rail - The nearest railway station near Bandhavgarh are Jabalpur (164 Km), Katni (102 Km) and Satna (120 Km) on the central railway and Umaria (35 Km) on the South Eastern Railway.

» By Road - The Park Can be reached from Jabalpur, Satna, Katni, Umeria, Bilaspur and Khajuraho.

The Madhya Pradesh Tourist department has a forest lodge in Bandhavgarh; the PWD and the Forest Department also have guest houses within the park, where the accommodation, though not the height of luxury, is adequate. Rooms range from some interesting cabins on stilts to individual cottages.

Besides this, there are hotels and forest lodges at Tala (at the entrance to Bandhavgarh). More information on Bandhavgarh may be obtained from the Director, Bandhavgarh National Park, P.O. Umaria, District Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh. Reservations for the MP tourism lodge can be made at the MP State Tourism Development Corporation in Bhopal.