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About
Bandhavgarh National Park
"UNLESS
someone like you cares a whole lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not".
- Dr. Seuss
Bandhavgath National Park India - Paradise Regained
Although Bandhavgarh is a relatively small park in the last few years this former
game reserve has become one of India's most prominent National Parks. The major
reason for all the interest is Bandhavgarh's high density of tigers, which roam
the mixed forests of sal and bamboo in search of an easy kill. The tigers have
not only bolstered the local population by breeding successfully, they have
also brought international media attention to the park and the plight of the
Royal Bengal Tiger.
Safaris in Bandhavgarh!
Like all good things have a season to compliment it, the national parks also
have the best season and time to visit. However, Park entry times vary according
to season, depending mainly on the time of sunrise and sunset. To travel into
the lush green jungle of Bandhavgarh one needs to be aware of all the transportation
modes that help each travel to enjoy the vast forest stretch. Traveling within
the park is possible in three ways.
§ The first possibility is your own transport, preferably a 4-wheel drive. (It
is however necessary to take along an authorized guide.)
§ The second option are the numerous authorized 4-wheel drives run by the locals,
which are available from the hotels and rest houses you would be staying at.
This option being a very exciting one, as most visitors prefer an open a safari
into the jungle and being accompanied by a professional naturalist who will
guide them through the forest.
§ The third is an elephant ride. These are booked the same day depending upon
the avilability.
Elephant
Safaris
All the national parks in the country differ in the activities and the facilities
that they offer to their visitors. Like wise Bandhavgarh too has certain unique
selling point. The elephant rides are distinct in some ways although there is
a common factor of paying the fees and then taking up a ride for a few hours.
There are primarily two ways:
§ The traditional way is you pay for a minimum 1 hour ride or max 2 hours but
this is purely dependant upon the tracking skills of your mahour and your luck.
This is done only in the afternoon. Booking for this is done the same day morning
depending on the availability.
§ The second, way is a and slightly more controversial method is what is called
"Tiger Shows". For these shows, the mahouts head out in the wee hours of the
morning and track down a tiger. Once the tiger settles down in a spot, the word
is spread and all visitors are taken for short rides from the nearest point
on a jungle track.
This, although it ensures that almost all visitors to the park go back with
happy memories of a "sighting", is neveras exciting as chance sightings from
the tracks. Not knowing what one has in store sometimes is no doubt more challenging
than knowing the whereabouts of the animals.
General & Grocery shopping
There
is a general merchant, Known by all as "Nathu Bihari", who is like an all-purpose
store. There are a few vegetable vendors, cigarette shops and even a liquor
store. A very welcome addition in the year 2001 was the opening of a fuel pump
at Tala. This saves all the vehicles from making the earlier required 64 km
drive to and from Umaria. It is advisable to keep your tank topped up, as supply
can sometimes be erratic.
Tala being the entrance place for the park is no doubt visited by a lot of guests,
there has been connectivity problems earlier but now things have started looking
good with proper communication devises available from where national and international
calls can be made. Tala also has it's own small and extremely basic hospital.
Umaria, which is a half hour drive away, however offers some much more decent
medical and emergency facilities. Although Tala has it's own little post office,
a trip has to mostly be made to Umaria for most telegraphic facilities. Good
news is email connectivity now available in Tala, soon most of the resorts will
also have the same, connection is howver erratic and do not expect broadband
width connection.
Besides small shops at the some of the resorts at Tala, there is a shop at the
main entrance to the park. This shop sells all kinds of stuff ranging from T-shirts
to key chains to ashtrays. Also available at this shop are interesting maps
and books dealing with wildlife of the park. There are also mounted pictures
of tigers photographed at the park but most of them are not of very high quality.
The rates are fixed and haggling is not really advisable or of any use. Other
shop that sometimes stocks some articles that can be picked up as souvenirs
is the WWF nature shop located beside the museum.
Best Time to visit Bandhavgarh National Park
The best time to visit the park, keeping all aspects in mind, is between December
and February but it is the warmer months of April, May and June that are best
for tiger and leopard sightings. During the summer months, most of the animals
are seen around the few precious water bodies not yet vaporized by the intense
heat.
Climate in Bandhavgarh
Bandhavgarh
experiences climatic conditions that vary to opposite extremes. In winters,
the bitter cold forces the visitors to put on multiple layers as protection
against the biting cold. Early morning rides can be in temperatures that dip
below zero, once you take the wind chill factor into consideration. In the summers,
it changes drastically to the opposite. It now feels uncomfortable to even sometimes
put on a thin cotton t-shirt.
The temperature in the winters varies from 0 to 20 degrees centigrade between
November and February. In the summers, the temperatures move to the other extreme
and can go up to 46 degrees centigrade. Towards late summer, it is also advisable
to carry some protection, for yourself and for your cameras, from rain. Bandhavgarh
has an average annual rainfall of 1200mm. The rains here give very little prior
warning and it is preferable to be prepared for your own protection, as well
as for your equipment. These rains, however, bring good respite from the blistering
heat. A single shower can make temperatures fall from 45 degrees to 30 degrees
centigrade. The main monsoon season mostly begins only once the park is closed
from June to November.
To discover this wonderland of the big cat, you have to pack your bags and come
home to this paradise.
Reaching - Bandhavgarh
By Air - Jabalpur & Khajuraho are the nearest airports to Bandhavgarh,
Daily flights from New Delhi.
By Road - Approx 6 hrs drive from Khajuraho (280kms), 5 hours from Jabalpur
(170kms), 7 hours from Kanha (240kms), Katni- two and a half hours drive (95Kms),
Satna three and a half hours drive (112kms)
By Train
Trains
from New Delhi:
- Kalinga Utkal Express 8478 Dn leaves Hazrat Nizamuddin at 1250hrs and reaches
Umaria next day at 0630hrs, this town is only 32kms away and it takes 45 minutes
to get to Bandhavgarh. We will organize the pick up in a car. The client reaches
the resort, has a quick breakfast and can rush for the morning safari. The same
train leaves for Delhi at 1940hrs from Umaria and reaches Delhi at 1315hrs next
day. Hence this is very convenient to do the evening safari and then board the
train. We will organize for the packed Dinner. Infact if you wish the same train
can also be boarded from Agra at 1600 hrs and reaches Umaria at 0630hrs next
day.
- Gondwana Express train no 2412 leaves Hazrat Nizamuddin at 1430hrs and reaches
Katni at 0350hrs. This town is 95kms from Bandhavgarh and it takes 2.5 hours
to get to Bandhavgarh. We organize for the station pick up. This train has 1st
A.C. sleeper. Again the same train can be boarded from Agra at 1657hrs and reaches
Katni at 0350hrs. The same train leaves Katni at 1715hrs for Delhi and reaches
Nizamuddin at 0720hrs.
Trains from Varanasi:
- Mahanagri Express, Train No 1094, leaves Varanasi at 1130hrs and reaches Katni
at 1923 hrs, same train leaves Katni at 1800hrs to reach Varanasi at 0400hrs.
- Varanasi Pune Express, Train No 1032, leaves Varanasi at 0400hrs and reaches
Katni at 1205hrs, same train leaves Katni at 1055hrs to reach Varanasi at 2115hrs
- Darbhanga LTT Express Train No 5220/5218 leaves Varanasi at 2257 hrs and reaches
Katni at 0800hrs.
- Pawan Express Train no 5219 leaves Katni at 0510hrs to reach Varanasi at 1440hrs.
Trains from Mumbai:
- Mumbai - Howrah mail 3004 Dn till Katni, departs Mumbai at 2110hrs and reaches
Katni at 1510hrs. From Katni Bandhavgarh is 95kms, we organize for pick up,
it takes 2hrs.
- Mumbai Varanasi Mahanagri Express 1093 Dn leaves Mumbai CST at 2355hrs and
reaches Katni at 1755hrs.
- Lokmanya Tilak Patna Express 3202 Dn leaves Lokmanya Tilak at 2110hrs and
reaches Katni at 1732hrs
Trains from Calcutta:
- Howrah Indore Shipra Express 9306 Dn leaves Howrah at 1515hrs and reaches
Satna at 1005hrs or Katni at 1155hrs. Return it leaves Katni at 1010hrs and
reaches Howrah at 0630hrs next day
- Howrah Mumbai Mail 2321 Dn leaves Howrah at 2200hrs and reaches Katni at 1557hrs,
on return 2322 Up leaves Katni at 1500hrs and reaches Howrah at 1125hrs
- Howrah Jabalpur Shaktipunj Express 1448 Dn reaches Katni at 1610hrs
From Bangalore to Jhansi to Bandhavgarh
- Swarna Jayanti Train No 6217 departing Bangalore at 1945, arriving Jhansi
at 1425hrs, or
- Kongu Express Train No 2647, departing Bangalore at 2315hrs and arriving Jhansi
at 1027hrs,
- From Jhansi they can take Kalinga Utkal Express 8478 Down leaving Jhansi 1925hrs
and arriving Umaria at 0618hrs next day morning. Umaria is only 32kms from Bandhavgarh.
We will organize a pick up for them.
Tiger Den Resort, Bandhavgarh Reservation Form
Note » Bandhavgarh National Park Close Between 30th June to 1 October
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Den Bandhavgarh. All Rights Reserved
Meeting the Chief Wildlife Warden