A Tryst with the Bengal Tiger during tiger safari at Bandhavgarh, Madhya Pradesh

There is nothing like the thrill of walking through the jungle

Looking for a Tiger and knowing….

They could be watching you already!!

Although Madhya Pradesh is known for many tiger reserves, including Kanha National Park, Pench National Park and many others, we chose to site a tiger at Bandhavgarh National Park on our road trip through Madhya Pradesh this year. And there were two major reasons for it – (1) The density of tigers in Bandhavgarh National Park is highest, so, the chances of witnessing one increase several fold. (2) It fit very well on our MP Road trip plan considering the route we wanted to take.

So, after a splendid trip to Bhedaghat and staying at Jabalpur, we continued on our road trip to the next destination – Bandhavgarh. We drove through NH34 and then NH43. Except for a few rough patches & diversions, the drive was smooth for most parts of the journey. But post Umaria disrtict, once we took the Umaria – Bandhavgarh main road, the road is just single lane and the levelling is not good. So, it took almost an hour to cover the last 30 km. And thanks to google, it did divert us once to a really narrow lane, taking a U turn from where took more than 10 minutes. Nevertheless, finally we reached our resort.

Booking for the tiger safari at Bandhavgarh National Park

Usually there are two safaris in Bandhavgarh – morning one starts at 6:00am and continues till 11:00am & afternoon one starts at 2:30pm and goes on till 5:30pm. As we reached the resort reception and were completing the check-in formalities, we came to know that the safari is booked online and there are limited slots available. We didn’t know it before. Although the resort manager was swift to check the availability for us. He informed us that there was only one morning slot available for safari in one zone & the afternoon safari was not available on Wednesdays which happened to be the next day. So, we asked him to immediately place the request for our morning safari, having no other slot options. Given we had to checkout after the next day. He immediately placed a request for our morning safari. After this, we checked in and then relaxed for the day amidst the natural surroundings of the resort.

The safari to spot Tiger at Bandhavgarh National Park

We had an early dinner and went to bed early, eagerly awaiting the next morning. The safari van arrived at 5:30am in the morning. Our breakfast was packed by the resort and put in the van. We proceeded around 6:00am to the heart of the jungle and began the eager wait for the grand entry of a tiger. Braving the chilled morning wind. We were lucky. For, within half an hour of our safari, we spotted Bajrang – one of the prominent male tigers of Bandhavgarh National Park. He crossed the road right in front of us as we watched, holding our breathes.

 

 

The tryst with the tiger at our tiger safari at Bandhavgarh lasted only a minute. But that minute felt so long. And we proceeded further with lifetime of memory and an unforgettable experience!! Thus, our decision to choose a tiger safari at Bandhavgarh did pay off!!

Apart from the Tiger, we also spotted peacocks, elephants, langoors and deers during our safari.

General information on doing a tiger safari at Bandhavgarh National Park

Zones in Bandhavgarh National Park

Core Zones in Bandhavgarh National Park

The Bandhavgarh National Park is divided into 3 major core zones (Dense forest where chances of tiger sighting are the highest) :

1. Tala
2. Magadhi
3. Khitoli

 

Each zone has it’s own unique environment. While Tala zone has natural caves, ruins of a fort (more on it later in the post) , some old temples and thick forest cover. Magadhi zone has more grasslands. Tala seems to be the zone in highest demand when it comes to tiger safari in Bandhavgarh. Since, along with the tiger and other wildlife sightings, it gives archeologists and history buffs lots more to explore. And it was already booked out when we arrived in Bandhavgarh. We got Magadhi zone, which is also a very good zone for wildlife sighting and the second best after Tala. And next comes Khitoli zone. Being core zone, it also has high chances of tiger sighting.

Buffer Zones in Bandhavgarh National Park

Apart from the core zone, there are several buffer zones, which are the area between core forest and the human inhabitation. Although chances of seeing a tiger here are lower than core zone. One can book a safari in buffer zone if limited by time, and couldn’t get to reserve a spot for core zone. And bet on one’s luck.

How to book a safari in Bandhavgarh National Park

You can book the slots online for your safari from this forest department website. Also, you need to carry your ID proof with you. Children of all ages are also allowed on the safari. But we personally suggest not to take very small kids, upto 3 years at least. Since – (1) the rides can be very bumpy and hence uncomfortable for them (2) It might be difficult (in our little one’s case – impossible) for them to sit still and wait for the tiger (3) They might get scared or not like the sight & sound of huge animals around.

For various reasons, people often book more than one safaris as well. In order to increase their chances of tiger spotting. Or, in order to experience the different zones that the national park has to offer.

Other places to see apart from Tiger safari in Bandhavgarh National Park

There are some more things in Bandhavgarh National Park, alongside the tiger safari, that you must see if you have time at hand :

The Bandhavgarh Fort

Did you know that in the core Tala zone of Bandhavgarh lies a fort which is the oldest fort of India – the Bandhavgarh Fort. It links back to the Ramayana era. It is said that it was a hill which Lord Rama flattened into a plateau. And then built a fort on top of it. He gifted this fort to his brother Lakshmana. This is where the name “Bandhavgarh” originates. In hindi, “Bandhu” means “Brother” and “Garh” means “Home“. Thus the name, “Bandhavgarh“. The fort is very massive and it has several temples also inside it.

The Shesh Saiya and Charanganga

Near the Bandhavgarh fort lies the Shesh Saiya, a statue of God Vishnu lying in a reclining position on the 7-hooded snake “Shesh Nag” . A stream of water flows from near his toe. This is believed to be the source of Charan Ganga – which meets the ocean at Dwarka.

The natural caves

There are many ancient caves in the Tala zone of Bandhavgarh National Park as well. They are located at the base of the Bandhavgarh Fort. And it seems these caves were used for meditation purpose in the ancient times. There are in total around 39 such caves in this region. The biggest cave is called “Badi Gufa” (Big cave). There are some drawings of wild animals present on these caves. In the later time, these caves were used by the wild animals of the national park.

All of the above lie in core Tala Zone.

How to reach Bandhavgarh National Park

The road from Jabalpur to Bandhavgarh National Park is good for the most part. The driving time between Jabalpur and Bandhavgarh National Park is ~220km. But the last part of the trip takes more than an hour for covering a 30km stretch. Because it goes through the jungle area and the road here is very narrow. And there are also a lot of speed breakers for the safety of the animals.

Where to stay at Bandhavgarh National Park

We stayed at Nature Heritage Resort in Bandhavgarh. It was a little inside from the Umaria Bandhavgarh Main Road. But there was ample parking facility. And the rooms were basic but comfortable. The hospitality, however, was above par. Service was little slow, but food was freshly prepared. However, if you want to stay right at the main road, there are plenty of stay options there as well. you can book one from this agoda link.

 

 

 

 

 

General Information on visiting Bandhavgarh National Park

1. 1. Book your safari in advance, from this website.
   2. You can book more than one slots, in order to increase your chances of witnessing a tiger
   3. The season for safaris starts post monsoon from October & continues till May. It closes in the month of june and remains closed for next 3 months (during the peak monsoon season)
   4. You will need to carry your ID cards with you while on the safari
   5. Bandhavgarh National Park has the highest density of tigers in India at the time of this writing. There is one tiger almost every 4km. So, the chances of witnessing one is truly high.
   6. You can reach here from Jabalpur via NH 34 & NH 43 or Khajuraho via SH 10 & SH 11. The road condition is good but for most part the roads are two lanes only, so, you can’t drive very fast. It takes almost 6 hours from either places to reach Bandhavgarh.
   7. Stay for at least 2 nights. So that you have high chances of taking one morning safari and one afternoon safari (just in case you want to book both)
   8. There are several resorts in Bandhavgarh, you can book one from this agoda link. They have good cancellation options – you can cancel till the day before your arrival without incurring any cancellation fee. We stayed in Nature Heritage Resort, a nice jungle resort with good staff.
   9. Airtel 4G network works excellent here. Our resort didn’t have wifi option, some others might have. You can check before booking in case that is a requirement for you.

 

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