Booking Tiger Safari - MP Online Details

The details available on MP Online Website are in form of details FAQs, letters and notifications. The most searched information is the availability of permits. There is an option to book the  safari permit then and there.  Online payment facility is available on the portal hence you finalise booking then and there. Booking for other types of entry permits are also available. 

Most of the information provided is about the various aspects of tiger safari in Kanha, Pench, Bandhavgarh, Satpura and Panna tiger reserves in Madhya Pradesh or Central India.  

If you are looking for the reservation page than you have to click on citizen services and then slide down to click on reservation after which the option to enter the National Park page will be visible. The Pandora's Box will then open for you.    

In the announcement section you will see the entry and exit timings, and the fee structure which is important for the visitors. 

If you click on the save the tiger logo you will reach the page on Madhya Pradesh Tiger Foundation Society. This non profit organization works towards wildlife conservation with emphasis on tigers along with its registered members. Further reading will enlighten you more,  Other links on the page point to Project Tiger and related aspects of tiger reserves.

Tiger Photo - Dharmagiri

On the page with logo you will find FAQ's on each  of the tiger reserves mentioned. This is important if you wish to know rules and regulations and various aspects of tiger safari in the reserves.   

The Faq is all encompassing hence tourists planning a safari to the reserves should read the respective information thus provided. The FAQ also offers information on Government  accommodation at Kanha but only the one at Khatia gate is available to public. It is basic accommodation. 

Hence tourist planning a visit should search for accommodation in Kanha on the SERP. This will lead to a large number of hotel websites offering a stay. The Kanha buffer contains five star, luxury and budget accommodation hence choose your pick.       

For more information visit MPOnline Website.

Of River and Ravines

Chambal River Safari

I work as a group leader and naturalist with Indian package tour operator "India Footprints". The company provides tailor-made package tours in India.

The company operates package tours to several destinations in India. My involvement is in wildlife & birding tours as a group leader and birder.

My recent visit to Chambal River Sanctuary was in one such package which included destinations like Sattal, Pangot, Bharatpur, and Corbett National Park. The focus was on bird watching as it was a birding tour. The tour members were from Germany and keen birders.

Chambal river sanctuary stretches 400 miles and is a unique destination not so popular yet. It is an amazing river, pure and unscathed by the pollutants of modern civilization. The river flows amidst ravines once famous for deadly dacoits - now dwindling. The dacoits are still there and so are the tourists who come to no harm from these insidious creatures.

The ravines impart exquisite charm to the river which offers the finest boating experience ever. As one cruise along the river, the hosts are none other than crocodiles and gharials with a pair of river dolphins occasionally popping up - it is an ethereal sight.

The boating excursions are organized by the Chambal Safari Lodge owned by Mr. R.P.Singh a wonderful host and charming person. The boat excursion covers a long stretch of the river with basking crocodiles and gharials - the fish-eating cousin. Alongside loom large the sun burnt ravines and steep mountains. Amidst occasional splashes of cool waters, boating transcends into an incredible safari for the visitors. The river safari offers good birding, sightseeing, and river exploration to tourists.

This rugged land and the river retain the pristine glory and charm of old India - glorified as a personification of incredible beauty and wonder.

The Chambal lodge compliments the surroundings and the hospitality is warm and the service is par excellence. The accommodation retains the old-world charm of landlords and their luxurious lifestyle. It is worth being here believe me!

Kanha Kisli

The name brings nostalgic memories of Kanha of old. I remember when I first visited Kanha in early seventies. That time the National Park was popularly known as Kanha Kisli.

The reason for the park being called Kanha Kisli was due to villages in what is now the core area of the park. When you enter the park from Khatia gate you first reach Kisli, here the village has been shifted out of the park and only the British period rest houses remain. Besides the two rest houses and canteen an MPTDC hotel and a dormitory has come up and a day center for the forest staff. The petrol pump is also functioning at Kisli.

Outside the park in the periphery of the buffer zone the lodges at Kanha have far overtaken the rest house which now caters to VIPs and Government officers of top ranking. At that time the rest houses where in near dilapidated condition and you had to cook your own food. At the time of my visit the village at Kisli was still there but shifted soon after.

Tigers prowled the vicinity of the rest house we stayed in, and one could hear the roars at night time. Thankfully tigers still prowl there and roars can be heard even now. Villages at Kanha where shifted earlier and the rest house is now a museum. At hill top at Kanha the Field Director’s residence is enveloped by forest canopy and is one of most enviable object for a tiger lover like me.

Kanha museum is worth visiting informative and entertaining as it is. For those on tiger safari Kanha is a resting stop where one is allowed to consume eatables prohibited elsewhere in the park. If you are not carrying food then visit the canteen for some hot tea and spicy samosas.

On that trip I spotted a tigress and large herds of Bison or gaur as they are called in Hindi. The gaur population was depleted in 1976 due to rinderpest attack. The swamp deer or hard ground barasingha where struggling to survive and were penned in a large enclosure. This assured of an increasing population in times to come and conservation of this rare animal is history.

The road to Kanha was lined with pristine forests and small but quaint tribal villages. Now a whole community of retailers, small business men, hoteliers and what not has added to the population. The urbanization forces you to find succor within the National Park.