India Travel Blog

Tiger Tourism at Pench

The dead sambar lay rotting inside the core zone of the park. Careful inspection did not reveal any incision or wounds inflicted by the big cats. Obviously the deer had died of a natural cause. But what surprised me was the carcase which was untouched by the big cats as well as the opportunistic hunters like jackal, hyena or wild dogs.   

The first question that came to my mind was how come the predators had not reached the dead animal yet? Are they thriving in sufficient numbers? My doubts were cleared by the hotel manager at Pench.

"No sir its just an instance, the predators thrive well in this nature preserve", he answered my question with utmost sincerity.    

Well very soon I saw a tigress with four cubs, wild dogs but not the Indian Wolf. The latter inhabits the periphery which comprises of scrub and open area ideal for this endangered canid.   The tiger sighting was a unique experience and my first at Pench Tiger Reserve. 

The tigers in Pench are easily seen on jeep safaris and elephant rides. There are many guides available for game drives in the park, some are expert tiger trekkers.  

The park lies in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra border in India about two hundred km from Jabalpur. Earlier known as Seoni Hills the area is also called Kipling Country since the Jungle Book is based upon the folklore of these forests.

The Pench jungles are mixed deciduous type with large number of fruiting trees. The habitat is home to Central Indian mammals, birds and reptiles. The floral richness is  evident on very first visit. The preserve is much visited by tourists on tiger safari and birders.

Animals seen on wildlife safari are tiger, leopard, sloth bear, bison, spotted deer, barking  deer, langur, wild boar, wild dog or dhole. sambar, rhesus macaque, Indian wolf etc.

There are a large number of birds to be seen and Pench promises to be a leading birding destination in Madhya Pradesh. Much survey has to be done in order to checklist birds of Pench.  Professional birding guides are available for bird watching at the Pench Resorts. 

The park can be reached from Nagpur airport which is about 80 km. Pench is about 200 km from Jabalpur airport and rail head. The accommodations are based Turia since most of the Pench hotels are situated here. At Karmajhiri, forest rest house and dormitory are available for a stay with prior reservation from the DFO office in Seoni.    

The visiting season is from !6th October to June 31st whence the reserve is open. Those wishing to avoid heat should visit in the winters which extend up to February.  

Jabalpur Hub of Tourism

Though the city does not lack tourist place it is mainly seen as a transit point. The destination sits at the fulcrum of major tiger reserves and hill resorts in Madhya Pradesh.

The tiger reserves Kanha, Bandhvgarh, Pench and Satpura are almost equidistant from Jabalpur.  So is the famous Pachmarhi Hill Resort and WLS.  Satpura National Park is about two hours from Pachmarhi while Bori Wildlife Sanctuary is nearer. 

Another place of interest is the Achanakmar Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve. Amarkantak is the source of Holy River Narmada and is a major pilgirmage destination for the Hindus.

Another place of interest is the Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary which is home to tigers and exciting bird species. Indian Wolf is seen here besides Chinakara and Indian Fox.

For reaching these places on needs to arrive at Jabalpur from here one can drive down. Jabalpur is connected to a number of trains with Capital City New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkutta. All the trains are overnight and need advance reservation.  There is a flight service to Jabalpur from New Delhi and Mumbai.

 Another way to reach these destination is using the local bus service but these are very uncomfortable. One can avail luxury bus service only for the Pench Tiger Reserve which is closer to Nagpur

 Since the rail connectivity is not present taxi is the only way you can reach here. There many travel agents that offer car rental in Jabalpur for the tourists. From here one can drive down to all the places mentioned above. One can also visit the famous Khajuraho Temples from Bandhavgarh onwards. 

One need to remeber that all travel services are booked in advance during holidays and festivals. Hence one should book in advance during Diwali, Xmas, New Year and Holi. The National Parks open on 16th October and close by 31 June. Evening safari on each Wednesday is not available.