Overview
Kanha is one of the Indian subcontinent’s greatest wildlife reserves and a great place in India to see the Royal Bengal tiger. Besides tigers, there are more than 200 species of birds and some 22 species of mammals in residence here. On guided excursions, explore by jeep through the park’s bamboo thickets, dadar (plateau grasslands) and sal forests, which gave birth to Rudyard Kipling’s classic The Jungle Book. Overnights are at the Baagh Resort, a comfortable jungle-surrounded retreat adjacent to the edge of the park, or the Taj Banjaar Tola (deluxe option), an elegant tented camp on the banks of the Banjaar River overlooking Kanha.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1
Delhi / Raipur / Kanha National Park
Morning transfer from your hotel in Delhi to the airport for the flight to Raipur in central India, capital of Chatisgarh, a predominantly tribal state in central India. A scenic drive of about five hours brings you to Kanha through a region of lush rice terraces below the Maikal Hills, the eastern spur of the Satpura Range. Transfer to the Baagh Resort, bordered by tribal villages and just three miles from the entrance to Kanha National Park, or to the Taj Banjaar Tola (deluxe option), on the banks of the Banjaar River...LD
Delhi / Raipur / Kanha National Park - Day 1
The Baagh Resort at Kanha
Kanha National Park, India
Days 1 to 4 (4 nights)
Bordered by tribal villages and located just three miles from the entrance to Kanha National Park, the Baagh is a family-run eco-retreat surrounded by 20 acres of native sal forest. Built and laid out in the style of a small village, the lodge has spacious gardens and a central dining area with air-conditioned cottage-style accommodations on either side, bringing the feel of an intimate resort to a jungle lodge experience. Cuisine ranges from Indian to Western, a blend of the chef’s expertise and the freshness of locally grown organic produce. The Baagh’s spa services include traditional Ayurvedic therapies of massage, herbs, and meditation.
Taj Banjaar Tola (Optional Upgrade)
Kanha National Park, India
Days 1 to 4 (4 nights)
Perched on the banks of the Banjaar River amid sal and bamboo forest, this game lodge offers 18 luxurious tents with incredible river views from private balconies. Each tent features a large bedroom with bamboo wall panels and floors and furniture constructed from local trees, a dressing room, and a bathroom with tub and shower. The lodge's swimming pool provides a lovely place to relax following an expedition into Kanha National Park, home to 200 species of birds, hyenas, leopards, and the famed Bengal tiger.
Days 2-4
Kanha National Park
Mornings and afternoons are filled with exciting gameviewing forays into Kanha National Park. Kanha is the place in India to see the royal Bengal tiger, and we have a good chance to see at least one of these majestic animals. Tigers are usually solitary unless they are females with cubs, or mating adults. They feed on various species of deer and wild pig, depending on what is available. Adult male Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris tigris) weigh up to 550 pounds and can be ten feet long.
Kanha Tiger Reserve was created in 1974 under Project Tiger. This is also where the world’s preeminent field biologist, George Schaller, conducted the first-ever scientific study of the tiger from 1963 to 1965 (Kanha was the setting of Schaller’s book The Deer and the Tiger). Conservationists at Kanha have been in the lead in international efforts to save the tiger and its delicate habitat for more than 35 years, with Kanha’s original population of 48 tigers in 1974 now at around 100 individuals.
Other species we may encounter include the endangered hard-ground barasingha (Kanha is the only place where this subspecies remains), barking deer, spotted deer, the gaur (the largest of the bovines), golden-backed jackal, jungle cat, common langur, sloth bear, wild boar, wild dog, and the elusive chausingha, the world’s only four-horned antelope.
The great sal forests of Kanha gave birth to The Jungle Book, the much-loved English classic by Rudyard Kipling. Kipling set his 19th century tale in Kanha, and the wooded hills and valleys have since been known as Kipling Country, home to the man-cub Mowgli, raised by the wolf pack, and to the legendary Shere Khan the Tiger, loveable Baloo the Bear, wise Bagheera the Panther, and the dreaded rock python, Kaa.
Note: The park is closed on Wednesdays afternoon. If your extension falls on a Wednesday, alternate activities will be scheduled, including a nature walk in the forest near the lodge and/or a local village visit.
Overnights at The Baagh or Taj Banjaar Tola...BLD each day
Kanha National Park - Days 2-4
The Baagh Resort at Kanha
Kanha National Park, India
Days 1 to 4 (4 nights)
Bordered by tribal villages and located just three miles from the entrance to Kanha National Park, the Baagh is a family-run eco-retreat surrounded by 20 acres of native sal forest. Built and laid out in the style of a small village, the lodge has spacious gardens and a central dining area with air-conditioned cottage-style accommodations on either side, bringing the feel of an intimate resort to a jungle lodge experience. Cuisine ranges from Indian to Western, a blend of the chef’s expertise and the freshness of locally grown organic produce. The Baagh’s spa services include traditional Ayurvedic therapies of massage, herbs, and meditation.
Taj Banjaar Tola (Optional Upgrade)
Kanha National Park, India
Days 1 to 4 (4 nights)
Perched on the banks of the Banjaar River amid sal and bamboo forest, this game lodge offers 18 luxurious tents with incredible river views from private balconies. Each tent features a large bedroom with bamboo wall panels and floors and furniture constructed from local trees, a dressing room, and a bathroom with tub and shower. The lodge's swimming pool provides a lovely place to relax following an expedition into Kanha National Park, home to 200 species of birds, hyenas, leopards, and the famed Bengal tiger.
Day 5
Raipur / Delhi
Return drive to Raipur and fly to Delhi. Connect with homeward-bound flight, or extend your stay in Delhi...B
