The lush sal and bamboo forests, grassy meadows and ravines of Kanha providedinspiration to Rudyard Kipling for his famous novel "Jungle Book". The Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh came into being in 1955 and forms the core of the Kanha Tiger Reserve, created in 1974 under Project Tiger. The Park's landmark achievement is the preservation of the rare hardground Swamp Deer (Barasingha), saving it from near extinction. Stringent conservation programs for the overall protection of the Park's fauna and flora, makes Kanha one of the most well maintained National Parks in Asia.

Kanha National Park (Attractions):

Bamni Dadar:
Known as Sunset Point, this is one of the most beautiful areas of the parlc, from where a spectacular sunset can hc watched. The dense Kanha's forests can best be seen from here. Animals that can be sighted around this point are typical of the mixed forest zone: sambar, barking deer, gaur and the four horned antelope.

Mammalian Species:
Kanha has some 22 species of mammals. Those most easily spotted are the striped palmsquirrel, common langur, jackal, wild pig, chital or spotted deer, barasingha or swamp deer, samhar and hlackbuck.

Less commonly seen species are: tiger, dhole or Indian wild dog, barking deer and Indian bison or gaur. Patient watching shoulcl reward the visitor with a sight of: Indian fox, sloth bear, striped hyena, jungle cat, panther, mouse deer, chausingha or four-horned antelope, nilgai, Hardground Barasingha is found only at Kanha. Chital and porcupine.

Best time to visit
February to June, although the cool season is much more comfortable and still very good for wildlife. (The park is closed from July 1 to 31 because of the monsoon).

Access
Khatia (3 km from Kisli) and Mukki are the two main entry points to the Kanha National Park. From Jabalpur, Kisli is 165 km via Chiraidongri, and Mukki is 203 km via Motinala and Garhi.

By Air
Nearest airports are at Jabalpur, Raipur and Nagpur

By Road
There is a daily bus service available for Kisli and Mukki from Jabalpur and back. Taxis are available for hire from Jabalpur, Bilaspur and Raipur. It is advisable to reach Kisli before sunset as vehicle are not permitted within the park after dark.

By Rail
Most convenient railheads are at Jabalpur and Bilaspur