By road
~200-220 km from Jabalpur
Central India · Madhya Pradesh
Bandhavgarh, Madhya Pradesh
India's densest tiger country · ~200-220 km from Jabalpur
Getting there
By rail
Umaria, ~32-35 km
By air
Jabalpur Airport, ~184-220 km; Khajuraho (~250 km) is an alternative
Best time to visit
October to June; March-May maximizes sightings
Don't miss
Tala zone
Bandhavgarh Fort hill
Shesh Shaiya statue
Things to do
Core-zone tiger safaris
Birding
Village walks between drives
Where to eat
Sources: open-meteo, wikimedia, Photo: NH53 · CC BY 2.0
What to pack
Neutral colours, dust protection, binoculars, winter-dawn layers
A quieter corner
The 10th-century reclining Vishnu inside the park's fort hill
About Bandhavgarh
- Forest
- Hills
Where it is
Bandhavgarh National Park lies in the Umaria district of eastern Madhya Pradesh, in rugged, hilly country of sal and bamboo forest, with a steep-sided fort hill rising at its centre.
History
Bandhavgarh's fort hill has a long history, and the fort belonged in later centuries to the Baghel rulers of Rewa. The forest was the maharajas' hunting reserve until it became a national park in 1968, and it was later made a tiger reserve.
People
Villages around the park are home to Gond and Baiga communities, who farm, gather forest produce and increasingly work as guides and drivers. Hindi and Bagheli, the dialect of the region, are spoken.
Known for
- A large population of tigers
- Bandhavgarh Fort on its hilltop
- Jeep safaris in the Tala zone
- Sal forest, meadows and birdlife
Did you know?
Bandhavgarh was part of the princely state of Rewa, whose maharaja captured the white tiger Mohan in a forest in Sidhi district in 1951; many of the white tigers in zoos around the world descend from him.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.