Pench Tiger Reserve – History

Pench Tiger Reserve – History

The forests of the present Pencha National Park finds mention in the 16^th century CE document, Ain-i-Akbari, written by Abu’l-Fazl ibn Mubarak. It describes its natural wealth and richness. The Jungle Book, an immensely popular and much-loved wildlife novel by Rudyard Kipling, is based on Pench. The story of Mowgli was inspired by a real story prevalent in the region. In 1831, a child who had grown up with wolves in Satbavadi village near Seoni was caught by Lieutenant Moor.

This incident led Sir William Henry Sliman to write “An account of wolves’ nurturing children in their dens,” which probably led to the inception of “The Jungle Book.” Kipling borrowed heavily from Robert Armitage Strendale's books 'Seonee', 'Mammalia of India and Ceylon' and 'Denizens of the Jungle' for the topography, wildlife, and its ways. Several natural history books like R. A. Strendale's ‘Seonee - Camp life in the Satpuras’, Forsyth’s ‘Highlands of Central India’ and Dunbar Brander’s ‘Wild animals of Central India’ vividly described the natural wealth of the Pench National Park.

The Pench sanctuary with an area of 449.392 sq. kms was established in 1977. An area of 292.857 sq. km out of 449.392 sq. kms was declared as Pench National Park in 1983 and the rest 118.473 sq. kms remained as Pench sanctuary. The government of India declared 757.85 sq. kms including the National Park and the sanctuary was the 19^th tiger reserve of the country in 1992.

The Pench National Park and Pench Sanctuary were renamed as Indira Priyadarshini Pench National Park & Pench Mowgli Sanctuary in year 2002. The national park was again renamed as Indira Priyadarshini Pench National Park in 2005. The areas of the national park and sanctuary are declared as core area of Pench Tiger Reserve in 2007. The Buffer Zone of the tiger reserve has been notified in 2010. The park won the best management award in 2011.

The Pench National Park provided the location used by the BBC for the innovative wildlife series Tiger: Spy in the Jungle, a three-part documentary narrated by Sir David Attenborough which used concealed cameras, placed by elephants, in order to capture intimate tiger behavior and also retrieved footage of various other fauna in the reserve. The programme aired for the first time in March 2008 and ended a month later.

Pench Tiger Reserve – Activities

Pench Tiger Reserve – Activities

Rukhad Cycling Excursion:

Visitors can try cycling excursion in Rukhad forest. Rukhad forest is situated in the buffer zone of Pench National Park and part of the famous Kanha – Pench Tiger corridor. This forest is famous for sighting wild animals. The cycling expedition starts at around 08.00 AM and covers a distance of 22 kms finishing at Sakata Forest Rest House. 

RuniJhuni Walking Trail:

This walking trail is situated inside the Pench National Park. The trail is around 4 kms natural trail and starts from Karmajhiri gate. This trail provides an excellent opportunity for the visitors to explore nature and wildlife from close quarters. Alarm calls, fresh animal tracks, including tiger pug marks, can be sighted during the jungle walk.

Boating:

The Kamthikhairy Dam (Pench Dam) is an earth-fill dam on the Pench River. It is situated inside the Pench National Park. Most of the wildlife is found around this water body as the animals come near the dam to drink water. Tourists have the opportunity to view several species of waterbirds during their boat rides. Pedal-boats, row-boats and motor-boats are available.

Visiting Kohka Lake:

Kohka Lake is one of the less explored waterbodies near the Pench National Park. One can easily reach this lake from Turia or Kohka by cycle, jeep or even foot. This lake is famous for viewing the sunset. This lake is also home to several species of birds.

Tribal Bazaar:

Tourists can also try guided tours on foot or bicycle to explore the weekly bazars in the local villages. Local products and handicrafts made by the tribals can be purchased. The villages of Vijaypani, Badalpar, Khamba and Belpath holds the weekly bazars.

Pench Tiger Reserve – Safari

Pench Tiger Reserve – Safari

Safari is one of the major attractions of the park. Pench national park remains open throughout the year, except for the monsoon season. However, the buffer zone remains open during this time too. Additionally, Holi and Diwali are two occasions when the park remains closed. Furthermore, the afternoon safari is not available on all Wednesdays. The Pench national park is divided into several zones, six of which fall in Madhya Pradesh and the remaining in Maharashtra.

Turia Zone:

It is the most popular zone. This zone is open from October to June. Morning and afternoon safari is available here.

Karmajhiri Zone:

This zone is considered a premium zone. It shares part of forest area with Turia gate. Morning and afternoon safari is available here.

Jamtara Zone:

It is another popular zone in Madhya Pradesh. Morning and afternoon safari is available here.

Wolf Sanctuary:

This zone is famous for wolves. Morning, afternoon, and night safari is available here.

Teliya Zone:

It is a new buffer zone in Pench National Park and situated close to the wolf sanctuary. It remains open throughout the year. Morning and afternoon safari is available here. Only a limited number of vehicles are allowed for night safari.

Rukhad Zone:

It is the buffer zone of Pench National Park. It is famous for its gaur population. The zone remains open throughout the year.

Khursapur Zone:

This zone is famous for its beautiful waterbodies. This zone is famous bird watching. It attracts birds and wildlife due to the presence of water bodies. Morning and afternoon safari is available here.

Sillari Zone:

It is the most famous zone in Maharashtra side of Pench. It remains open from October to June. It is the only zone in Pench that offers canter safari in the morning and afternoon.

Entry Fees for Tourism Activities:

Entry Fees for Tourism Activities
S.No.	Purpose of Entry	Fee (in Rs.)
1.	Viewing wildlife by vehicles (Per round)
A	Light vehicle, up to 8 persons (6 Tourists + 1Guide + 1Driver)	1,500/-
B	Mini bus, per tourist, per round (Bus Facility by Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development corporation)	510/- Per person
2.	Fees for Guides (G-2) Excursion in vehicle per round	360/-
3.	Photography by tourists - Video / Still camera	Free
4.	Elephant ride 1 hour. (To be booked one day in advance)	1000/- Per person

Filming and Photography:

Filming and Photography
S. No	No. of days	Indian educational / research institute	Other
a.	1st Seven days	10,000	40,000
b.	Next 8 to 15 days	7,500	30,000
c.	Next 16 days	5,000	20,000

Pench Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh

Pench Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh

Pench Tiger Reserve is a tiger reserve located in Seoni and Chhindwara Districts of Madhya Pradesh in Central India. This tiger reserve derives its name from the Pench River that flows through the park from north to south dividing the park into almost equal western and eastern halves. It is one of the premier tiger reserves of India and the first one to straddle across two states namely Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. The majority of the tiger reserve is located in Madhya Pradesh. Pench tiger reserve has of the highest density of herbivores (90.3 animals per square kilometer) and the second highest prey base biomass in India after Nagarhole (6013 Kg per square kilometer). The high habitat heterogeneity favors high population of Chital and Sambar.

History

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://explore-natural-beauty-of-india.blogspot.com/2025/01/pench-tiger-reserve-history.html

The Tiger Reserve

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://explore-natural-beauty-of-india.blogspot.com/2025/01/pench-tiger-reserve-tiger-reserve.html

Safari

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://explore-natural-beauty-of-india.blogspot.com/2025/01/pench-tiger-reserve-safari.html

Activities

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://explore-natural-beauty-of-india.blogspot.com/2025/01/pench-tiger-reserve-activities.html

Contact

Field Director,

Pench Tiger Reserve,

Seoni – 480 661

Madhya Pradesh, India

Phone: +91 7692 223 794

Fax: +91 7692 223 204

Email: fdpennp.sni@mp.gov.in / dirpenchnp@mp.gov.in

Connectivity

Turia Gate is located at about 8 Kms from Teliya Gate, 13 Kms from Khawasa Gate,16 Kms from Karmajhiri Gate, 19 Kms from Khursapur Gate, 26 Kms from Jamtara Gate, 34 Kms from Rukhad Gate, 42 Kms from Sillari Gate, 54 Kms from Ramtek Railway Station, 57 Kms from Seoni Railway Station, 58 Kms from Seoni, 93 Kms from Nagpur and 102 Kms from Nagpur Airport. Turia Gate is situated at about 13 Kms to the north west of Khawasa Gate on the Nagpur to Seoni route. Turia gate is the popular & most frequently used entrance gate for Pench Jungle Safari.

Location

Kanha Tiger Reserve – Safari

Kanha Tiger Reserve – Safari

There are four safari zones in this tiger reserve namely Kanha, Kisli, Sarai and Mukhi. Kanha zone is the famous among the four zones. The chances of sighting the tigers are more in Kanha and Kisli Zones.

Jeep Safari:

Jeep Safari is the most common and popular way to explore the wildlife in the reserve. The safaris are conducted in 4x4 open jeeps, accompanied by a trained guide and a driver.

Elephant Safari:

This safari is one of the best ways to explore the wildlife in their natural habitat in this reserve. This safari help the visitors to access the places inside the park which is not accessible by jeeps. This safari requires written permission of Field Director of the National Park.

Jungle Walk (Nature Trails):

The walking trail is another option to explore the wildlife in this reserve. It is allowed only in the buffer area. The forest department has made jungle trails near Khatia entrance gate and Chhapri village. The jungle trail at Chhapri is famous for bird watching.

Safari Timings:

The reserve remains open for visitors from 16^th October to 30^th June. The safari timings are:

Timings	Morning Safari	Afternoon Safari
16th October to 15th February	Sunrise to 11:00 AM	02:00 PM to Sunset
16th February to 15th April	Sunrise to 11:00 AM	03 PM to Sunset
16th April to 30th June	Sunrise to 10:00 AM	03:30 PM to Sunset

The reserve remains closed during the monsoon season (July 1^st to October 15^th). The entry to the reserve remains closed for the visitors on every Wednesday afternoon and Holi.

Vehicles Entry:

The number of vehicles permitted to enter inside the reserve in each shift are as follows:

Safari Zones	Kisli Zone	Kanha Zone	Mukki Zone	Sarhi Zone
Morning Shift	18	40	40	27
Afternoon Shift	18	40	40	27

Fees:

·      Entry Fees: ₹ 1370 per entry for Indians & double for foreigners

·      Guide Fees: ₹ 360

·      Gypsy Charge (max six persons): ₹ 2000