Panna National Park
Panna National Park is a very popular wild life reserve. Located in the central Indian province of Madhya Pradesh, this national park is at a distance of almost 57 km from Khajuraho. Among the better known tiger reserves in India, Panna National Park is one of them. The park is famous for its big cats like the tigers and the leopards. Tourists who visit Khajuraho, make it a point to get to the Panna National Park to see the majestic cats in the wild. The landscape is rocky, the terrain is uneven and the vegetation comprises of mainly tall grass and scrubby bushes.
The bio-diversity in this national park is extremely rich. Apart from the powerful and huge tigers, the park also has wolf, chital, sloth bear, chinkara and sambar.
The climate of the region is tropical. Summers, somewhat scorching, are when one has the maximum chances of encountering the exclusive wildlife of this park. Winters are cold and comfortable and the temperature generally remains under 25°C. Monsoon touches this region in July and continues till mid-September.
The Panna National Park is open year-round, but the best time to visit is in the cooler months; in summer the heat can take on furnace-like proportions
Major Attractions of Panna National Park are:-
Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), the king of the jungle, roams freely in this secure, though a bit small habitat along with its fellow beings - leopard (Panthera pardus), wild dog (Cuon alpinus), wolf (Canis lupus), hyaena (Hyaena hyaena), caracal (Felus caracal) and other smaller cats. Sloth bear has its most favourite home in the rock escarpments and undisturbed vales. The wooded areas are dotted with sambar, the largest of Indian deers, chital and chowsingha. One can easily see nilgai and chinkara in most open areas in the grasslands, specially on the periphery.
The avifauna comprises more than 200 species, including a host of migratory birds. One can see white necked stork, bareheaded goose, honey Buuzzard, King vulture, Blossom headed Parakeet, Paradise flycatcher, to name a few.
Variety of snakes, including the python and other reptiles are found here.