Pench Wildlife National Park & Sanctuary
Pench National park, nestling in the lower southern reaches of the satpuda hills is named after Pench river, meandering through the park from north to south. It is located on the southern boundary of Madhya Pradesh, bordering Maharashtra, in the districts of Seoni and Chhindwara.Pench National Park, comprising of 758 SQ Kms, out of which a core area of 299 sq km of Indira Priyadarshini Pench National Park and the Mowgli Pench Sanctuary and remaining 464 sq km of pench national park is the buffer area
The area of the present tiger reserve has a glorious history. A description of its natural wealth and richness occurs in Ain-i-Akbari. Pench Tiger Reserve and its neighbourhood is the original setting of Rudyard Kipling's most famous work, The Jungle Book
The undulating topography supports a mosaic of vegetation ranging from moist, sheltered valleys to open, dry deciduous forest. Over 1200 species of plants have been recorded from the area including several rare and endangered plants as well as plants of ethno-botanical importance.
The area has always been rich in wildlife. It is dominated by fairly open canopy, mixed forests with considerable shrub cover and open grassy patches. The high habitat heterogeneity favours high population of Chital and Sambar. Pench tiger reserve has highest density of herbivores in India (90.3 animals per sq km)
Major Attractions of Pench National Park are:-
The park is known for its population of the fearless master predator. Most of the tourists come to visit the place, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Tiger. Pench offers its visitors numerous wildlife attractions which include over 39 species of mammals, 13 species of reptiles, 3 species of amphibians and more than 210 varieties of birds.
Some of the prominent avian residents of the park include the barbet, bulbul, minivet oriole, wagtail, munia, myna, malabal pied hornbill, collared scops, owl, waterfowl and blue kingfisher among other variety of animals which can be commonly seen adorning the skies of Pench.
Major mammalian species found in the region include animals like cheetal, sambar, nilgai, wild pig, tiger, leopard, jungle cat, leopard cat, striped hyena, wild dog, wolf, sloth bear, pangolin and the mighty Indian gaur.
Jeep safari and elephant rides can be especially rewarding for sighting some rare animals. Take an early dawn safari when the animals come out in the open in search of food and water. Jeep safaris and elephant rides are available during morning and evenings. The safari timings are, Morning : Nov1-Feb15 & May1-Jun30 (6-11 AM), Feb16-Apr30 (6 AM-12:20 PM). Evening : Nov1-Feb15 (2:30-5:30 PM), May1-Jun30 (3:30-6:20 PM), Feb16-Apr30 (4-7 PM). It is better to sit next to the guide so you can hear every instruction and information being told. Ask questions to increase your knowledge