Van Vihar National Park in madhya pradesh best time to visit

Van Vihar National Park:-

INTRODUCTION:-
Van Vihar is National Park located adjacent to Upper Lake of Bhopal city at Madhya Pradesh in Central India. It is spread over an area of 4.43 sq. km. area and was declared as a National Park in year 1983. Although it is a declared National Park, but on visit you will find it more a Zoological Park. It has been developed and managed as a zoological park in which wild animals were caged in a their natural surrounding. It is a important part of Bhopal local sightseeing. 
This land is under strict protection, due to it has now transformed into an island full of greenery surrounded by habitation. Van Vihar serves as green lung for the capital town of Madhya Pradesh. It harbors herbivores like Chital, Sambar, and blue bull under free ranging condition and the animals like tiger, lion, leopard, hyena, crocodile and gharial under captive condition. The landscape of the area has led to the designing of enclosures in a fashion that serves the objective of fostering a positive man-animal relationship. Central Zoo Authority (CZA) has granted recognition to Van Vihar as medium size Zoo during q994. The adjoining upper lake adds immense beauty to the landscape of Van Vihar. The lake enlivens the park particularly when thousands of migratory birds land in the lake at the onset of winter.
The park is open from 7 am to 11 am and 3 pm to 5 pm and closed on Tuesdays. It provides free entry to the park for schools, colleges and senior citizens. July to September is the ideal time to visit the park.

FLORA [वनस्पति]:-
The vegetation was in highly degraded condition and belong to southern dry deciduous scrub forests. The main species found here are Bel (Aegle marmelos), Amaltas (Cassia fistula), Babul (Acacia nilotica), Reunjha (Acacia leucophloea), Doodhi (Writea tinctoria), Lendia (Lagerstromia parviflora), Saja (Terminalia alata), Amla (Emblica officinalis), and Tendu (Diospyros melanoxylon). In the closed areas of fodder farm and plantation, different palatable grasses like Chrysopogon fulvus, Themeda triandra, Heteropogon contortus, Dicanthium annulatum, Chloris dolichostachia, etc. are coming up. Hilly portion of Park is heavily infested with Lantana, whereas lower plains with Parthenium and Cassia tora weeds.

FAUNA [पशुवर्ग] :-
Van Vihar NP houses a variety of herbivores and carnivores. While the herbivores are free ranging, the carnivores are housed in large enclosures. The carnivores include tiger, lion (Panthera leo), panther (Panthera pardus), Hyena (Hyaena hyaena), and sloth bear (Melursus ursinus). The albino sloth bear and the white tiger are the star attraction of Van Vihar. The herbivores include sambar (Cervus unicolor), Chital (Axis axis), Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus), Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra), Chousingha (Tetracerus quadricornis), Common langur (Presbytis entellus) Rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta), Wild boar (Sus scrofa), Porcupine (Hystrix indica), Hare (Lepus nigricollis), etc. In addition, the park also houses gharial (Gavialis gangticus), crocodile (Crocodilus palustris), Turtle (Trionyx gangeticus), Star tortoise (Geochelone elegans), and python (Python molurus). Tiger, panther and crocodile have bred successfully under captive conditions in the park.

AVI-FAUNA [avi-पशुवर्ग] :-
Till now, about two hundred species of birds have been listed in Van Vihar. Large numbers of birds frequent this park, especially during the winter. The migratory waterfowl alight in great numbers in the adjoining extensive wetland of big lake. The upper lake, on the southwestern boundary of Van Vihar is the abode of wide array of avian fauna. More than 40 species of migratory birds visit this area during the winter. The average count may be as much as 20, 000 water birds at a time. Some of the important winter visitors are pintail, spotbill, brahminy duck, gadwall, red crested pochard, barheaded goose, cotton teal, spoonbill, painted stork and purple heron. The aviary inside Van Vihar swarm during the winter with hundreds of winged creatures which is a great attraction for bird watchers. A solitary black necked stork has been regularly sighted for the last two winters. Rare sightings of brown headed stork and black capped kingfisher have also been reported. A pair of white stork, which had no previous sighting records in Bhopal, was seen during the summers of 2001. Apart from this, common pariah kite, great horned owl, Shikra, Marsh harrier, tawny eagle and kestrel are some of the important birds of prey. The scavenger vulture is common in the park especially during the summers. The upper lake of Bhopal has also been included in the IBA (Important Bird Areas) list of Birdlife International coordinated by BNHS.

HOW TO REACH:-
Van Vihar situated in Bhopal city, adjoining Shyamla Hills area of the city, it can be reached by reaching Bhopal city, that is the capital-city of Madhya Pradesh. The park is spread adjacent to Bhopal lake where you can go for visit after paying for entrance ticket.

By Flight:-
Bhopal city have its own airport with name "Raja Bhoj Airport" (IATA Code: BHO) which has connectivity with cities like Indore, Mumbai,Delhi, Raipur, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad etc. It is about 15 Kms. from city center. Similarly it is connected with other important cities like Indore, Jabalpur, Gwalior etc. of state through air-taxi service. And Van Vihar is Just 16 km away to the Airport. 
DISTANCE CHART
From  Distance  (in Kms)

Indore 200
Pachmarhi 230
Satpura National Park 190
Mandu 280
Ujjain 180
Sanchi 50

By Train:-
Bhopal city have two main railway stations: Habibganj & Bhopal Junction. And Van Vihar is odd 8 km away to the main railway station of the city; Railways of Bhopal come under West-Central Railway Zone in India. Railway station code for Habibganj is HBJ & Bhopal Junction is BPL. Here Habibganj Railway Station is the first ISO9001:2001 certified railway station of India. City is on the main Delhi-Chennai & Delhi-Mumbai rail track. There are regular express trains to Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Gwalior, Jhansi, Ujjain, Sanchi, Indore, Jabalpur, Katni, Chittorgarh, Aurangabad etc. Bhopal is directly connected to Amritsar & Jammu in the North. There is a daily Shatabdi Express via Agra, Gwalior, Jhansi to Bhopal. In case you are not able to find train from Bhopal to any other destination, you may consider Itarsi Junction (Railway code:ET) also for searching the train. It is about 85kms from Bhopal city but has large number of train options for other parts of India.

By Road:-
Regular state roadways buses connect Bhopal with Indore, Ujjain, Pachmari, Khajuraho, Jabalpur, Gwalior, Sanchi, Nagpur, Jaipur. The main bus terminal is at Hamidia road. Taxis can be hired from travel agencies & travel desks at hotels. National Highway-12 connects Bhopal from Jabalpur & Jaipur.Another important National Highway-86 connects Bhopal from Sagar city of Madhya Pradesh. State Highway-17 also connects Bhopal city from other parts of state. Bhopal is well connected by road from nearby tourist destinations like Sanchi, Jaipur, Ujjain, Udaipur, Pachmarhi, Omkareshwar, Maheshwar, Mandu, Indore, Jabalpur, Chittorgarh, Satpura National Park, Khajuraho, Orchha etc.

WHEN TO VISIT:-
The best time to visit Van Vihar National Park is July To September. Visit the park around 4:30pm to get a chance to see most wild animals at the park. Noon
Best Seasons
Summer: March to July
Winter: Novemeber to March

ATTRACTIONS:-
The Van Vihar National Park provides varieties of herbivorous and carnivorous species for the tourists. All carnivorous animals are kept captive and feed everyday with meet and other food items. Around 4:30pm everyday carnivorous are feed which is the best time to visit the park.
Carnivorous Animals - At park you will come across various carnivorous animals like tiger, white tigers, panther, lion, hyena, alligators, pythons, bear etc. All these carnivorous are kept captive at the national park.
Herbivores - All Herbivores are free to move inside the park therefore tourists will have to hire rickshaw or jeep to travel through the park to get their glimpse. Herbivores species present at the Van Vihar includes Cheetal, sambhar, blue bull, blackbuck etc.
Bird watching - Over 200 species of birds have been identified at the Van Vihar National Park. Tourists will come across several migratory birds during the winter season. Best place for birdwatching in the park is the lake. Bring your camera and start taking photographs of the beautiful birds at the park.

ENTRY FEE & TIMINGS:-
Entry for school & college children and senior citizens is free at the park. Indian tourists will have to pay Rs 15 for entry where foreign tourists will have to pay Rs.150. For still camera, tourists will have to pay additional Rs.40 and Rs.300 for video camera. Taking vehicles inside the park will cost extra Rs.200.
Park remains open 7 am to 7pm during April to September and 8am to 6pm during October to March. Park remains closed on Tuesday.

kanha national park in madhya pradesh tour packages offers

About Kanha National Park

Area : 1,945 sq km 
Altitude : 600-900 m above sea level
Kanha National Park is nestled in the Maikal range of Satpuras in Madhya Pradesh, the heart of India that forms the central Indian highlands.The national park is being popularized as the Tiger reserve and interestingly is being declared as one of the finest wildlife areas in the world. Spreading across two revenue districts the Mandala and the Kalaghat, Kanha National Park was declared a reserve forest in 1879 and revalued as a wildlife sanctuary in 1933. Its position was further upgraded to a national park in 1955.
The Kanha National Park is spread across the area of 940 sq km in the Maikal chain of hills. By bringing up the buffer and core zone all together, the Kanha Tiger Reserve has the total area of 1945 sq km.
The landscapes and the surrounding luxurious meadows along with the wooded strands and the dense maroons of forests offer magnanimous sightseeing experiences for the nature lovers. Making the land more beautiful and adorable, the crystal clear streams amidst the dense jungle cleanses the surroundings and makes the wildlife unrivalled. This vivacious land has been the source of inspiration for Rudyard Kipling, a famous writer for his outstanding creation- "The Jungle Book".
The Kanha National Park is the ideal home for wide ranges of wild creatures; right from the mighty tigers to the most populated Barasingha and the countless species of plants, birds, reptiles and insects. This reserve has fascinated many travelers around the corners of the world with its well developed infrastructure specially meant for them. The best location here to enjoy the most is the Bammi Dadar, also known as the Sunset Point.


How To Reach Kanha

Kanha National Park is situated at Mandla & Balaghat Districts of Madhya Pradesh State in Central India. Kanha National Park has excellent Air, Road & train connections from most parts of India. There are two key locations of Kanha National park, Khatia & Mukki Entrance gate. Khatia entrance gate falls on Mandla district & Mukki on Balaghat district of M. P. State. From Khatia Entrance gate one can explore Kisli, Kanha & Sarhi zones of Kanha national park & Mukki entrance gate covers Mukki range of the national park. Khatia Entrance gate is well connected from Jabalpur & Nagpur & Mukki entrance gate is from Jabalpur, Raipur & Nagpur.

By Road: 
Kanha National Park is well connected from the major destinations of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra & Chhattisgarh. Distance of Kanha National Park from some nearby destinations & approximate driving time is:

Destination	Distance from Kanha National Park
Nagpur	300 Kms / 06 to 07 Hrs Drive
Jabalpur	160 Kms / 04 Hrs Drive
Raipur	250 Kms / 05 Hrs Drive
Bilaspur	250 Kms / 05 Hrs Drive
Bhilai	270 Kms / 05 to 06 Hrs Drive
Bandhavgarh National Park	250 Kms / 04 Hrs Drive
Pench National Park	200 Kms / 04 Hrs Drive

By Train: 
The Nearest Railway Stations for accessing Kanha National Park is Gondia & Jabalpur. Gondia railway station is 145kms / 03:00 hrs drive from Kanha (Khatia Entrance Gate). Jabalpur railway station is 160kms / 04:00 hrs drive from Kanha (Mukki Entrance Gate)

By Air: 
The Nearest Airport for Kanha National Park are Jabalpur 160 Kms, Raipur 250 Kms & Nagpur 300 Kms.

Hotels click here
www.tajhotels.com/Luxury/Taj-Safaris/Banjaar-Tola-Kanha-National-Park/Overview.html
www.mptourism.com/web/explore/accomodation.aspx?destination=kanha

Best Time to Visit Kanha National Park

Every year Kanha National Park is open for visitors from the 15th of October to till 30th of June. As per the climate of Central part of India, the peak season for Kanha National Park is during winters, say October to March. Most of the tourists visit the park between November and March, mainly because the summer's heat is unbearable. The period between November and February is excellent for visiting Kanha national park as the rain fall during monsoon rejuvenated all the nature & vegetation. Particularly this period is best for bird watching. A lot of migratory birds visit the park during the winter months. During the time period from March to May most of the vegetation at Kanha National Park gets dried & Tiger Sighting is relatively easier than it is in winters. The month of March is the best month for wildlife viewing and the temperature is not very high however Months of April & May provide a great & almost sure opportunity to Wildlife Photographers specially who are looking for some rare photographs of the largest member of cat family.

Things to Carry

During the winter season beginning from November to February end necessary to carry warm clothing, jackets, gloves, mufflers etc as the morning open jeep safari drives can be freezing cold. During the summer months - from April to June the weather is hot therefore loose light colored cotton clothing is recommended with the clear-cut inclusion of a cap and Sun glasses. Sunscreen lotions are necessary in summers (April to June) when the sun is very strong. Light clothing is recommended for the months of October and March as the days tend to be warm. Bright colors can disturb the animals therefore clothes should ideally be in muted jungle shades of beige, brown, green and such like, preferably neutral and earth colored clothes. Binoculars and Cameras are a great advantage in the forest while doing safaris. Must carry Binocular and Camera with extra batteries and film rolls.

History of Kanha National Park

The Kanha National Park was originally a part of the Gondwanas or the "land of the Gonds". The forest of the Kanha Tiger Reserve was inhibited by two indigenous tribes of Central India, the Gonds and the Baigas. The vicinity of the reserve is still occupied with the villagers of these tribes.

Located in Mandla and Balaghat districts, the Kanha Tiger Reserve is being occupied by two major sanctuaries, the Hallon and the Banjar Sanctuaries. Respectively covering the area of 250 sq km and 300 sq km, the Kanha Reserve together forms a greater area of 1,949 sq km.

The chronology of the Kanha National Park makes it more simplified:

1800- Before 19th century, the area was being ruled by the Gond dynasty since many centuries and the Kanha Forest was little known since the slash and burn cultivation methods of both the Baiga and Gond tribes were being dominated at that area. They had good knowledge of the animals and their behaviors.

1862- It marks an important year during 19th century in the history of the Kanha National Park when the first forest management rules were instituted and cutting of various tree species like Sal, Teak, Saja, Shisham and Bija without official authorization were prohibited.

1857-1871 This period has a remarkable importance as the Kanha reserve area is best known to come into existence when Captain J. Forsyth wrote a classic "The Highlands of Central India". This book (published in 1913) is a highly readable combination of ethnography, forest survey and personal memoir (with dashes of shikar diary thrown in for good measure). Captain J. Forsyth, an officer in the Bengal Staff Corps discovered Panchmarhi hill located in Satpura National Park in Central India.

1879- The Kanha Area was declared as a reserve forest.

1880- The year 1880 which was called the British era, made this region of Madhya Pradesh more valuable when the central provinces was made the center stage of Rudyard Kipling's imaginations for "The Jungle Book" stories. The tremendous landscapes in the forest of Kanha and Pench are really magnanimous.

1923- The year when a landmark classic book published, entitled "Wild Animals in Central India" that completely focused on the Kanha region's wildlife. The book was written by A. A. Dunbar Brander, a government official and a keenly observant amateur naturalist.

1933- The year when the Kanha forest area was declared as sanctuary.

1935- The same status was concurred in the eastern sector to Supkhar in year 1935, but within few years the protection for wildlife in this area came to an end due to damages caused by the animals to the field crops, Sal saplings and livestock. Over the next 20 years, shooting of deer and tiger was periodically allowed.

1947-51 The king of Vijaynagaram shot 30 tigers in the Kanha Forest Reserve.

1955-75 This period highlighted and introduced the new national park to the forefront in wildlife research and conservation efforts.

1963-65 When the American scientist George Schaller carried out initiating and detailed research on the Kanha ecosystem.

1967- His research was published as an influential book in 1967 with the title "The Deer and the Tiger".

1969- In the early 1969, the park management began to relocate villages within the core area like Sonf, Bishanpura and Gorhela and a good management between the reserve and the neighborhood area has been the key factor of its success in the conservation efforts.

1970- In 1970 successful attempts were made to save the hard ground Barasingha, "the jewel of Kanha" from extinction. A special enclosure was made inside the forest to encourage the breeding and to protect them from wild beasts. Further, the rate of the Barasingha species took a hop from 66 to 400-500 range.

1980- The Kanha Park became the perfect location for Stanley Breeden and Belinda Wright's award winning National Geographic Film, "Land of the Tigers". The same year followed both Kanha and Ranthambore (in Rajasthan) parks to witness the successful attempt of the first phase of Project Tiger and the annual visitor-ship to both the parks dramatically increased.

1989-91 From 1989 to 1991, an intensive collaboration at Kanha Park between the Centre for Environmental Education in Ahmadabad and the United States National Park Service (under the auspices of the Indo-U.S. Sub-commission on Science and Technology) resulted in the installation of a multi-faceted informational program at Kanha, consisting of a park museum at Kisli, two orientation centers and a variety of publications.

1991- The early 90s was devoted to enhance the features of the Kanha Tiger Reserve including the park's biodiversity, expansion of tourists' infrastructure and the reserve's enviable record for research, monitoring and security. According to many observers, Kanha is undoubtedly the premier national park in India and one of the finest wildlife reserves in the world.

2000- The Kanha National Park was being awarded as the best tourism friendly national parks announced by the Dept of Tourism, Govt. of India

Kanha National Park overview

Kanha National Park is a national park and a Tiger Reserve in the Mandla and Balaghat districts of Madhya Pradesh, India. In the 1930s, Kanha area was divided into two sanctuaries, Hallon and Banjar, of 250 and 300 km² .

Area: 940 km²
Address: SH 11, Mangitola Mukki Gate, Mukki, Madhya Pradesh 481111
Phone:  07642 250 760
Hours: 
Sunday
5:00–11:00 am, 3:00–6:00 pm
Monday
5:00–11:00 am, 3:00–6:00 pm
Tuesday
5:00–11:00 am, 3:00–6:00 pm
Wednesday
Closed
Thursday
5:00–11:00 am, 3:00–6:00 pm
Friday
5:00–11:00 am, 3:00–6:00 pm
Saturday
5:00–11:00 am, 3:00–6:00 pm

kanha national park in madhya pradesh tour packages
click here -
www.touristlink.com/india/kanha-group-deal.html?tl_extref=googleads?tl_extref=googleads&currency=INR&gclid=CLOHxdS_sLcCFSXItAodok8A7w#ad-image-0

SafariBooking
click here -
hotelkanhatreasure.com/SafariBooking.aspx

HotelBooking
click here -
hotelkanhatreasure.com/HotelBooking.aspx

Jungle Safari
 click here -
www.roofnride.com/advent_travel.php?type=4&city=36&gclid=CMyr09O_sLcCFVMbtAodVjYAJA