Satpura National Park

Satpura National Park surely has everything for the nature enthusiast on a wildlife holiday in India. Of course, there are tiger, but you are less likely to see them here than in the other nearby national parks of central India such as Pench, Kanha and Bandhavgarh. Tigers are not habituated in Satpura and neither is the other wildlife. The gaur here are golden in colour, leopard often show their spots and the park is also getting a good reputation for wild dog sightings and is renowned for sloth bears. Wild boar, chital, sambar, langur, marsh crocodile and possibly Malabar giant squirrel are among other species likely to be encountered.

Satpura is to the northwest of Pench National Park and in a key transition zone for flora and a key migratory zone for birds. In particular there is a good diversity of wetland species around the waters of the reservoir which is why being paddled by a park ranger and with your guide, canoeing is such a wonderful way to take in the sunrise and some birds. You might expect to see Indian skimmers, river terns, waders, ducks, bar-headed geese, kingfishers and many others of the 300+ recorded bird species.

Quite simply Satpura is an outstanding success for nature and its conservation. The national park is highly scenic, from the waters of the Tawa a backdrop of mountains is seen, these hold rugged gorges with boulder strewn rivers, forests and meadows. Walking trails penetrate through the national park.

For safaris there are a good network of tracks for both game drives and for walking. The few lodges including Forsyth’s Lodge and Reni Pani, are located away from the park entrance on the opposite side of Tawa Reservoir, requiring a short boat ride to start some activities such as game drives.

Safaris in the buffer zone allow you to look for nocturnal wildlife: eagle owl, jungle cat, palm civet, perhaps a leopard visiting at a waterhole and nightjars resting on the ground; and with luck small Indian civet and other nocturnal wildlife. It is also possible to fly camp in the buffer zone; whilst Blackbuck are often present in the fields nearby.