Pench National Park – Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, India

Tiger Tales From Pench National Park

“The honeymooning couple sat in the jeep as we entered the Pench National Park gate, after some time I stopped the jeep as I spotted a tigress called Baghinala coming towards us.”

“Instead of moving to the side, the tigress seemed to be walking straight towards the jeep, the tourists got scared and asked what to do, I told them we need not do anything, whatever has to be done will be done by the tiger”.

“As the tourists were scared, I went and sat with them and they clung on desperately to me in fear, the tigress slowly came to us and smelt us all over after which she urine-marked the tyres of the jeep and disappeared into the grass”.

“That moment is etched in my memory for life”, declared Jyotishwar, the driver who was driving us into Tiger territory at the Pench National Park in Madhya Pradesh, India.

We hung on to every word of his while simultaneously hanging on to the railings of the open jeep as we careened across the teak jungles of Pench National Park.

The Legendary Tigers of Pench National Park

Listening to the exploits of the legendary tigers of Pench from a man who has been driving on the trail of the tigers for about 14 years was an experience in itself.

As we drove deeper into the jungle, excitement rose to a crescendo as we spotted the pugmarks of tigers on the dirt trail that we were driving on.

Our mind conjured up images straight from “Jungle Book” and “The Life of Pi”, as we listened to the fascinating tiger tales of Pench National Park.

Langdi, Collarwali, Baginala, BMW, Charger, and other tigers of Pench seemed to come alive before us as our driver shared his unique experiences with us. As the late afternoon sun cast its glow through the thick vegetation of the forests, we lost ourselves in the tales of the jungle.

Langdi which literally translates as “The Limping One” turned out to be a tigress who prowled a large territory on the fringes of the core area of the Pench National Park. The driver informed us that Langdi had been seen with her cubs in the vicinity in the morning and this was vindicated by the presence of her pugmarks on the track.

VC:Flavours Unlimited

Langdi, we were informed, was about six years old and the progeny of another legendary tigress called Badi Maada. Langdi tigress had injured one of her legs because of which she limped slightly, earning her the name of Langdi.

Collarwali so named because of the radio collar that she had earlier was a tigress that seemed to be close to the heart of our driver Jyotishwar. According to him, Collarwali is an iconic tigress and Pench National Park became famous because of her. Collarwali and Langdi are sisters, born of the same mother, Badi Maada. You can understand why Collarwali is held in such high esteem by the staff as well as visitors to the Pench National Park, when you hear that she is in the Guinness Book of World Records, having given birth to 26 cubs spread across spread across seven litters. No wonder that Collarwali is referred to as the “Queen of Pench”. The other reason for her popularity is that she is totally camera friendly and used to safari vehicles, if you are lucky to spot her, you are definitely going to have many photo opportunities, after all, she has been introduced to cameras from a young age!

Collarwali is said to be the offspring of Badi Mada and another legendary male tiger, Charger, so named for his propensity to charge at anything and everything.

Badi Maada starred in the famous David Attenborough documentary film “Spy In The Jungle” which is considered a trailblazing film on the intimate and close observation of tiger behavior.  One of her cubs seen in the film is Collarwali.

VC: BBC Earth (This is a 6 part movie by David Attenborough)

Another famous tigress was Baghinala or Baghinalawali, so named as she used to stay near a nullah or trench. It is said that she met a tragic end in 2016 when she and her two cubs were found dead in the Pench National Park. Investigations confirmed that they had been poisoned.

We were informed that the abundance of deer and Sambar and other herbivores in the Pench National Park ensured that the Tigers always had enough food. Tigers in the wild live for more than 20 years and the Pench National Park with its salubrious environment ensures a perfect quality of life. The causes of death of tigers in the Pench National Park has been from age or from poisoning.

There have been incidents when tigers have attacked cattle in the outlying villages where they could have wandered into. The State Government has put into place a policy whereby the villagers are compensated immediately for the loss of their cattle to ensure that there is no vendetta against the Tigers in the form of poisoning. It is hoped that this ensures that such incidents do not occur.

Our Experience At Pench Wildlife Sanctuary Madhya Pradesh India

We were four of us in the open Jeep and were joined by a guide at the entrance to Pench National Park. So with the driver, we were a total of six people in the jeep. The authorities are very strict and your identity is verified before you enter the park, you need to have an original photo identity with you. Original Passports need to be carried by foreign visitors.

No one is allowed to alight from the jeep for the entire course of the safari and you are advised to listen to the instructions of the Guide and Driver to ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience.

It was late afternoon and the rays of the sun still harsh, however, once we turned into the core area of the Pench National Park, the trees predominated by teak ensured that we were always cool.

The greenery around and the silence, but for the noises of the forest mesmerized us. Langurs stared curiously at us from above, a flock of deer gave us a shy look as we passed by.

A peacock preened on a rock. It was business as usual in the jungle.

The calm of the forest soothed our nerves wracked by the cacophony of city life. The air we breathed seemed like elixir after the polluted air in the cities that we lived in. The Teak trees stood tall and swayed in the breeze.

A big tree with a shiny creamish bark, that seemed to literally stand on a rock had our attention riveted. The Guide informed us that the tree changed the color its bark, and pointed to another tree which was of the same species but was covered with a red bark. “These trees are Gum trees”, said the Guide.

We passed a watering hole which unfortunately was deserted at that time of the year, and crossed a wide open space with the Pench river in the distance. The landscape had dramatically changed and reminded one of the grasslands of Africa.

But soon we were back in an area covered by deciduous forest. Suddenly the guide asked us to stay still as the driver killed the engine.

The stillness of the forest was shattered by the calls of the Langurs that blended with those of the deer. These were the alarm calls raised by these animals on the approach of the tiger. As we craned our necks towards the source of the noises, we froze in our skin as we saw the shape of a beautiful tiger on a small hill in the distance. The tiger walked majestically amongst the trees and then disappeared into the forest.

Initially, we did feel disappointed that we did not get a closer look at the tiger. However, we soon realized that we were intruders in the jungle and the law of the jungle was supreme. The tiger will do as he pleased in his territory, and we were fortunate to have had a glimpse of his majestic presence.

And again, there is always another time.

Pench National Park Map

Quick Facts About Pench National Park India

• Pench National Park is spread over an area of 758 square kilometers out of which the core area is 299 square kilometers
• Like all other tiger reserves, only 20% of the core area of the Pench National Park is open for safaris
• Pench Tiger Reserve is one of the 50 tiger reserves in India that come under Project Tiger
• There are more than 50 tigers in Pench National Park
• Apart from tigers, animals found in Pench National Park are Sambar, Chital, Leopard, Wild Boar, Sloth Bear, Langurs, and others
• A varied range of birds like Peacocks, Crimson Breasted Barbet, Magpie Robin, Kingfishers, Waterfowl and others are found in the Pench National Park
• Though Teak trees dominate the landscape other trees found in Pench National Park are Saja, Lendia, Bamboo, Dhaora, Haldu, and others
• The Pench National Park remains closed during the rainy season in the months of July, August, and September
• The Pench National Park time to visit is from 6 AM to 10.30 AM and from 3 PM to 6 PM
• The best time to visit Pench National Park for sighting tigers is the month of December
• Pench National Park online safari booking can be done at https://forest.mponline.gov.in/Search.aspx?park=4
• Pench National Park entry fee currently is INR 4,070 which includes the cost of the Jeep and camera permit, there is a small discount for booking online, weekend rates will be slightly higher

How to plan a trip to Pench National Park

How to Reach Pench National Park Madhya Pradesh

Book cheap flights, hotels, bus tickets to Seoni and cars on rent here. Pench National Park is located in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Pench National Park distance from Nagpur is about 95 kilometers. Nagpur is a city in the state of Maharashtra, India.

The nearest airport to Pench National Park is the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport in Nagpur. Pench National Park is about 422 kilometers from Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh.

The Pench National Park is well connected by road to Nagpur and Bhopal.

Where To Stay In Pench National Park

There is no dearth of Pench National Park Resorts and there is a wide choice of Pench National Park hotels. We stayed at Kipling’s Court, a hotel run by Madhya Pradesh Tourism. This is the first hotel that was established in the area and is a nice place to stay when you are visiting Pench National Park. The hotel is very near to the Turiya Gate from where one enters the Pench National Park.

We found the accommodation in nice cottages really comfortable. The hotel also has all leisure facilities that include a swimming pool, Gym, and Spa. The food was good and the staff really helpful. Of course, the best part was the safaris that they arranged. Gleaming open jeeps which are well maintained and knowledgeable drivers ensure that you have a really immersive and enjoyable experience of the wild.

The area around the periphery of Pench National Parks is full of resorts to suit different budgets and almost all of them have provision for arranging safaris to the Pench National Park.

Some other private properties that are good near the Pench National Park are:

• Welcome Heritage Jungle Home Pench Resort & Spa
• The Riverwood Forest Retreat Pench
• Pugdundee Safaris – Pench Tree Lodge

If you are looking for more options to suit your budget and taste, we suggest checking out our favorite sites to book here. We always use these sites to book our stay. Pench National Park hotel booking can be done through Hotels.com  or  Booking.com to save huge and get best deals on booking your stay in Pench area.

Driving around Pench area

If you are looking at getting the best deals on car rental, then look no further. You can rent a car in Mumbai or Pune if you have an Indian driving license to explore and experience amazing Madhya Pradesh, and in and around areas and embark on a road trip of exploration and discovery of beautiful Madhya Pradesh.

Travel, Explore and Enjoy with peace

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The beauty of Pench National Park left us with memories that will haunt us for a long, long, time. Memories of a world where nature still had the upper hand. A land which was still an oasis surviving the onslaught of the environment by Man. A utopia that we hope we will return to one day for a reunion with Langdi, Collarwali, and the rest.

The beautiful land that had once captured the imagination of the likes of Rudyard Kipling, though he himself may have never set foot here. The Pench National Park history which dates back to ancient times when the region found mention in the book Ain-i-Akbari that documents the administration of the Mughal emperor Akbar had really enthralled us.

We hope you enjoyed the tiger safari with us at the Pench National Park and loved reading about our experience and Pench National Park review. We also hope that we have answered all your questions about Pench National Park like:

How many tigers are there in Pench National Park?

How far is Pench National Park from Nagpur?

Which are the best hotels in Pench National Park?

What are the Pench National Park safari charges?

What are the Pench National Park timings?

Where to do Pench National Park booking?

Pench National Park how to reach?

How to do Pench National Park safari booking?

What is the Pench National Park booking price?

How to do a Pench National Park tour?

Watch our video on Pench National Park:

Do give a roar to us if you have any questions or suggestions and we shall roar back.

We were hosted by Madhya Pradesh Tourism / MPTM. However, the views and opinions expressed here are our own.

You might want to check out our other posts related to Madhya Pradesh:

Places To Visit In Pachmarhi, Madhya Pradesh, India
Tourist Places in Madhya Pradesh

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