Bandhavgarh National Park Travel Guide: Zones, Fort and Seasons

Almost everything here is seen from a safari vehicle: the reserve opens about a fifth of its core tiger habitat to visitors, in three core zones, with three buffer zones around them. Tala, the village at the main entrance, is the centre of the reserve's tourism, with the forest department's own rooms as well as private resorts and lodges. Every trip we run here is on our Bandhavgarh tours and experiences page.

The core zones: Tala, Magadhi and Khitauli

Drives run twice a day, in a morning and an evening round, and each permit is for one zone and one drive. The open gypsies are registered with the park and carry up to six visitors, a driver and a licensed park guide, whom the reserve makes compulsory in every vehicle. Tala is the zone our travellers ask for most, and its drives can reach Shesh Shaiya on the slopes of the fort hill; Magadhi and Khitauli are the other two. Which zone you get depends on the permits still free when you book.

Bandhavgarh Fort

The fort that gives the reserve its name stands on its highest plateau, above the forest. Entry is restricted by the forest department, so you see its walls from the forest tracks rather than walking inside; MP Tourism notes that the fort is seen on the park's tiger drives. The hill it stands on, the Bandhavgarh hillock, has Shesh Shaiya on its slopes, and Sehra meadow gives a view of it.

Shesh Shaiya

On the slopes of the fort hill, a statue of Vishnu lies reclining on the seven-hooded serpent Shesh, which the reserve dates to the 10th century AD. A spring at the site is the source of the Charanganga stream. MP Tourism notes that Shesh Shaiya can be reached on a jeep safari in the Tala zone, so ask for a Tala permit if you want to see it.

Bari Gufa and Three Cave Point

Bari Gufa, which the reserve calls the biggest man-made cave in the park, dates from the 10th century AD and is now home to a variety of bats. Three Cave Point, old caves visible from the Ganesh hillock road, is now used by sloth bears, so watch the cave mouths as you pass.

Chakradhara and Sehra meadows

The reserve's meadows are where drives slow down and wait. Chakradhara, a marshy meadow surrounded by hillocks, is in the reserve's own words an ideal place for sighting tigers, though no drive can promise one. Sehra, the biggest meadow, looks across to the Bandhavgarh hillock, and sarus cranes breed there in June. The reserve's animals include chital and sambar as well as leopard, dhole, sloth bear and gaur.

Rampur hillock and Gopalpur

Rampur hillock, known as photographer's point, looks out over sal and bamboo forest. Gopalpur is the reserve's spot for kingfishers, storks, lapwings and stilts. The reserve has recorded more than 250 species of birds, with migrants in winter and vultures nesting on the hillocks and cliffs, three of the four resident vulture species listed as critically endangered.

The buffer zones and Bamera Dam

Around the core lie three buffer zones, Dhamokhar, Johila and Panpatha, each with its own gate and permits: Parasi for Dhamokhar, Cechpur or Gajwahi for Johila, and Pachpedi for Panpatha. Under the state's wildlife rules, the buffer zones of tiger reserves stay open all year, so they still run when the core is shut for the monsoon. Bamera Dam, in the Panpatha sanctuary 12 km from Tala, draws birds.

The reserve is usually open to visitors from 15 October to 30 June. Under Madhya Pradesh's wildlife rules, national parks and sanctuaries close to tourism from 1 July to 30 September, with some areas reopening between 1 and 15 October, while the buffer zones of tiger reserves stay open all year. Every protected area in the state also closes on the government holidays of Holi and Diwali, so check your dates against both.

• October to February: the forest department records December as the coldest month, with minimums of about 4°C in December and January, so bring a proper warm layer for the open gypsy before dawn. Migrant birds arrive in winter. December to March is the busiest time, when permits for the popular slots sell out.
• March to June: the reserve calls April to June hot, and the forest department records May as the hottest month, with highs of about 42°C. Drives start early, and sarus cranes breed at Sehra in June.
• July to September: the core is closed; only the buffer zones run. For the monsoon elsewhere in the state, see our Madhya Pradesh travel guide.

• Book early: permits are sold online on the Madhya Pradesh forest department's booking site, and the reserve advises booking well in advance. When you travel with us, we book them as part of planning your trip.
• Follow the guide: the reserve's rules make an official guide compulsory in every vehicle and say plainly that the guide's instructions are for your safety. Stay in the vehicle unless the guide tells you otherwise, keep to the recommended 20 km/h, give animals the right of way, and use no horn or music.
• Dress for the forest: the reserve asks for light, natural colours, no strong perfume, and drinking water in the vehicle. Bring a warm layer for December and January mornings and sun protection from March.
• Where to stay: in or around Tala, where the forest department and private lodges have rooms; see our wildlife lodges for the kind of stay we arrange.