Bandhavgarh National Park is located in the Umaria District in Madhya Pradesh, and is one of the many national parks in India. Declared as a national park in 1968, today, the core spans over an area of 694 sq. km. with a buffer area of 437 sq. km. spread in the forests of Umaria and Katni.

The park has a flourishing biodiversity and the park is well known for its population of tigers, which significantly higher than all other parks in India. Apart from the tigers, there are leopards and deer as well.

The park is divided into 4 main zones – Tala, Magdhi, Khitauli, and Panpatta which form the core of the park. Then there is a buffer zone in the forest divisions of Umaria and Katni. Back in ’68 when it was declared as a National Park, it was limited to the Tala region only until 1993, after which the current provisions were set out.

Coming to the fauna of the forest, the main attraction here is the tigers, but there are as many as 37 species of the mammals, 250+ species of birds, around species of butterflies, and many reptiles. During the rainy seasons, the affluence of the grasslands in this region makes it an excellent breeding habitat for the Sarus Cranes.

Ofcourse, we cannot ignore the national animal – The Tiger, and its sightings in the safaris, which is the main attraction of the National Park. Out of the total area, 105 sq. km. are open for the tourists. This area has a population of 22 tigers – a density of 1 tiger for every 4.77 sq. km. There are about 50 tigers in the entire National Park. A good amount of tourists have been able to spot the tigers in their safaris. A saying goes on about in the Park, “In any other Park, you are lucky if you see a tiger. In Bandhavgarh, you are unlucky if you don’t see (at least) one.