Who doesn’t love the Jungle Book? image © Disney

If you ever feel nostalgic and would like to relive your childhood years, you should consider visiting Kanha National Park in Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh; it inspired the Nobel laureate Rudyard Kipling and served as a setting for The Jungle Book!

A sloth bear!
Photograph by Zigmund Leszczynski/Animals Animals-Earth Scenes; National Geographic

Kanha is a Tiger Reserve in the Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh, India

This park is known for its abundant population of royal Bengal tiger, leopards, sloth bear, swamp deer, and Indian wild dog. The park’s main flora consists of lush saal, bamboo forests, lakes, streams, and open grasslands. Unlike other national parks, jeep safaris are not very common at Kanha. Instead, there are “tiger showings,” where tigers are tracked, and if any are found, an elephant will take the tourists to where they are. This is an extremely unique experience offered by the park. You should also make sure to check out Bamni Dadar, a world-famous sunset point at the Mukki Gate end of the park.

Lucky tourists being taken to a tiger showing
Photo by Sinna @www.aadikerala.com

March through May is the ideal time to visit the park since the weather begins to get hotter and the animals roam around more often looking for water to help them cool off. You should note that the park is closed from July 1^st through September 30^th due to monsoon. A stay of at least three nights is recommended in order to get a good look at some of the more elusive animals around the park. All of the information was taken from and can be found on Kanha National Park’s official website.