Bandhavgarh is a 446-sq km tract of land with a series of flat-topped hills on its flanks and the high hill of Bandhavgarh fort (811 m) in the centre, dominating the landscape. Large meadows such as Chakradhara and Sehra, and swampy ground like the Sidhababa Meadow, lie below. It is bounded by the Son river in the east, the Johilla river in the south, and drained by the Umrar river in the west. The core of the tiger reserve in 695 sq km, including 105 sq km of the former hunting reserve of the Rewas and 246 sq km of the Panpatha Sanctuary. The core area is surrounded by a buffer zone of 820 sq km. The forest changes from sal and bamboo to grasslands in swamps and sandy patches. With the relocation of three of the five villages which were within the national park area, large new grasslands have been developed in the remotest parts of the park. There are four entrances to the main park: Tala, Bhadrashila, Gohri and Garhpuri, each of which leads into a different zone. Two roadways, the Umaria-Rewa Highway and the Parasi-Katni Roadway via Khitauli, pass through the park.

Bandhavgarh, and the adjacent Panpatha Sanctuary (also made part of the reserve), came under Project Tiger in 1993. In spite of the conservation efforts, Bandhavgarh has its share of problems, including industrial pollution in the Son river and bauxite mining nearby. As the park is surrounded by numerous villages, poaching and grazing of animals in the forest are common occurrences. The park’ s popularity with tourists is also a reason for concern, as the crowds disturb the animals.

On the upside, the park’ s size, the organized method in which it’ s run and the efficient information & dissemination makes it very likely that you will see at least one tiger over a stay of three or four days. On the downside, this does tend to provide an assembly-line quality to the experience, and needs less of tourists– for instance, the tigers in the park are quite used to jeeps and humans, which suggests that they are, in a sense, not as wild as other tigers might be. And naturally, travelers feel less constrained to modify their city-bred behavior; one of the most distressing things about the Indian jungle is that tourists continue to chatter incessantly whether or not in the presence of an animal. They shout to each other, and eat food within the sanctuary. Fortunately, the tendency to toss the wrappings on the forest floor appears to be declining now.

And, unfortunately, many tourists feel their trip has been wasted if they don’t see a tiger. They miss out on the many other things that make up an incredible forest experience; the smaller animals, like deer and wild boars, the birds, the crisp early morning air and the beautiful verdant forest environment itself. Even the most typical animal sightings can be wonderful– a stag standing rock-still in a clearing in the half-light, a wild boar mother leading her piglets carefully through the brush; and Indian roller taking flight with the sum, flashing its sky-blue wings. There is also the endlessly diverse charm of the forest itself, made different at every moment not just by terrain, but by the state of mind and ambience contributed by a trick of light, weather, or temperature.

It is always a great idea to go on every possible safari, since no sighting is guaranteed, and no sighting is the very same. Alternatives are plentiful, from jeep to elephant rides. If your concept of holiday does not include getting up at the crack of dawn, do at least a minimum of make use of the afternoon. Either way, there’ s lots of time before and after safaris to unwind around the camp, and consume around the bonfires that the majority of hotels organize.