Pench Tiger Reserve
Pench tiger reserve is located on the southern boundary of Madhya Pradesh, bordering Maharashtra, in the districts of Seoni and Chhindwara and spread over an area of 1180 sq kms. The Park named after the river Pench, which flows from north to south through the reserve and provides stunningly large water bodies. The prey species concentration at Pench is amongst the highest in India and home to diverse wildlife. It is one of the best place to see three major predators of central India namely; Indian wild dogs, leopards and tigers.
The terrain is undulating, with most of the area covered by small hills with rocky outcrops. The Reserve is situated in an area that holds a significant place in the natural history of the Central India. The description of its natural beauty, richness in flora and fauna has appeared in numerous wildlife books dating back to the 17th century. Books written in the 19th and early 20th century by famous naturalists like Captain J. Forsyth and Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book explicitly present the detailed panorama of nature’s abundance in this track.
Wildlife
Tours to Pench & Beyond
Things To Do
Jeep Safari
Pench National Park opens twice daily to visitors but remains shut on Wednesday evening. Local guides accompany game drives and are provided upon at the park entrance. Jeeps are to follow their own route along tracks, using pugmarks and alarm calls as indicators of a nearby predator.
Safaris are conducted in open jeep and a bus. At Chinkara we only use open jeep and keep the numbers low. Morning safari starts at sun rise and you comeback before around 10:00 am. Picnic breakfast is carried to enjoy in the park at a designated breakfast point. Evening safaris start 3 hours prior to sunset and you have to come out of the park before dark on a specific time set by forest department.
Visit to Pachdhar Potter’s Village
Just a few minutes of drive through interesting villages is a village called Pachdhar which is inhabited by approximately 100 households, the village is native to the traditional potter community, vernacularly known as Kumhaars. The geography of Pench is a rich composition of earth and soil – with black soil in abundance. Conducive to cotton cultivation, black soil exhibits high moisture retention qualities, and is one of the most superior forms of soil utilized in pottery all across the country. Farmers and potters of Pachdhar, practice this timeless handcraftsmanship as their primary occupation next to only subsistence agriculture. Painted with white and blue, almost every house is made of mud (kaccha houses), has huge verandahs for moulding earth into earthen utilities and beautiful crafts.
Matkis (spherical earthen vessels used to store water), Gamla (flower pots), Gullak (piggy banks), Diyas (lamps), Kulhar (famous chai glasses) are some of the traditional products people master here on manual potter wheels. The process of production is typically organic comprising of mostly natural ingredients, eventually hand-made and shaped – with no mechanical excesses.
Enjoy the drive to Pachdhar through forest, fields and small villages. Once there, get in touch with the mother Earth and dirty your hands at the potter’s wheel.
Night Drive
Pench is few of those park where night safaris are allowed. These safaris are conducted in the buffer area of the park; which is also a wolf sanctuary. Night safaris are great way to see nocturnal wildlife which otherwise not possible during morning and evening safari. What better place could it be to look for for wolf than Mowgli’s home? Other animal that can be seen in during the night safari are small Indian civet, palm civet, jackal, flying squirrel, sloth bear, blue bull and if you are lucky you might also see tiger and leopard. Nocturnal birds include, 3 species of nightjar, Indian thicknee, jungle owlet, Indian eagle-owl, mottled wood owl and brown fish owl to name a few.Night safari starts from 06:30 pm and usually last for couple of hours.
Visit Maharashtra Pench
Pench Tiger Reserve spans across two states, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. The Maharashtra side is less known due to fewer tiger sightings but is an ideal destination for nature lovers and birdwatchers looking beyond tigers. Maharashtra’s Pench offers an excellent opportunity to experience wildlife and the jungle without the crowds. Although sightings are less frequent compared to Madhya Pradesh, the safari is genuinely rewarding. The Khursapar Gate in Maharashtra provides the best chance to see the chousingha, or four-horned antelope. Endemic to India and Nepal, this small antelope is the only species with four horns. It is a very shy animal that quickly hides at the slightest hint of danger, making it difficult to spot. However, Khursapar has a good population of these antelopes, offering the best chance to observe them in the wild.
Birding at Khoka Dam
Khoka dam is located on the fringes of Pench. On one side of the dam are farm lands while other side borders the forest. Spread over a big area of roughly 80 hectares, Khoka attracts many birds in winter and animals in summer. Several species of wader can be seen here including, marsh sandpiper, spotted redshanks, common pochard, greater painted snipe, cinnamon bittern, garganey, black-winged stilt, to name a few. Other birds that you can see in surrounding fields include grey francolin, rain quail, jungle-bush quail, rufous-tailed lark, ashy-crowned sparrow-lark, yellow-wattled lapwing and common hoopoe. Forest dwelling species observed here are, plum-headed parakeet, Indian nuthatch, Indian black-lored tit, white-browed fantail, white-bellied drongo and black-headed cuckooshrike.
Visit to the dam can be combined with nice picnic tea that you can enjoy while watching birds and beautiful sunset.
Nature Walk
For guests eager to experience nature up close, nature trails offer the perfect option. These trails allow for a focus on smaller inhabitants, including birds, insects, and smaller animals.
Nature trails have been designated outside the park, where numerous flora and fauna can be observed in their natural surroundings. Accompanied by skilled naturalist trackers, guests gain an intimate understanding of nature and animal behavior. Typically, a nature trail involves a 3-4 km walk lasting 1-2 hours in the park’s buffer area. Exploring on foot provides a richer and more detailed experience than a 4×4 vehicle.
Best time to visit
Pench reopens in October after closure of three month for monsoon. October and November are wonderful months to visit Pench. As the monsoon recedes, the park reopens, revealing a rejuvenated landscape with lush greenery and clear skies. The weather is pleasant, with cooler temperatures making it ideal for wildlife safaris. During this time, wildlife sightings are frequent as animals emerge and are more active in the refreshed environment. Tigers, leopards, and wild dogs are commonly spotted, along with herds of chital, sambar, and gaur. Birdwatchers can enjoy observing a variety of resident and migratory birds that thrive in the park’s diverse habitats.
The winter months bring cool and comfortable weather, with temperatures ranging from 7°C to 25°C, making it perfect for wildlife safaris and outdoor activities. During this period, the park’s vegetation remains lush, providing a stunning backdrop for wildlife sightings. Birdwatchers will find these months particularly rewarding, with a variety of resident and migratory birds present.
Summer begins in mid-March in Pench National Park. As temperatures rise, often reaching up to 40°C during the day by May, water sources become scarce, drawing wildlife to the remaining waterholes. This increases the chances of spotting animals, particularly tigers, which are more frequently seen during this hot, dry period. Evenings are cooler and more pleasant, with most wildlife active in the early morning and late evening hours. The sparse vegetation during these months offers clear views of the park’s inhabitants. In addition to tigers, visitors can expect to see leopards, wild dogs, and various herbivores like spotted deer, blue bulls, sambar, and gaur. It is also the mating period for deer, with the stags’ rutting calls adding to the jungle symphony. By mid-June pre monsoon showers are expected to bring some respite from the hot season.
From July to September, Pench experiences the monsoon season. During this period, the park is lush and vibrant, with the rains rejuvenating the landscape. While the core area of the reserve is closed, the buffer zone remains open for jeep safaris. This provides a unique opportunity to explore the park’s beauty and offers a good chance of spotting tigers and other wildlife amidst the refreshing greenery.
