If you have never heard of this enormous wildlife reserve, it does not surprise me, certainly if you are from outside of India.
It has been touted as having a large tiger population, somewhere in the vicinity of 150. At 940 square kilometres, it is the largest National Park in Central India, so it is of little wonder that spotting a tiger here can be rather difficult.
We have flown into the closest airport in the city of Raipur. IndiGo is the regional airline, and we highly recommend them for seating, efficiency and courtesy. The flight time from Kolkata is just 2 and a half hours, and we are afforded a great view of the surrounding land as we descend. The city is a lot larger than anticipated and with many high-end motor vehicle showrooms, it feels like a wealthy region in many ways, yet not so in others. It is the capital of the Indian State of Chhattisgarh, the main industry is steel, followed by terracotta.
The drive from Raipur to Kanha is 241 kilometres but taking into account the smaller villages and narrow roads, the overall time taken to get there is around 5 hours. We are almost halfway when we have an experience of epic proportions as we come face to face with women of the Gadia Lohar, a tribe of blacksmiths from southern Rajasthan. Together with their camels and possessions, they travel the roads for up to one year selling their wares, such as knives, pots and pans made by the villagers at home. We hear that this site is uncommon and to be able to take their photos up close was an absolute highlight on the journey.
Gadia Lohar, the Blacksmith Women of India
The drive goes rather quickly with so much to see along the route. Ladies with baskets filled to the brim with bright red tomatoes which they carry effortlessly on their heads, others with bright shiny water jugs balance with precision, and even sticks ready for the nightly fire were transported along the edge of the road.
Langur on the road to KanhaThe entrance to the National Park is marked by a small white fence on the mountain edge. As we begin the climb of the Maikal Range in the state of Madhya Pradesh, spectacular scenery emerges at every turn as we mark the very centre of the Indian Highlands. Soon the Grey Langur monkeys appear in trees and along the roadside. They have always been a favourite species with me having first encountered them in Bhutan.
The road continues twisting and winding through the ranges on our way to our lodging at Bagh Kanha Safari Resort. The roads are narrow, some recently resurfaced while others fall away at the edges. Locals gather in what appears to be the centre of town with a roundabout in the form of a deity marking several road verges. We dodge the street dogs, some with collars but all very well-fed. The free-roaming chickens are another matter, with many using the road as if it belonged to them first. The houses appear to have more protection for their livestock, indicating that Kanha can be very cold during the winter months. A quick left turn into a road – loosely termed such as it resembles more an alley - with broken edges and more chickens and ducks roaming the fields and homesteads.
Cold towels are welcome even though the temperature is not overly hot. The watermelon welcome drink is a little on the warm side but refreshing enough after our long drive. Keys in hand, we are off to locate our respective rooms where we will spend the next 3 nights. Each bungalow is double-storied but thankfully, only the lower rooms are currently occupied at this point. I fear this will change with the celebration of the Holi Festival tomorrow. The rooms are generous in size as is much of the accommodation throughout India. A quick freshen up and it is time for a late lunch.
Our afternoon is spent at leisure in a rotunda located on the edge of a small lake that is almost devoid of water. Not to be deterred by this, a family of Langurs – mother, father and three young babies frolic in the surrounding trees before bounding down to the water’s edge. Watching them in the wild is very entertaining as they do what all families like to do when they have children, showing patience when they are bombarded and leapt upon by a boisterous energetic youngster. We meet a delightful lady from the UK who is an avid bird watcher, so our focus turns from Langurs to a large local bird scurrying through the long grass. Thankful for my large zoom lens, I am soon able to locate the dark blue top feathers and the burnished bronze side wings of a Mountain Plover. The sun begins to drop in the sky and is replaced by an almost full moon. The hues created by the surrounding bushes provide us with an eclectic mix of colour and a delightful ambience as we stroll through the small pathways around the grounds. If one were seeking tranquillity, one would certainly find it here.
Birdwatching is a big drawcard for visiting Kanha National Park.
Our evening meal is traditional in every sense and the staff could not have been more attentive and accommodating. We soon work out that the Indian appetite is much larger than ours, that or they just simply wanted to make sure we would need to roll back to our rooms. The food is exceptional and we are spoilt for choice. We have been invited to a pre-Holi Ceremony in the gardens, where we receive a blessing from a local holy man and light a fire to celebrate. It is a lovely evening meeting other guests and chatting about the events of the day. It has been a long but perfect journey.
Dressing in our whites for the celebration of the Holi Festival of colours, the smiles of the staff in greeting remind me of how special this event is and brings back memories of my first Holi in 2019 when it fell on my birthday. These are memories you cannot put a price on.
Colour is everywhere by the end of the morning and we are left wondering just how it got there. It was lovely to see the staff join in and the morning was a time to rejoice for so many reasons, new friends and smiling faces – who needs more?
Sadly today being a public holiday meant we were not able to visit the park enclosure to search for tigers. The day was instead spent relaxing around the encampment and discovering more about our hosts and the gardens.
The feeling of ‘all we seem to do is eat’ is very apt with so many temptations. We refrain from overindulgence tonight, knowing that tomorrow is an early start to make our way to the outer gates of Kanha, where we will meet our guide for the day.
Morning mist at sunrise in Kanha National Park, India.
The morning is fresh – truthfully, it is downright cold as the wind whistles past our ears, and we fight to keep the dark jungle green blankets wrapped around our entire bodies as our open-top jeep bounces along the village roads. The sun slowly begins to rise and yet not enough to convince us to relinquish the blanket. Row upon row of jeeps filled with tourists hoping to catch sight of a tiger line up to collect their guide. It is obvious that with so many entering the park that some of the bigger cats may be spooked, not revealing their position and who could blame them?
The most prolific animal in the park is the spotted deer and as such they are the first to be seen with their senses on high alert, not only for us but for the tiger or leopard that may be close by. Searching and scouring the bush on either side of our vehicle is a job that requires vigilance. Soon after traversing deeper into the forest, we come across a Gaur otherwise known as an Indian Bison. This particular bull is large, certainly not one to be tangled with at ground level. Their black hide appears as if it would stand out in the crowd but as he walked into the brush, he seemed to just disappear into his surroundings. Certainly an optimistic beginning to the morning.
Hope soon fades as we stop for lunch, surrounded by langurs preening each other while distantly observing the people hoping for food scraps. There are discussions amongst the guides as to where the tigers might be. We hear stories of how they just appeared either in front or behind the jeeps as they drive slowly through the areas of the most likely sightings. Sadly our day is filled with peacocks and Indian Roller Birds, with the sometimes comical langurs prancing across the fields or sitting perched in the tree branches to be the keepers of the watch for approaching big cats.
The day ends all too soon as we begin the drive back to the Bagh Kanha Resort. Showering to remove the day's dust from wherever it landed, it is a disappointing feeling that today did not reveal at least one cat even for a second. There is always tomorrow, even though it will be a shorter day given we will be departing once again for Raipur for our onward flight to Delhi.
The chill is ever present as we begin day two in search of the Bengal Tiger. We depart early before sunrise in the hope that we may see the ginger, black and white striped predator on the hunt for breakfast. By now, we are getting to learn where the different forks in the road lead. It makes little difference to the outcome until we are aware of the convoy of vehicles all focused on a spot of dense undergrowth. Behind us, a grey langur screeches wildly and bounces from tree to tree calling an alarm to the others in the forest. ‘It is a Leopard’ someone calls softly. Others say no, a tiger, but I did spot a tail as it swished quickly before disappearing in the opposite direction to the cars. I find it intriguing that we are all told to be very quiet even though there are around 30 jeeps all in one spot trying to catch the cat. Sadly another one disappears without a trace.
An elephant scout passes right by us in Kanha National Park, India
As we know it has been a futile search for the big cat, yet we still are thrilled to see three grown elephants that roam the park in search of injured cats. It is an amazing moment as they pass our vehicle close enough for us to reach out and touch them. They are not native to this part of India but were brought in to be scouts being the only way to penetrate the forest quietly.
Our journey partly came up empty-handed, but the wildlife that we did see made it one part of our travels that we would have never missed.
 A mother fox on the lookout. |  A Gaur, the biggest cow in India. |  Everyone on high alert. |
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