About Panna National Park

Among all the famous national parks like Pench, Kanha and Panna lies the jewel of Madhya Pradesh state in the centre of the Vindhya Ranges called the Panna National Park. Also called the Panna Tiger reserve, it is spread across an area of 542 square kilometres. In the initial years it belonged as a private property to the royal Bundela dynasty who ruled the parts of Panna, Chattarpur, and Bijawar. They are used for private hunting and poaching . The first step towards the national park began in 1975 when it was turned to Gangua wildlife sanctuary by joining the north and south Panna forest divisions.

And finally in the year 1981 it was officially declared as the Panna National Park, and in 1994 as India's 22nd Tiger Reserve and the 5th in central India. This has a mention from the mythological point of view as well, where it is said that the Pandava came and stayed here in the caves during their time of exile.

The park is uniquely situated at the junction where the flat Gangetic plains meet the highland of the Deccan peninsula. The ken river is said to be the lifeline for the entire park as it forms a catchment area. The forest remains open from October to June which allows visitors and wildlife enthusiasts to spot tigers, other mammals and a wide variety of birds. The park also contains a wonderful variety of other landscapes including closed canopy forests, open areas with short grass and open Savannah woodlands that look similar to habitats found in sub-Saharan Africa.

Some of the key features that make Panna distinct from other parks in Madhya Pradesh is said to be its bench topography. This means the land can be broadly divided into three main tablelands on the Panna side that is the upper Talgaon Plateau, the middle Hinnauta plateau, and the lower Ken valley. On the other side flows the Ken River which flows from the south to north through the centre of the reserve. It is home to Gharial and Mugger crocodiles and many other aquatic animals. It is also said to be the least polluted river in India as it is a tributary to the Yamuna River. It flows across the forest for an approximate distance of 55 kms.

So if you are planning to visit the panna national park, plan well in advance and make sure to plan for which type of safari zone you want to cover as this has four zones, Core and Buffer zones which is further dived as Madla Zone, Hinauta Zone, Jhinna Zone and Akola Zone. This will be a safari adventure which is a memory for your lifetime, that you will cherish forever.