Bandhavgarh National Park

Bandhavgarh occupies a block of sal forest, bamboo and open meadow in northern Madhya Pradesh, wrapped around a flat-topped hill crowned by an old fort and scattered with rock-cut sculptures and stone water tanks. It has one of the densest tiger populations in India, and the mix of open valleys and forest tracks makes the cats relatively visible, which is why the park is booked out months ahead in season. Drives run at dawn and mid-afternoon through assigned zones, with guides reading alarm calls from deer and langur to work out where a tiger is moving. Leopard, sloth bear, gaur, jackal and a long bird list fill the hours in between.

What you actually see

• Tigers in the meadows - the open valleys give some of India's better chances of a sighting.
• Bandhavgarh Fort hill - the flat-topped hill above the forest with old carvings and tanks.
• Sal forest and bamboo - the tall shady woodland covering most of the core zones.
• Alarm-call tracking - guides following deer and langur calls to locate the cats.

When to go

The park runs from October to June and closes for the monsoon. October to February is cool and green but the cover is thick; March to May is hot and dry, animals concentrate at water and sightings improve sharply. Permits for the core zones sell out months ahead, so book them before arranging the rest of the travel.

Honest expectations

Tigers are wild and nothing is guaranteed; three drives without a sighting happens often enough. The best months are also the hottest, with open jeeps and dust for hours. Permit systems, zone allocation and vehicle rules are rigid and confusing to arrange independently. When a tiger is found, several jeeps converge on the spot at once, which spoils the mood for some people.

Nearby

Kanha's forests are half a day south; the Marble Rocks at Bhedaghat lie near Jabalpur.