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Pench National Park

Spread over 758 sq.kms of tropical moist deciduous forest, Pench is one of the most accessible tiger reserves in the country, and just 90 kilometres north of Nagpur. The Reserve is located in the southern part of the Satpura hill range in the Seoni and Chhindwara districts in Madhya Pradesh. The terrain is undulating, with most of the area covered by small hills and mounds.

Named after the river that flows nearby, Pench was declared a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1983 and in 1992, Pench was included under the umbrella of "Project Tiger" as the 19th Project Tiger Reserve.

Sightseeing at Pench National Park -

The Flora : The forest type is southern tropical dry deciduous teak and southern tropical mixed deciduous forest with other species of shrubs, trees and climbers. Pench is dotted with teak and its associates moyan, mahua, mokha, skiras, tendu, bija, achar, garari, aonla, bhaman, ghont, baranga, amaltas, kihamali, khair, bhirra, palas. Bamboo occurs sparsely, restricted to some valleys. In addition there are many rare varieties of herbs and grasses in this region -many of them of medicinal use.

The Fauna : Fauna-wise, a number of endangered species have made it their habitat including the Indian wild dog, the wild pig, nilgai, chital, muntjac, gaur, the four-horned antelope and of course tigers. The tiger population in pench is one of the hightest - 55, in number. The park is also rich in bird life with over 200 species like barbets, bulbuls, minivets, orioles, wagtails, munias, mynas, waterfowls, and blue kingfishers. The Pench River and water streams that weave through the area, along with nallahs and ravines provide the perfect habitat for the water birds of this region. This is also the hunting ground for crocodiles and turtles.

The Avifauna : Pench is haven for birds with more than 200 species recorded from here including the migratory waders and the ducks. It is pretty easy to spot birds like the Crested Serpant Eagle, Changeable Hawk Eagle, Painted Francolin, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Collared Scops Owl and many other species.

Best Season to Visit : November to June.

Reaching the Pench National Park-

• Air : Nagpur is very well connected and one can reach Nagpur either by air or train from Delhi, Mumbai and other places in India.
• Rail : The nearest railhead is Seoni which is only 30 kms away from Pench National Park. Nagpur is only 92 kms and a two-hour drive from Pench. Pench is 190 kms from Jabalpur station.
• Road : Pench National park is well connected by road routes to the major cities of Maharashtra in the western part of India.