Bandhavgarh National Park (Madhya Pradesh)
Set among the truly spectacular Vindhya Hills and a former hunting reserve of the Maharajas of Rewa, Bandhavgarh National Park and Tiger Reserve was created in 1968. Over the past half century the park has built a reputation for a diverse fauna list among which the tiger is particularly famed with a population density that is among the highest in India. The core of the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve constitutes an area 694 km². Despite its size a safari in Bandhavgarh has an intimate feel and the park is a firm favourite among professional naturalists, photographers and film makers as it is among their amateur counterparts.

In addition to being an excellent venue for to see tigers, there is a large breeding population of leopard, aptly referred to as ‘the ghost of the forest’ and occasionally the awesome and secretive sloth bear may be sighted. Species that are more readily encountered include chital (spotted deer), sambar, jackal and the ever present common langur monkeys. Bandhavgarh is a birding paradise with a species list that runs to hundreds.