The phone rang in the distance. The sleepy eyes were half closed, still somewhat tired from the journey, the day before. Managed a six-day vacation to visit one of the biggest, and finest wildlife reserves of India – Kanha 🌲
Flatlands of western India🌾
Swift to cover 500 kms north
We had driven 500 kms from Hyderabad to Nagpur through the night, hopped across the two states of Telangana and Maharashtra in the southern and western parts of India.
We intended to drive into the central rolling lands of Madhya Pradesh, the leading state of India, in terms of surface area. Three pairs of eyes sparkled in anticipation with pure excitement.
Wildlife for that matter triggers the goose bumps at the mere thought of the word 🎉
Rigorous drive💥
gate as we ate kilometers into Kanha wild life sanctuary
An arduous straight drive from Hyderabad to Kisli blew the winds off my sail – drove 760 kilometers through day and night 🌇
Courtesy, our local Madhya Pradesh local car travel company, we were armed with a white Hindustan Ambassador car, unlike the sophisticated off roaders people use now 🚗
The driver was a young man in his early thirties and I used all my years of cajoling skills to make him hand over the car keys for the next three days.
Changing countryside🏡
baring few cars and auto rickshaws as the
Ambassador slowly picked up speed
The Ambassador Grand with her 2000 cc of raw engine power, had enough grunt and started climbing and hugged the National Highway 44 which was quite smooth but narrow.
We had to slow down frequently to stop at the crossings and overcome the mild local traffic.
proved challenging as we stopped at multiple
crossings on our way out from Nagpur
Crossing the State Borders🚧
Near, Manegaon Tek, we crossed into Madhya Pradesh (MP) state. The scenery around changed somewhat.
The unmistakable hint of road moving away from the populated places was present as large land under forests flanked the highway.
Huge blocks of Sal trees and other bigger varieties started lining the highway.
Dry deciduous tree lined highway🌳
Right out of the city limits, I found the fuel gauge indicator showed the need for a fill up. Nagpur outskirts have a strange mix of collection of houses followed by vacant lands.
The road between Deolapar to Rukhad, was carpet smooth.
The forest consisted of Mokha trees that hung low and spread its branches creating a pall of shadow over the shoulders of the metaled road. The road looked as if it had vanished into the thick growth within a white haze in the distance.
Forests of Seoni🏞️
The Ambassador‘s Isuzu engine pumped 105 Nm of torque as the blue sky above and the rows of trees around us slid past at 110 Kms/hr.
The silence of the area and the deep throb of the engine all merged to produce an euphoric atmosphere which kept us motionless within the fast moving car.
It looked as if the two huge boulders stood like sentries heralding the nature’s more fury to unfurl. The state highway SH44 ran right through it.
We drove on…
The road meandered once again through the sal and teak forest. I geared down the car to provide passage to a couple of adventurous bystanders suddenly pelting away across the road as they saw passing cars.
They were long tailed, black faced languor. They dared to run flat out in front of our passing car.
Driving through Pench🌲🐅
Near Agari village about half a kilometer to the east, we broke off for refreshments.
The owner of the road side restaurant had creatively put together a structure purely made of thick teak or Sal wood.
A refreshing break🛡️
Swings hung from the nearby tall trees with chairs and tables on the open area under a tree. Call of birds, mixed with the passage of cars and trucks made the break very refreshing.
The hot beverage with extra milk and sugar rejuvenated our strength for more of our escapades.
The temperature had started to fall as the forest area grew.
The sun was also shedding its rage and another fifty kilometers brought us to the Seoni check post or toll and we took a right turn.
Kanha outskirts🌴
Gone was the city or town look, replaced by small villages. Flatter and undulating dry brown patches with forest started to take shape.
Scattered villages and mode of transport seemed to be the tractor with its trailer, clanking over the bumpy roads with packs of wheat loaded, headed for the nearby market.
Tortorous roads of Keolari🛣️
From Keolari to Bharweli, the road was anything but motor-able. The asphalt had long gone. All that remained was loose white soil and numerous small to big rocks and pebbles. The tires squealed as I turned the steering side to side to avoid particles that looked threatening. Any careless move, would have cut the rubber into shreds.
A white cloud of dust storm formed behind us as the Ambassador made her way towards our next stop – Kisli.
The section of the uneven road seemed endless, and it took almost fifty minutes to cover a distance of twelve kilometres.
Our excitement had waned a bit but a forest sign and the road improving considerably put us back into spirits of ecstasy.
Enter Kanha🐅
We had entered the forest buffer zone of Kanha.
The long road within the forest, engulfed on all sides with sal trees made us skip our heart beats. We saw a family of spotted deer crossing the road.
Occasional returning traffic comprised of buses and cars, whizzed away. The Madhya Pradesh government had done a commendable undertaking of keeping the forest clean.
Striking feature being complete absence of plastics.
Our long awaited desire to drive down to this gorgeous, and intimidating forest finally getting realized.
Very soon, we came to the nearest village of this place called Khatia revealed itself from within the forest.
The Kisli layout🌿🐯
Spotted deer were in drones, beside a bridge with a running stream. Hardly took notice of us as we came to the checkpost at Kisli to drive deeper into the jungle towards our log house.
and we were led into the main forest
It was about two in the afternoon. The grazing deer reminded us, the need for us to forage at the Kanha’s restaurant which was deep inside the jungle.
We parked our Ambassador at the allotted parking slot and started our trudge with our backpacks and luggage towards our log house.
In Part 2, you will travel with us in the forest Gypsy to soak the brilliant forests of Kanha under the playing sun.
Inference
- By and large the roads from Hyderabd to Kanha are very good, barring the section at Keolari
- Winter drives are comfortable than the summer months
- Changing landscapes and forests will keep you soaring
- Duration >> Plan for a 5–5.5 hour drive (~270 km). The journey typically takes 5 hours 18 minutes (around 270 km) depending on the route and road conditions
- Routes >> The most common paths involve NH 44 and MP SH 11A. Road conditions can vary—expect occasional rough patches, especially during monsoons
- Arrive Early >> Safari permits are time-specific. Aim to reach before safari gates open (typically early morning). If using a cab, book through known providers—one estimate is around ₹2,200 for a fully AC sedan till Kanha
- Fuel and Breaks >> Given the length of the drive, plan stops in towns like Gondia or Balaghat for fuel and snacks. Carry some water/snacks in case of sparse options enroute
| Part 2 | ✨ Part 2 – Thrilling Drive through the Dense Jungle Trails of Kanha 🌳🚙🐅🌄 |
| Part 3 | 🌿🐅 Part 3 – Up Close with the Majestic Tigers of Kanha National Park! 🌳📸 |
| Part 4 | 🌿 Part 4 – Spellbinding Slices of Wildlife 🐅🦜: Kanha’s Living Natural Museum 🏞️🦌 |
| Part 5 | 🌳 Part 5 – Kanha’s Last Wild Passage Before Reaching Pench 🐾🦌 |
SPITFIRE GAUTAM 