Kanha National Park is divided into several safari zones and every Kanha safari zone offers different sighting experiences. Each zone of this wild park has unique landscapes and different wildlife sightings. Here are the details of all safari zones in Kanha National Park:
Core Zones of Kanha National Park
Kanha Zone
This one is in the core area of the park and it is highly famous among people because of the beautiful views. This Kanha safari zone offers a good chance of spotting tigers, leopards, Indian gaur, deer, and many bird species. The iconic Kanha Meadows, also known as Kanha Plateau are here. Tigers can be easily spotted in the morning. Also, a museum and various historic sites are there in this zone.
Mukki Zone
This Kanha safari zone is in the southwest part of this huge park. This zone has mixed forests, grasslands, and water bodies which creates the perfect habitat for animals to live here. Many animals visit this zone to drink water from the river which is flowing through it, you can say this zone is the meeting point of animals. Tigers, leopards, sloth bears, Indian gaur, and wild dogs can be seen in this zone.
Sarhi Zone
Let’s talk about the Sarhi zone in Kanha National Park. This unique zone is in the eastern part of the park and is known for its rugged terrain and different animals. This zone is less visited by tourists, compared to the Kanha and Mukki Zones. One thing that is unique about this zone is that it offers private safari adventures. You’ll find all types of animals such as deer, gaurs, wild boars, and various birds.
Kisli Zone
This zone is in the central part of the park and offers great views of different animal species. This zone has beautiful surroundings so you can see the beauty of nature. You can find mixed forests, grasslands, water bodies, and animals such as tigers, leopards, spotted deer, barking deer, and Indian gaur. This Kanha safari zone is one of the most visited zones of this scenic park.
Buffer Zones of Kanha National Park
Khatia Zone
The entry gate is the Khatia gate for morning and evening safaris in this zone. It is located on the southern boundary of the reserve. During the canter or gypsy safari in Kanha you can spot animals like chital, sambar, blue bull, gaur, langur, wild pig, etc in this zone of the park. The Khatia buffer zone surrounds the Kisli Core Zone of Kanha National Park and because of that, one can spot a lot of chital here. People can enjoy a night safari in this buffer zone of the park.
Khapa Zone
The entry gate is the Mukki gate for morning and evening safaris in this zone. It is located on the western side of the reserve. This one is close to the Mandla district and this zone has dense forests which attract a lot of bird species. Animals that can be seen here during Kanha gypsy safari are chital, sambar, barking deer, blue bull, gaur (Indian bison), langur, wild pig, sloth bear, Indian wild dog, and jackal. Khapa zone also remains open to enjoy night safari inside the park.
Sijora Zone
The entry gate is the Sarhi gate for morning and evening safaris in this zone. It is located on the southern edge of the reserve. The zone supports a wide variety of flora and fauna, with species such as chital, sambar, barking deer, langur, wild pig, jackal, etc. Reptiles and bird species can also be found in this zone. This zone is famous for the calming vibes that one can experience after booking a safari in this zone. People can enjoy a night safari in this buffer zone of the park.
Phen Zone
The entry gate is the Ghurri Barrier gate for morning safari. However, for evening safari the entry gate is Mukki gate in this zone. Phen Wildlife Sanctuary is geographically close to the Kanha Tiger Reserve and one can enjoy a safari here. However, it is not formally included in Kanha’s buffer zone as per the official classification. During a safari in Phen Wildlife Sanctuary, you can spot animals like tigers, sloth bears, Indian bison, chital, sambar deer, nilgai, langur, etc.