The Wildlife of Satpura - Best of Central India

In the rugged heart of India lies one of the most spectacular and rewarding of Tiger Reserves, Satpura National Park. A haven for wildlife, thankfully it is little-known and attracts relatively few visitors, having only a few tourist lodges. Yet it is one of the key players in the chain of central Indian Tiger Reserves designed to protect one of India’s most extensive Tiger landscapes. Satpura is, quite simply, classic Tiger country. Here, open woodland, dense forest and grassy meadows rise from the shores of the Tawa reservoir in a series of hills, plateaux and sheer red sandstone cliffs to the Pachmarhi plateau and the peak of Dhoopgarh — the highest point of central India. It is a stunningly beautiful landscape — gnarled, eroded and fissured, with plunging gorges, rushing streams, ruined temples, ancient cave art and Stone Age rock paintings, plus a wealth of biodiversity unmatched in central India. Indeed it is thought that the Satpura Hills once formed the montane corridor between the eastern Himalaya and the Western Ghats before the softer rock on either side of Pachmarhi eroded to leave an isolated ‘highland island’ supporting many species of plants and animals that have long since disappeared elsewhere in central India. Indian Giant Squirrels and Indian Mouse-deer, for example, still occur, and the skies are often patrolled by Black Eagles and Mountain Hawk-eagles. 

With such a range of habitats and altitudes, Satpura offers a wealth of wildlife-viewing that is amongst the best in India. Nowhere else are Gaur (the giant Asian Bison), the much sought-after Sloth Bear and the elusive Dhole (Asian Wild Dog) so abundant and easily seen. These species, together with the beautiful Indian Giant Squirrel and the Leopard (which is relatively common here), make up Satpura’s ‘big five’. Sambar, Chital, Muntjac, Nilgai, Blackbuck, Wild Boar, Rhesus Macaques and Common Langurs, Marsh Mugger Crocodiles, and even the elusive Chousingha, may also be seen, while Indian Skimmer, Bar-headed Geese, Grey Junglefowl, both Red and Painted Spurfowl, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Blue-bearded Bee-eater and Tawny-bellied Babbler are amongst Satpura’s avian specialities. 

What we hope you will not see here is a Tiger! It is true that there are plenty of them in Satpura (at least 40 within its 1,503 square kilometres), but these are wild Tigers — fearful and wary of you. They are not habituated to man, as the Tigers of Ranthambore, Kanha and Bandhavgarh have become. They will not stroll amongst your jeeps, but they will watch you from afar, and endeavour to avoid you. At least, that is what we hope; for once Satpura’s Tigers lose their natural shyness, this fabulous Tiger Reserve will be swamped with tourists, and the tranquillity of this most spectacular of Tiger Reserves will be lost. So, if you should be so lucky as to see a Tiger here, enjoy a rare and natural sighting and keep it to yourself! 

But there is so much more that is special about Satpura. Here, unlike in any other Tiger Reserve of north or central India, you may walk in designated areas of the park, and truly absorb the sounds, sights, smells, signs, tracks and so on of so thrilling an environment as ‘Tiger country’. Here you may explore the shores and inlets of Tawa reservoir by boat or canoe, paddled by local fishermen, in search of a rich spectacle of waterbirds and other wetland wildlife. With just 19 jeeps currently permitted to enter the park at any time, game drives in Satpura will be as rewarding and enjoyable as they get!  

What’s more, Satpura is easy to reach. It lies just a 3-hour drive from the modern airport of Bhopal, and allows a visit to the fascinating 10,000-year-old rock shelters of Bhimbetka en route. Best of all, in this clean, peaceful and scenic part of rural India, just three luxury lodges service Satpura. They are amongst India’s leading ‘eco-lodges’, so good that we stay in one of these lodges for six nights. We are confident that you will love Satpura and, if you are really concerned that you may not see a Tiger, we offer an optional extension to Kanha National Park, where the Tigers are rather more obliging!