Wildlife Sanctuaries in Hoshangabad

Wildlife sanctuaries are much loved by everyone. It’s not only a great source of entertainment but also highly educational by giving us a glimpse into the natural habits and behavior of animals. Even though there area few wildlife sanctuaries near Hoshangabad but still they manage to attract a number of visitors every year looking to catch a glimpse of the wild animals. These sanctuaries are set up by the government in hopes to provide protection to different kinds of wild animals and even birds from hunting, predation or competition. The sanctuaries and national parks in and around Hoshangabad help to save animals that are on the verge of extinction .

There are also plenty of other goals and benefits that are fulfilled by establishing these sanctuaries. Apart from raising awareness about wildlife conservation it helps in preserving the state of nature.There are huge numbers of habitat destruction which include cutting of trees, filling in wetlands, dredging rivers, mowing fields etc. because of this change in the ecosystem the animal’s homes are degraded. There are countless other reasons for the need of wildlife sanctuaries, to not only protect the different spices but also prevent depletion of forest resources by humans. Hoshangabad has two wildlife sanctuaries in and around the city which attracts a great number of tourists annually.

The Satpura National Park stretches across an area of 524 km2 (202 sq mi). It derived its name from the Satpura region. Established in the year 1981, it is extensively known for its tiger reserve and also provides a habitat for various other flora and fauna. What makes this park unique is it’s considered as one of the unexploited wildlife sanctuaries of India. You can find that the topography of the national park is extremely rugged and consists of narrow gorges, sandstone peaks, ravines and dense forests. This park is rich in biodiversity and you’ll come across animals like tiger, sambar, gaur , wild boar, leopard, chital, Indian muntjac, nilgai, Four-horned antelope, black buck, chinkara, bear, mouse deer, Indian giant squirrel, fox, wild dog, porcupine, flying squirrel, etc. The Peafowl and Hornbills are common birds found here.

Satpura National Park also has an amazing collection of flora which counts to over 1300 species of plants and also contains many medicinal plants. The flora consists of mainlyteak, Phyllanthus emblica, mahua, tendu, bel, bamboo, sal and grasses and medicinal plants. The Satpura National Park is the only Tiger reserve in the whole of central India offering Nature Walk. A group of 4 visitors are allowed to walk inside the tiger reserve, of course with a trained wildlife expert ensuring their safety. The best time to visit this park is between January and June.

The sanctuary is open for visitors from 16th October to 30th June and closed for visitor from 01st July till 15th October.

Satpura National Park can be reached by road from/via Bhopal (170kms), Jabalpur (250kms) cities.

The Bori Wildlife Sanctuary came about in the year 1977 and is approximately 518 sq. km. The wildlife sanctuary lies at the foothills of the Satpura Range in the Hoshangabad district of the state of Madhya Pradesh. The sanctuary is surrounded by the Tawa River in the west and it is surrounded by the Satpura National Park on the northern and eastern part. You can find the forest floors consist of fertile black-cotton soil with a combination of sandy loam. In the mounts, the soil is chiefly composed of sandstones, shales and basaltic rocks. While visiting the park, tourist are most likely to see animals like carnoiovores including tiger, leopard, Indian Wild dog, nilgai, four horned antelope, jungle cat, chevrotain, sambar, striped hyena, Indian fox, jackal, chital, muntjac, chinkara or Mountain gazelle, gaur and many others. The sanctuary is covered with bamboos and other mixed deciduous forests. Trees like dhaora, tendu and teak can be seen in the sanctuary. There are also shrubs and other climbing plants that have enhanced and added to the floral beauty of reserve.

Every year the sanctuary attracts a number of tourists. The most popular months which have tourist flocking to this place is mainly during the months from January to June. Since there are many other tourist hotspots around the sanctuary like the prehistoric rock paintings and many others, you can also find many forest bungalows and guesthouses which serve as a lodging area for the tourist. The variety of safaris and the nature walks helps enable the tourist to experience natural beauty of the jungle to the fullest extent and watch mother nature’s work in action.

The best season to visit the sanctuary is from January to June.

The nearest airport to Bori is Bhopal, while the sanctuary is accessible by rail and road via Itarsi.