Melghat Tiger Reserve (Timings, Entry Fee, Safari Online Booking & How to Reach)
Situated in the southern region of the Satpura hill range, named as Gawilgarh hills, in the central part of India, Melghat Tiger Reserve presents tourists with rich flora and fauna along with breathtaking nature and a refreshing environment. Spread across an area of 1676.93 sq. km, the Melghat Tiger Reserve came into being in the year of 1974. It was in the year of 1994 that the original area of Melghat Tiger Reserve (788.28 sq. km) was combined with Gugarnal National Park area (361.28 sq. km) along with buffer area of the reserve and notified as the Melghat Sanctuary.
Flora @ Melghat Tiger Reserve
The main kinds of forests in this region are Southern Tropical Dry Deciduous Forests. The reserve has close to 700 naturalised plant species consisting of 90 tree species, 66 shrubs species, 316 herbs species, 56 climbers, 23 sedges and 99 grass species, etc.
The most predominant tree here is Teak. Some of the other commonly found species are Lagerstroemia parviflora, Lannea coromandelica, Emblica officinalis, Terminalia tomentosa, Anogeissus latifolia, Oujenia oojeinesis, Bamboos, etc.
Fauna @ Melghat Tiger Reserve
The reserve boasts of various kinds of mammals. Along with Tiger, you can spot other species like Leopard, Sloth bear, Wild dog, Jackal, Sambar, Gaur, Barking deer, Nilgai, Cheetal, Chousingha, Ratel, Porcupine, Pangolin, Mouse deer, Python, Otter, Caracal, Black napped hare, Flying Squirrel, Wild boar, Langur, Rhesus monkey, etc. Almost 16 species of reptiles also reside in this area. Some of these are green vine snake, python, cobra, fat-tailed geckos, forest calotes, lizards, fresh water turtles, etc.
The Melghat reserve has rich avian fauna as well. An approx. of 250 species of birds can be spotted here. Some of these are Crested Serpent Eagle, Rufous Treepies, Golden Oriole, Black-hooded Oriole, Gold-mantled Leafbird, Grey Francolin, Jungle Bush Quail, Parakeets, the Asian Paradise Flycatcher, the Racket-tailed Drongo, bee-eaters, Black-rumped Woodpecker, the Stork-billed Kingfisher, Black-capped Kingfisher, Crested Larks, Great Bustard, Fairy Bluebird, Forest Spotted Owlet, etc.
Best time to visit Melghat Tiger Reserve
The ideal time to visit the reserve is during the months of December to May. The park opens for tourists from October to June.
Reaching Melghat Tiger Reserve
- By air: The nearest airport to the reserve is at Akola which is 160 km away. Nagpur which is at a distance of 260 km is another nearby airport connected to the rest of the country.
- By rail: The nearest railway station is at Badnera. There are many trains running to the Badnera from Mumbai, Ahmedabad and other cities. One can also take train to Nagpur and travel via road from there.
- By road: Chikhaldara is the nearest connecting point to the reserve as is 25 km away. It is well connected to other cities and towns. There are various bus service operating from Nagpur, Amravati and other cities to Chikhaldara.
Accommodation @ Melghat Tiger Reserve
For accommodation, tourist have various options in and around the reserve such as Chikhaldara Convention Complex, Semadoh Tourist Complex, etc.