UK +44 (0)1367 850566

USA 1-855-216-5040

Unforgettable family tiger safaris to Central India

Will the Tiger become extinct during our lifetime background.jpg

Safari holidays can be fantastic experiences for the whole family, especially if you plan them well and stay at wonderful lodges. I recently had a superb safari experience at one of India’s premier tiger reserves – Kanha National Park - which is often called the Ngorongoro of India.

One of the prettiest wildlife reserves in Central India, it is by far the biggest tiger reserve in that region offering a fantastic opportunity to not only see the tiger but a variety of other wildlife as well. 

On arrival at Nagpur airport we were greeted by the cheerful Asif, who drove us around 300 kms north east (about a 5-6 hour drive) to Kanha National Park. Kanha has over 100 lodges now, however we chose to stay Flame of the Forest, a lovely owner managed lodge by the River Banjaar.

Kanha is divided into various zones to make sure that it doesn’t get crowded. These are Mukki, Kisli, Kanha Meadows and Sarhi. One of the most striking features of staying at Flame is that the premier zones - Kanha Meadows, Kisli and Sarhi - are all easily accessible. 

Flame of the Forest is a small lodge set by the River Banjaar, offering tastefully decorated cottages built in a very traditional style, all overlooking the river. The lodge has a common dining area and lounge however they often surprise you with dinners that are set under a huge mahua tree or just outside your cottage on the patio decorated with hundreds of oil lamps.

The lodge has a very knowledgeable team of naturalists. Owner-managed by Karan and Isa, the combination can’t get any better. Karan was trained by CC Africa when they first set foot in India and Isa looks after the guests and takes care of the hospitality side of things. Their extended family consisting of the kitchen staff and boys who do all the running around is amazing.

I really like to support hotels that do something for the local community and at Flame apart from the naturalist the entire staff is from the local area. Isa has put a lot of effort in training them when it comes to service, making the room, arranging the cutlery and various things that end up making it a wonderful experience for the guests.


We were given a cottage close to the common areas. There is a lovely bridge that connects main entrance to the lounge/dining area and in the same way another one connecting the common area to the cottages.

Wildlife viewing is at its peak from mid-March however we did tend to be inside between in the early afternoon as it is just too hot to stay outside. In summer the morning safaris start at 6 am and you return to the lodge by 11 am. You then rest for a few hours before returning to the park in the later afternoon.

Day 2 was our first day on safari. There was huge excitement as we had heard stories of tigers being seen at a particular zone and so all of us were up early and made our way to the jeeps after having some porridge and a hot drink. Isa sent some sandwiches and juice with us for the children – this lodge understands how to look after families.




Our first safari was in the Sarhi zone, one of the prettiest zones of Kanha. With lovely forest cover and hilly areas, I am sure we would have enjoyed our safari even if we hadn’t seen any wildlife, but soon after entering the park we saw herds of spotted deer from close quarters. My children had only seen them on TV and therefore they really enjoyed seeing them in the wild.

We also saw sambar deer, peacocks and then the mighty Indian gaur. The Indian gaur (also known as Indian bison) is all muscle with an average weight of 650-1000 kgs. I wasn’t surprised when Mohan, our naturalist, said that a tiger has to plan his attack on a gaur very carefully as there have been instances where such an attack has proven fatal for the tiger.

Sarhi is a valley of dense forest and is currently a territory of a male tiger known as Munna, who we waited patiently to see. After 1 hour 15 minutes, the environment and mood of the surrounding changed and we heard loud alarm calls of barking deer followed by spotted deer.

Finally the tiger made an appearance from the dense forest and came swiftly across the road, taking in everything. He looked very healthy, with his stomach full, and seemed to be patrolling his self guarded territory.

Our very first safari at Kanha couldn’t have been

better! For the first time, the children had seen a tiger in the wild and none other than Munna himself. A truly amazing experience!

We returned to the lodge with big smiles on our faces, freshened up and returned to the lounge for some drinks and to share stories with other guests who had also been lucky to see a mother and cubs at the Kisli zone.

During our stay at Kanha, we had five safaris and on the third day we were to visit the Kanha Meadows. Having seen Munna on our first safari, we were happy to enjoy the vast birdlife on offer, and hoped to see the barasingha (twelve horned deer) which can only be seen at Kanha.

The previous day the kids had seen the spotted deer and sambar so I was eager to show them the barking deer and the barasingha too. Safaris are such a wonderful experience for children, and the kids were fascinated as the naturalist explained to them how the ant hills were made and talked about different kinds of trees and their importance – he kept them very involved in the safari.

After a sumptuous breakfast inside the park we saw a large number of barasinghas resting under trees. They gave us plenty of photo opportunities.  Mohan with his watchful eyes spotted a spot bellied owl sitting high up on a tree. Even he hadn’t seen one in months. 

Birdwatching can be fun as my 8 year old son was taught by the naturalist how to use the binoculars and so he was able to appreciate the birds even more.  The jeeps always have a bird book and it is great fun for the children to try and identify the bird they’ve seen.


On our final day of safaris in Kanha we were assigned the Kisli zone in the morning and Sarhi for the afternoon. We had seen all kinds of deer, gaur, amazing birdlife and tigers so Mohan suggested that we should visit a lake at Kisli where a tigress had been seen with her cubs. 

Usually when a tigress gives birth, she tries to find a hiding place near a water body especially in summers so that she can visit the water often  -  much needed when temperatures rise to 44°C. 

As we reached the lake we really didn’t see anything at first, but there was definite movement there. We eventually saw the tigress coming out of her den. After watching her surroundings for a while, she stood up and there we could see four cubs behind her.

She made sure that it was safe, and then made her way to the lake. I can’t begin to explain how incredible it was to see a huge predator being so gentle with her cubs making sure that each one of them safe.

The cubs are hardly few months old and for me, seeing my children experiencing this magical moment was just amazing. You should have seen their faces! It’s a shame that there are just a few thousand of these priceless animals left in the wild and so it was great that the family was able to witness this moment.

The tigress took the cubs in the lake and after a dip and some play, they returned to their den. Our visit to Kanha couldn’t have been better and so we decided to leave them alone and return to the lodge.

The children were so excited and enjoyed recounting this incredible experience to Karan and Isa. Every time we returned from a safari drive we felt as if we were returning to a home away from home as we were so well looked after at Flame of the Forest. 

Stargazing with the kids, nature walks, sand castles on the dry river bed, customized menu for children, very cheerful staff who also spent time playing cricket with the children in the later evenings, insights about ant hills, flora and not to forget the unforgettable sightings of the Royal Bengal tiger, all made this the best family holiday I have ever had….

Accommodation images courtesy of Flame of the Forest Safari Lodge - Kanha

 

logo