Tucked away in the Eastern part of the Central-Indian Saputara Range, Kanha is one of the oldest and best-known parks of India. Legendary for its wilderness and tiger sightings, the reserve was immortalized by Rudyard Kipling, who set the Jungle Book adventure of Mowgli (the Wolf Boy) in these very forests.

Immensely rich in game, Kanha has the distinction of harbouring the last of the highly endangered Hard Ground Barasingha. This reserve offers an excellent opportunity to see tigers, dhole (Asiatic Wild Dog) and gaur (Indian Bison).

The park remains closed during monsoon between July to November. The weather is best in spring, from February to April, although the swamp deer-rutting season occurs during the cold winter months.

Fauna:
The predators here are the Tiger, Leopard, Wolf, Striped Hyena and the Indian Wild Dog. The lesser predators include the Indian Fox, Common Palm Civet, Small Indian Civet, Jackal, Common and Ruddy Mongoose. The prey species also include Sambar, Chital, Blackbuck, Nilgai, Chousingha and Barking Deer. Indian Bison, Blue Bull and wild pig may also be sighted. Primates include the Common Langur and Rhesus Macaque. Other mammals found here are the Sloth Bear, Common Giant Flying Squirrel, Indian Flying Fox, Fulvous Fruit Bat, Jungle Cat, Crested Porcupine and Pangolin.

The bird count is equally impressive, with over 300 species including the Pheasant-tailed Jacana, White-eyed Buzzard, Long-billed  Vulture, Pied Harrier, Laggar Falcon, Chestnut-headed Bee-eater, Greater Coucal, Brown-Capped Pygmy Woodpecker, Eurasian Thick-knee, Brown-breasted Flycatcher, Red Avadavat, Paradise Flycatcher, Spot-Bellied Eagle Owl, Indian Pitta and the Greater Racket-tailed Drongo.

Flora:
The vegetation comprises of dry woodland on hill tops interspersed with dense forests and grassy expanses at lower elevations. Sal (shorea robusta) is the dominant tree in the meadows and bamboo is more common in the higher slopes and on the hills.