Pench National Park / Karmazari
I am so excited for last two days having completed much awaited trip to Pench National Park. This is the place where people claim that Rudyard Kipling created the character Mowgli from the famous "The Jungle Book". Not sure if he wrote the story sitting in the jungle.
Being 70 km from Nagpur, this becomes a perfect destination for a weekend getaway from Nagpur. Now 70 km is the first gate to the tiger sanctuary which is the Maharashtra part of the jungle. The Madhya Pradesh side of the jungle is around 100 km from Nagpur. Some people prefer one state jungle to the other for various reasons. The important one is the cost. Maharashtra side is much cheaper to stay and to go safari than the MP side.
I stayed at the Maharashtra side of the forest and loved the experience. At Nagpur, my house is located at a forest area and I enjoy the peace and calm of the nature. So this was not a big deal for me. But for my friends, Pench was a perfect place to unwind (All of them stay in the heart of the city).
2, Road condition - Decent roads - single lane with small four lane patch from Mansar which ends after few km.
3. Entrance to the tiger reserve - Sillari Gate
4. Place to stay - Amaltas Resorts, Sillari resort (MTDC)
Google Maps coordinates - 21.576213, 79.287818
5. Route from Nagpur - Nagpur - Kamthi - Mansar - Khumari - Left turn to Sillari Gate
I stayed at Amaltas resorts. This is a forest department resort and the better option to stay if you are looking for natural surroundings. The Sillari resort on the contrary, is better in the service, cleanliness and other amenities like children play area, swimming pool and full kitchen restaurant. The Amaltas resort lacks these amenities but is a perfect location to just sit around and enjoy the nature.
Safari Tariff - http://mahaecotourism.gov.in/Site/Downloads/TarrifDetailUpdated.pdf
You can check the tariff for the safari in the link above.
Book your accommodation at - https://accommodation.mahaonline.gov.in/Home/Index.aspx (Login required)
The resort tariff -
1. Eco huts - Rs 600(till Dec 31 2015)
2. E-Cozy Huts - Rs 735 (Till Dec 31 2015) and after that Rs. 1000
Restaurant - Food available if ordered in advance. However, you get tea, coffee and basic stuff any time.
Huts - Rooms are clean, toilets are clean too. There are no air conditioners, but coolers are available during the summer season. Best place to sit is of course the front balcony or the front porch.
Apart from safari, I really enjoyed sitting at the porch and reading some magazines while listening to the sounds of the jungle. The chairs were not very comfortable but we can live with that. You can park your car next to your hut.
Dont's -
1. This facility is a non smoking facility. You can always walk out of the resort for a smoke.
2. Don't mess with monkeys. Don't keep food in your hands, keep your hand bags safe. You will never know when they will come and snatch your belongings. And they bite too.
3. For the above reasons, don't leave kids unattended. I feel safer next to tigers than these monkeys (Not really) :)
Here are some photos from the resort -
Tents are going to start soon so these will be a good option to stay in future. I can't remember the rate though.
As mentioned above, A MTDC Resort at Sillari gate has better amenities than the Amaltas Resorts, is much more expensive. You can always stay at Amaltas resort and go to the MTDC for the food. The food at MTDC resort is awesome. As per our talk with the waiter at MTDC, we found that the rooms cost around 2000 to 2500 per night. Here are some photos of MTDC Resort.
Being 70 km from Nagpur, this becomes a perfect destination for a weekend getaway from Nagpur. Now 70 km is the first gate to the tiger sanctuary which is the Maharashtra part of the jungle. The Madhya Pradesh side of the jungle is around 100 km from Nagpur. Some people prefer one state jungle to the other for various reasons. The important one is the cost. Maharashtra side is much cheaper to stay and to go safari than the MP side.
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| Amlatas Eco Hut |
I stayed at the Maharashtra side of the forest and loved the experience. At Nagpur, my house is located at a forest area and I enjoy the peace and calm of the nature. So this was not a big deal for me. But for my friends, Pench was a perfect place to unwind (All of them stay in the heart of the city).
Some facts about the place -
1. Distance from nearest city - 60 km to 100 km from Nagpur. Depending on the place of visit.2, Road condition - Decent roads - single lane with small four lane patch from Mansar which ends after few km.
3. Entrance to the tiger reserve - Sillari Gate
4. Place to stay - Amaltas Resorts, Sillari resort (MTDC)
Google Maps coordinates - 21.576213, 79.287818
5. Route from Nagpur - Nagpur - Kamthi - Mansar - Khumari - Left turn to Sillari Gate
I stayed at Amaltas resorts. This is a forest department resort and the better option to stay if you are looking for natural surroundings. The Sillari resort on the contrary, is better in the service, cleanliness and other amenities like children play area, swimming pool and full kitchen restaurant. The Amaltas resort lacks these amenities but is a perfect location to just sit around and enjoy the nature.
Safari Tariff - http://mahaecotourism.gov.in/Site/Downloads/TarrifDetailUpdated.pdf
You can check the tariff for the safari in the link above.
Book your accommodation at - https://accommodation.mahaonline.gov.in/Home/Index.aspx (Login required)
The resort tariff -
1. Eco huts - Rs 600(till Dec 31 2015)
2. E-Cozy Huts - Rs 735 (Till Dec 31 2015) and after that Rs. 1000
Restaurant - Food available if ordered in advance. However, you get tea, coffee and basic stuff any time.
Huts - Rooms are clean, toilets are clean too. There are no air conditioners, but coolers are available during the summer season. Best place to sit is of course the front balcony or the front porch.
Apart from safari, I really enjoyed sitting at the porch and reading some magazines while listening to the sounds of the jungle. The chairs were not very comfortable but we can live with that. You can park your car next to your hut.
Dont's -
1. This facility is a non smoking facility. You can always walk out of the resort for a smoke.
2. Don't mess with monkeys. Don't keep food in your hands, keep your hand bags safe. You will never know when they will come and snatch your belongings. And they bite too.
3. For the above reasons, don't leave kids unattended. I feel safer next to tigers than these monkeys (Not really) :)
Here are some photos from the resort -
The restaurant as mentioned before is a basic one. Here are the photos of the restaurant at Amaltas Resorts -
Tents are going to start soon so these will be a good option to stay in future. I can't remember the rate though.
As mentioned above, A MTDC Resort at Sillari gate has better amenities than the Amaltas Resorts, is much more expensive. You can always stay at Amaltas resort and go to the MTDC for the food. The food at MTDC resort is awesome. As per our talk with the waiter at MTDC, we found that the rooms cost around 2000 to 2500 per night. Here are some photos of MTDC Resort.
Do let me know if anything I might have missed out.
Next plan - To the Madhya Pradesh side of Pench.
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