Pench Tiger Reserve

Top choice in Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh


Pench is made up mostly of teak-tree forest rather than sal, and so has a different flavour from nearby Kanha or Bandhavgarh. It also sees fewer tourists (and has fewer tigers) so, as you’re driving around the park, you’ll often feel like you have the whole forest to yourself.

The reserve has a total area of 1921 sq km, of which 1180 sq km is in Madhya Pradesh and the rest is in Maharashtra. Most of its tigers are on the MP side, specifically in Pench National Park (part of the tiger reserve's core area), which has around 50 tigers. By far the easiest reached and most used entry point is Turia gate, 12km west of Khawasa on the Jabalpur–Nagpur road (Hwy 44).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh attractions

1. Ramtek Temples

18.21 MILES

About 40km northeast of Nagpur, Ramtek is believed to be the place where Lord Rama, of the epic Ramayana, spent some time during his exile with his wife,…

2. Kalidas Memorial

18.45 MILES

The Kalidas Memorial, 2.7km east of the Ramtek temple complex, is dedicated to the famous classical Sanskrit poet Kalidas. Murals of his famous works line…

3. Archaeological Excavations at Mansar

18.7 MILES

Believed to be the excavated 5th-century remains of a temple and residential palace complex known as Pravarapura, once the capital of the Vakataka King…

4. Ambala Lake

18.81 MILES

On the road to the temples you’ll pass the delightful Ambala Lake, lined with small Narsimha Temples in which mourners typically release the ashes of…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "india/madhya-pradesh-and-chhattisgarh/attractions/pench-tiger-reserve/a/poi-sig/1294486/356357",
      "destination": "Madhya-Pradesh-&-Chhattisgarh",
      "continent": "Asia",
      "country": "India",
      "region": "Madhya-Pradesh-&-Chhattisgarh",
      "position": "superzone"
    }