17 Sept 2022, the birthday of our hon’ PM Narendra Modi and arrival of Cheetahs in India. This day will always remain memorable. To give you a brief about what I am talking about here is, on 17 Sept 2022, 8 Namibian Cheetahs (5 females, 3 males) were brought to India at the Kuno National Park, with an intention to have them back in Indian habitat as they were extinct for more than 80 years. Yes, India did not have Cheetahs since over 80 years, until today. This has happened for the first time in the world that such a large carnivore has been relocated from one continent to another. The Namibian Cheetahs will have a new home in the Kuno National Park located in Madhya Pradesh.
Obviously, the adventure lovers must have already started planning their trips to Kuno National Park (including me). Even I spend a lot of time today in researching about this national park aka wildlife sanctuary as even I had no clue about it. Hence this post.
Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary was established in 1981. In 2009, Kuno National Park was proposed for the Cheetah reintroduction project in India. In December 2018, the govt. changed its status from wildlife sanctuary to Kuno National Park and gave a huge expansion to its area.
Kuno National Park is more like an ornament in the Vindhyan hillsof Central India. It is a rare jungle with beautiful landscapes having hills and lakes and obviously, dense forest. In Kuno National Park, you can spot a leopard, wolf, sloth bear, jackal, striped hyena, nilgai, cheetal, Sambar deer, 4 horned antelope, blackbuck to name a few; and now, even CHEETAH!
Isn’t it just amazing?
HOW TO REACH KUNO NATIONAL PARK?
Nearest airport to Kuno National Part is Gwalior. There are mainly 3 entrance gates of the park – Tiktoli, Ahera and Peepal Bawadi.
Gwalior, Jaipur and Kota are the cities having airports amongst which Jaipur has the best connectivity.
Nearest railway stations are Gwalior, Kota, Jaipur, Sawai Madhopur and Jhansi.
Tiktoli Gate: Major Road distances(approximately) of Tiktoli gate from various cities as mentioned below:
| City | Distance |
|---|---|
| Shivpuri | 73 kms |
| Sawai Madhopur | 133 kms |
| Gwalior | 165 kms |
| Jhansi | 169 kms |
| Kota | 214 kms |
| Jaipur | 325 Kms |
Ahera Gate: Major road distances(approximately) of Ahera gate from various cities as mentioned below:
| City | Distance |
|---|---|
| Shivpuri | 62 kms |
| Sawai Madhopur | 145 kms |
| Gwalior | 158 kms |
| Jhansi | 169 kms |
| Kota | 231 kms |
| Jaipur | 337 Kms |
Peepal Bawadi Gate: Major Road distances(approximately) of Peepal Bawadi gate from various cities as mentioned below:
| City | Distance |
|---|---|
| Shivpuri | 73 kms |
| Sawai Madhopur | 133 kms |
| Gwalior | 158 kms |
| Jhansi | 169 kms |
| Kota | 292 kms |
| Jaipur | 378 Kms |
One can book a taxi or travel by bus to this national park. If you have private vehicle, that’s the best option. You can also rent a car from the nearest big city.
BEST TIME TO VISIT KUNO NATIONAL PARK:
Mid November to Mid March
STAY OPTIONS AT KUNO NATIONAL PARK:
Unlike Ranthambore, Jim Corbett and Bandipur, even Kuno National Park does not have lots of hotels and resort in and around the park. In order to book your stay within the sanctuary, I would suggest you to connect with Kuno National Park officials for the guest house availability. Here the link to inquire directly from Kuno National Park team.
Otherwise, I would suggest you to book your stay in the nearest city like Shivpuri, Sawai Madhopur or Gwalior and have a day-trip to the national park.
I will update this post as I will gather more information on this.
I really hope you found this post useful. Share it with friends and family and bookmark it for future reference.
Also read:
The Amarambalam Wildlife Sanctuary & Perfect For Bird-watchers
The Serai, Bandipur -Luxury Jungle Resort For Relaxing Stay Amidst Nature
10 Important Safety Tips For Road Trips From My Experience
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