In the 1970s, I made my first visit to Bandhavgarh National Park in Central India. It was a small park rarely visited by tourists, except for one or two photographers from abroad and a few visitors who had heard about the destination from friends.
Desolate and neglected, barely showing the sparks of tourism but nevertheless gauging the potential MPTDC had set up a property consisting of four rooms and a small bar with dining area. The place was aptly known as White Tiger Lodge, as the famous Mohun white tiger was discovered nearby by the then Maharaja of Rewa.
A lonely rest house belonging to the forestry department with office in Umaria, the district headquarters, was available for accommodation at ridiculously cheaper prices. Food was cooked in the kitchen if you had a ration with you. The rest house was well maintained along with a nearby dormitory.
There was no wildlife resort in the picture and I had to trust that the FRH was available for accommodation. The Maharani Kothi was privately owned by the Maharani of Rewa and was off limits to most.
Umaria to Manpur Highway, the entrance to Bandhavgarh at Tala Village was accessible by a bus service connected to Katni and Umaria. These townships were well connected to Jabalpur, a major railway station and now an airport connected to New Delhi. A railway station at Umaria at a distance of thirty two kilometers was connected to New Delhi.
Although connectivity was good, the trickle of tourists was small. The reason was that ecotourism in India had not taken off at that time and the global calculation was absent.
It was from the late 1980s that Indian wildlife films began to become popular thanks to major film companies. The gradually increasing tourist flow peaked in the 1990s and tour operators/investors were quick to seize the opportunity and began leasing or building properties here with limited facilities.
To this day, the Bandhavgarh reserve is one of the most popular safari destinations in India. With a plethora of bird species, it is slowly becoming a hotspot for bird watchers from around the world. The National Park is one of the most frequented destinations for wildlife and tiger photography in India.
On my subsequent visits, I became aware of the growing popularity of the park and the commercialization of the destination. Bandhavgarh, the land of the tiger, was now in the public eye and had become part of the hotel industry in India.
This brought financial benefits to the local population and empowered communities, which still continues. The popularity of the tiger reserve has also enhanced conservation efforts. The tourist infrastructure has been greatly improved with good roads, better connectivity and a large number of wildlife resorts.
From the list of Bandhavgarh resorts on the internet, you can choose your stay. The resorts offer various services at economy rates or luxury rates. There are few star-rated hotels, but for budget travelers, most of the cheap resorts are located on the main road of Tala Village.
Jabalpur offers the best connectivity, but the park is also connected to the Kanha National Park and the Siddhi Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh.