Jungle Safari's
Melghat tiger reserve is located in the Amaravati district of Maharashtra. Melghat Tiger Reserve is located on the southern offshoot of the Satpura Hill Range in Central India, called Gavilgarh Hill. It is 225 km west of Nagpur. It was established as a wildlife sanctuary in 1967, and was declared a tiger reserve in 1974. It was among the first nine tiger reserves notified in 1973-74 under Project Tiger, a wildlife conservation project initiated in India in 1972 to protect Bengal tigers. It was the first tiger reserve of Maharashtra. It is still one of the biggest tiger reserves in the country in terms of area. The name 'Melghat' means the confluence of various 'ghats' or valleys as is typical from the landscape of this tiger Reserve.
Apart from Tigers the other prominent animals are Sloth Bear, Indian Gaur, Sambar deer, Leopard, Nilgais, etc. The endangered and 'back from extinction' Forest Owlet is also found in various areas of Melghat.
Tourism in Melghat is distributed along 4 centers/villages. Semadoh, Chikhaldara, Harisal & Shahnur. There are some additional stay facilities at Kolkas which is 14km ahead of Semadoh.
Location
Situated in the Satpura hill ranges of Central India, Melghat Tiger Reserve lies in Melghat Forests of Amravati district in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra bordering Madhya Pradesh in the North and East. Its area is geographically located as given below.
• Latitude: Between 210 151 N and 210 451 N
• Longitude: Between 760 571 E and 770 301 E
• Altitude: 312M to 1178 M above MSL.
Flora and Fauna
The entire area of the Melghat Tiger Reserve is under the cover of forest. Natural grassy openings are almost nonexistent. Tectona grandis (teak) is the most dominant species. The associates of Tectona grandis differ depending upon lattitude, gradient and other physiographic feature of the habitat. However its most common associates in almost all localities are Lagerstroemia parviflora, Lannea coromandelica, Emblica officinalis, Terminalia tomentosa, Anogeissus latifolia, and Ougenia oojeinensis. At lower elevations other associates of teak are Boswelia serrata, Wrightia tinctoria, Cassia fistula, Miliusa tomentosa, Bauhinia raemosa, Butea monosperma etc. And in higher elevation and in more moist localities other associates are mainly Mitragyna parviflora, Adina cardifolia, Schleichera oleosa, Albizzia procera etc.
Recently a book has been published on the Faunal Diversity of Tiger Reserves In India by Zoological Survey of India Kolkata and Project Tiger Directorate New Delhi in the year 2006. The report indicates the conservation philosophy of Project Tiger, which has resulted in the Conservation of other life forms while saving the flagship species the tiger. The main objective of this book is to compile data detailing the distribution of vertebrates (mammalia, aves, replilia, amphibia and pisces) and selected invertebrate species especially butterflies, to assess the major role of these species in community interactions which implies a high correlation between species richness and overall biodiversity.
Travel Info
The nearest railway station to reach Chikhaldara, Semadoh, Kolkas, Harisal in Amravati. Shahnur is closest to Akola. The nearest airport is at Nagpur some 250 kms away.
Season
Tourists can explore Melghat in all seasons but the monsoons starting mid July till end of September offers the best views. The winters are cold with night temperature dropping below 5 degrees. The summers are good for animal sightings.
Accommodation facilities in Melghat are mostly run by forest department except the hotels and resorts at Chikhaldara which are operated by private. Facilities are comfortable and basic in nature suiting the forest atmosphere where it is located.