This national park is 197km north-east of Jabalpur in the Vindhyan mountain range. It’s much smaller than Kanha but claims to have the highest density tiger population in India with between 46 and 52 tigers. There are also 27 leopards. Bandhavgarh’s setting is impressive. It’s named after the ancient fort built on 800m-high cliffs.

There’s a temple at the fort that can be visited by jeep and below it are numerous rock-cut cave shrines. The core area of the park has a fragile ecology, but it supports a variety of wildlife such as nilgai, wild boar, jackals, gaur, sambar and porcupines as well as many species of birds. The ramparts of the fort provide a home for vultures, blue rock thrushes and crag martins. Bandhavgarh receives fewer visitors than Kanha and there’s good chance of spotting a tiger here.