Satpura jungle safari Into the forest, ten minutes away

An open-gypsy safari into the Satpura buffer forest starts about 3 km from the resort. The Madhai core zone, with its boat and walking safaris, is a day trip.

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Nearest safari: Matkuli gate, about 3 km
Madhai core zone: About 57 km, 1.5 hours
Drives: Morning and afternoon
We arrange: Gypsy, guide and timing

The buffer zone

A safari on the doorstep

The Golden Woods Resort sits at the edge of the Satpura Tiger Reserve. The nearest safari gate, the Matkuli gate into the buffer zone of the reserve, is about 3 km from our own gate, so a morning drive does not mean a 4 am start or a long transfer.

You go in an open gypsy with a driver and a forest guide, along tracks through teak and mixed forest, across streams and grassland clearings. The buffer forest is the same living jungle as the core: the animals do not know where the line is drawn.

Buffer zones in Satpura also stay open through the monsoon, when the core zones are closed.

Matkuli gate, about 3 km from the resort
Open gypsy with driver and forest guide
Morning and afternoon drives of roughly three hours
Tell us the day before and we will arrange the vehicle and the timing

An open safari gypsy driving along a green forest track

What you might see

Satpura rewards the patient

Satpura is not a park where every jeep chases one tiger. Tigers live here and are seen, but sightings are occasional. What the reserve is known for is everything else: sloth bears, leopards, herds of gaur, wild dogs, sambar and spotted deer, and the Indian giant squirrel, the russet acrobat of these forests.

It is also one of the quieter reserves in central India, with few vehicles on the tracks. Birdwatchers come for that alone.

A tiger walking through dry leaves in Satpura National Park

Madhai

The core zone, across the water

Madhai is the main entrance to the core of Satpura National Park. It is about 57 km from the resort, roughly an hour and a half by road, on the Pipariya–Bhopal side. You reach the forest by boat across the Denwa backwater, which is half the experience.

Madhai is unusual among Indian tiger reserves for how many ways it lets you see the forest: by jeep, by boat or canoe on the Denwa, and on foot with a naturalist and a forest guard.

Jeep safaris, morning and afternoon
Boat and canoe safaris on the Denwa, best from October to March
Walking safaris with a guide, rare in Indian tiger reserves
Open from 1 October to 30 June; closed for the monsoon
Afternoon safaris do not run on Wednesdays

The Denwa backwater at Madhai, Satpura Tiger Reserve, with hills behind

Planning

How to book and what to bring

Core-zone safaris have a limited number of vehicles per drive and are booked through the Madhya Pradesh forest department, so reserve ahead for weekends and holidays. For the buffer zone near the resort, a day or two of notice is normally enough. Either way, tell us your dates when you call and we will advise on what is open and help with the arrangements.

Carry an original photo ID for everyone in the vehicle
Wear dull colours: greens, browns, greys
Winter mornings are cold in an open vehicle; bring a jacket and a cap
Binoculars make the difference between seeing a bird and seeing a dot
Keep voices low and phones silent; the forest answers quiet

A tiger crossing a forest track in front of safari gypsies

Wildlife of Satpura

Who lives in these forests

Indian bison
Gaur
The largest wild cattle in the world, usually seen in herds at forest edges and clearings.
Often seen here
Sloth bear
Satpura is one of the better places in India to see sloth bears, often at dawn and dusk.
Elusive
Leopard
Leopards favour the rocky hills and are seen on tracks and, with luck, draped over a branch.
A Satpura speciality
Indian giant squirrel
A large russet-and-cream squirrel that lives high in the canopy and leaps between trees.
Everywhere
Sambar and spotted deer
Sambar, the largest Indian deer, in the forest, and herds of chital in the clearings, often with langurs keeping watch above.
Present, seldom seen
Tiger
Tigers live in Satpura and are seen now and then. Every sighting is a stroke of luck; everything else here is reason enough to go.
On the open grassland
Blackbuck
Graceful antelope of the open country at the edge of the forest, the males dark with spiralling horns.

Also worth your time

Over 300 species
Birds
Crested serpent eagles, hornbills, paradise flycatchers and, on the Denwa, winter waterbirds.

Questions

Good to know

Is there a jungle safari near The Golden Woods Resort?

Yes. The Matkuli gate, a buffer-zone safari gate of the Satpura Tiger Reserve, is about 3 km from the resort. Safaris go in open gypsies with a forest guide. Call +91 92447 75909 and we will arrange it.

How far is Madhai from the resort?

Madhai, the main core-zone entrance of Satpura National Park, is about 57 km from the resort, roughly an hour and a half by road.

When is Satpura National Park open?

The core zones, including Madhai, are open from 1 October to 30 June and closed during the monsoon. Buffer zones stay open through the year.

Will we see a tiger?

Possibly, but do not count on it. Tigers are present in Satpura and sightings are occasional. The reserve is better known for sloth bears, leopards, gaur, wild dogs and the Indian giant squirrel.

What safaris are possible at Madhai?

Jeep safaris, boat and canoe safaris on the Denwa river, and guided walking safaris. Boat safaris are best from October to March, while the water is high.

Do we need to book the safari in advance?

For the Madhai core zone, yes, especially on weekends and holidays, because the number of vehicles is limited. For the buffer zone near the resort a day or two of notice is normally enough.

Plan your trip