4 Things You Must Do In Pench Other Than Safaris
The Pench National Park is situated on the southern boundary of Madhya Pradesh and is named after the Pench River, which flows from north to south through the park. Situated in the loyour southern of the Satpuda Hills, the reserve is extended over 758 square kilometres, out of which a core area of 299 square kilometres is Indira Priyadarshini Pench Park and the Mowgli Pench Sanctuary and the remaining 464 square kilometres is the buffer area of the park.
This tiger reserve has a wide known history, which has been declared as a sanctuary in 1977 and further raised to a national park in 1983 and a tiger reserve in 1992. In 2011, the reserve also received the Best Management Award.
The park and its infrastructure is the original setting of The Jungle Book, written by the most iconic author Rudyard Kipling. Once you are done with the safaris, you have a lot of activities that you can do in and around Pench Tiger Reserve.
1. The Potter’s Village at Pachdhar
There is a small village of Pachdhar in Seoni which is situated 80 kms from Nagpur, known for its community of potters. You have to drive through NH-7 on either side of the highway, and you can see some astounding landscapes of deciduous teak trees, paddy fields and a group of potter community creating some fabulous works on their wheels. Occupied by more than 100 families, the Pachdhar village is native to the traditional potter community, who are known as Kumhaars.
You can head to this village in Pachdhar and buy some incredible items like earthen vessels (matkis), piggy banks (gullak), lamps (diyas), tea glasses (kulhar) & much more. You can even see these products being created right at the moment in front of your eyes. The process of production is specifically organic as it comprises of mostly natural ingredients, basically hand-made and shaped – with no mechanical objects. The basic raw material, black soil is procured from nearby fields in tractors. Till now, potters would excavate fertile soil from the river banks in the locality, but the process stopped as that area came under the purview of Pench National Park and its forest reserves.
2. Boating Near The Pench Dam
Also known as Kamthikhairy Dam, Pench Dam is an earth-fill dam on the Pench River. It is situated within the Pench National Park; most of the wildlife is found around this water-body as the animals come near the dam to quench their thirst. However during summer, the Pench River dries out leaving behind small pools of water that are locally known as ‘doh’ or ‘khassa’.
The Pench Reservoir which is at the center of this park, is the only major water source here. This galactic water-body with many islands is home to numerous water-birds and provides a pleasant environment for the tourists who come for pedal-boats, row-boats and motor-boats. This place is recommended to every bird lover who must surely carry their binoculars for a better experience.
3. A Romantic Candle-light Dinner
If you are looking for memorable fine dining experiences in Pench, you can opt for some of the exclusive resorts. With delicious, finger-licking food that blends Madhya Pradesh cuisine with artistic presentation – makes date night epic with some more amazing dishes from the resort’s kitchen. You can put this in your go-to list. There are also few amazing courtyards in the resort, perfect to settle down during the time of sunsets and recollect about the past, and plan the future together.
4. Relax & Unwind
Pench is a perfect getaway. It allows you to experience the beautiful scenic of the park, while unwinding in the astounding outdoors of the resort. The weather and the natural beauty of the place can prove to be an excellent experience for those looking to unwind.
There are plenty of sports and activities on land and in the water over here. It’s important to wake up early and do morning yoga before you take a dip in the pool.
Pre-planning and bookings are must, if you want to have a memorable experience for lifetime.