Tala Elephant Safari, Bandhavgarh National Park - Timings, Safari Cost, Best Time to Visit
Distance (From Tala Bus Station): 1 Kms
Trip Duration (Including Travel): 1-2 Hours
Transportation Options: Cab / Walk/Trek
Travel Tips: Tala is the most famous zone for Jeep Safaris in Bandhavgarh. Being the core area of Bandhavgarh National Park, it remains closed from 1st July to 15th October every year.
At a distance of 1 km from Tala Bus Stop, Tala Zone is the oldest safari zone of Bandhavgarh and thus often considered as synonymous to Bandhavgarh National Park. The entry gate of the zone is Tala Gate, located near Bandhavgarh Jungle Lodge at Tala village.
Besides Jeep Safari, tourists can go for elephant safari on a pre-decided route which has been marked by management. Also known as Elephant Joy Ride, Elephant Safari is allowed only in Tala Zone. This safari makes the tour more enjoyable and complete as it allows one to get access to those forested areas which are not accessible by normal jeeps. The chances of Tiger sightings are high during elephant safari in Bandhavgarh Tala zone. This is booked on first cum first basis.
At present, Elephant ride is rarely offered to tourists as the procedure is long and non-transparent. In other words, now only influential or rich persons can enjoy the elephant ride and normal tourists will not get the ride. Allotment of elephants for safari rides is now becoming subject of the discretionary power of Field Director of the tiger reserve. Visitors need to apply for an elephant ride, with a written application, describing name, purpose and ID details of proposed visitors. This application is to be first submitted to an official who forwards these applications to Field Director. He will check the availability of elephants, their health status, the purpose of the ride, etc. and takes a decision. Usually, decisions were disclosed 24hrs before your decided date thus one need to apply at least 24 hours before the planned ride date. Those visitors, who have booked full-day jungle safari, have some probability to get elephant ride. Those visitors who have political influence and shared a good relationship with Field Director may also have a high probability to get such ride.
These elephant rides are of fixed duration in which Mahout plays an important role. The ride will be for half an hour and a maximum of four persons are allowed on an elephant, excluding the Mahout. The safari tickets can be booked at the current ticket-counter of Tala.
Timings: 8 AM - 9 AM & 9 AM - 10 PM, Closed on every Wednesday evening, on Holi & during monsoon months
Safari Cost: Rs. 1000 for Adults & Rs. 500 for Children (5-12 years) for 30 Minutes
