Tigers are making a comeback after being reintroduced in 2009 to Panna Tiger Reserve from other Madhya Pradesh reserves; there are now thought to be more than 35 tigers here. There's a fair chance of seeing leopards, sloth bears or tigers while on safari, but what this park really excels at is birdlife, with over 200 species recorded, including many waterbirds not easily seen in other parks.
Panna is less visited than Bandhavgarh, Kanha or Pench, and safaris here are rarely booked out. The reserve's core zone is the Panna National Park, 543 sq km of beautiful forests and grasslands, with the crocodile-inhabited Ken (Karnavati) River flowing through it.