Khamba - A Tourist-Friendly Tribal Village Near Pench National Park

Madhya Pradesh is one of the states in India that has sustained the rich forest cover, maximum national parks & tiger reserves, and the largest number of tribal population.

Apart from conventional tourism practices, the state has started to focus on promoting rural and adventure tourism, and this initiative is being widely appreciated. Countryside areas here are prosperous in both natural beauty and cultural splendour.Imagine waking up to the spellbinding sounds of birds chirping, flames popping from the chulha (earthen burner), children playing, bullock cart passing by, all these instances make to a very wonderful presentiment. Khamba village that shares the boundary with Pench National Park (near Jabalpur) offers the same kind of rural vibe with great hospitality offered by the Gond families living in the village.

If you happen to visit Khamba, ask your guide to take you to one of the houses to experience the tribal lifestyle. The lady of the house will welcome you with a big smile and demonstrate you the traditional cooking practices. You can see her splitting toordaal (lentil) in an earthen mill also called "chakki" in Hindi and experience the home cooked tribal food prepared from fresh and organic veggies plucked from the home garden.

There are some families in the village that are a part of "Tiger Tribes Trails" initiative. It basically promotes tribal conservation and works to strengthen the livelihoods of the Gond Tribes through tourism practice based on the regional craft, culture, natural and rural heritage. The initiative is nurturing under the support of Conservation Wildlands Trust, Pench National Park & Tiger Reserve (MP Tourism) and Grassroutes Journeys. It has been executed in three villages Khamba, Khamreet, and Ambadi that share the border with Pench National park. The projectoffers tourists an opportunity to interact with the Gond community and learn about life on the edge of the forest.

Find out, how to get to tribal villages near Pench National Park

To experience the life of Gond tribes, there are trails available for tourists visiting the touria gate of Pench National Park & Tiger Reserve, from 9 am to 6 pm daily. You can avail the tours by contacting at the travel desk of the hotels located near the touria gate.

Getting there

The closest airports to the Pench National Park & Tiger Reserve are at Nagpur (90 km/2 hrs) and Jabalpur (192 km/4 hrs).