Wildlife photography is 90% failure and 10% pure luck. We don't direct the scene; we just hope to be there when the curtain rises.

For nearly two decades, I have been chasing a specific moment - a tiger, in full view, standing tall to mark its territory. It's a classic behaviour, the massive cat stretching out to sharpen its claws, rubbing its chin & cheeks and leave its scent high on a tree trunk. But for me, it has always been a ghost. I have seen it happen behind thick bushes. I have seen it from bad angles. I have missed it by seconds.

But Kanha rewards those who wait.

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Editor’s note: Night safaris in the buffer zone of Kanha National Park have been discontinued as of December 2025. However, guests may still encounter nocturnal wildlife in and around the park while returning to Outpost 12 after their afternoon safari.

A Night to Remember: My Unexpected Encounter with the Rusty-Spotted Cat

Night safaris always hold a certain kind of magic, but this one in the Khatiya Buffer Zone of Kanha turned out to be unforgettable. The weather was absolutely perfect; the sky was crystal clear, and thousands of stars glittered above us like scattered diamonds. Under that enormous, glowing sky, we ventured deeper into the forest, searching for some of its shyest nocturnal residents. Our goal was to spot creatures like the pangolin, the porcupine, and the flying squirrel.

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At Outpost 12 we love sharing the rhythms of the forests that surround us. Our naturalists spend long hours in the field, observing the wildlife that makes Central India one of the most biodiverse regions of the country. This report comes from Ravi Naidu on his first full-day safari in Kanha as part of "The Winter Light Atelier" photography workshop mentored by Canon Maestro Phillips Ross. What he witnessed is the kind of experience that reminds us why these landscapes matter and why we return to them.

A Day of Surprises in Kanha

There are days in the forest when everything feels tuned to the right frequency. My first full day in Kanha this week was one of those rare ones. The light was soft, the air smelled of sal and bamboo, and every bend in the trail seemed to hold a story waiting to be told.

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Inside Kanha’s Newest Sustainable Sanctuary

In the heart of Madhya Pradesh, where the Sal forests whisper stories of Kipling and the tiger remains king, the definition of luxury is shifting. For decades, "five-star" meant opulence that stood apart from the wild; closed rooms, roaring generators and imported comforts. But at Outpost 12, the new sustainable bio-lodge initiative in Kanha, luxury has been reimagined. Here, the ultimate indulgence isn't gold plating; it is silence, darkness and structures that bow deeply to the land it occupies.

Built on a non-negotiable "forest-first" principle, Outpost 12 is more than a hotel; it is an honest attempt to create a retreat with the lowest environmental impact.

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The Interpreters of Silence

At Outpost 12, the day begins long before the first rays of the sun. While the guests are tucked under duvets, the naturalist team is already awake. Their job is often romanticised as simply "driving through the jungle", but the reality is a grueling, exhilarating 18-hour cycle of tracking, analysing and interpreting the complex language of the wild.

Here is what it takes to be the bridge between the human world and the secrets of Kanha.

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