Treks in Madhya Pradesh: MP Tourism’s New Sanjay Dubri & Patalkot Pilot Treks

Madhya Pradesh is slowly emerging as one of India’s most exciting destinations for trekking and adventure tourism. Known for its dense forests, tiger reserves, tribal culture, and untouched landscapes, the state is now taking a big step forward.

Recently, Madhya Pradesh Tourism announced two exclusive pilot treks in MP:

• Sanjay Dubri Lakes Trek

• Patalkot Gorge Trek
  
  

These new trekking routes are designed to promote eco-tourism in Madhya Pradesh, while ensuring safety, sustainability, and community involvement. If you’re searching for treks in Madhya Pradesh, trekking in MP, or offbeat treks in Central India, this guide covers everything you need to know.

Trekking in Madhya Pradesh has always held quiet promise. The forests are enormous, the wildlife is real, and the tribal cultures run deep. But organised, safe, permit-based trekking routes have been thin on the ground — until now.

The Announcement: MP Tourism's Boldest Move in Adventure Tourism Yet

In July 2025, Indiahikes explorer Nalin travelled into two remote corners of Madhya Pradesh with a clear mission: identify trekking routes that could bring responsible adventure tourism in MP to places most Indians have never seen. What emerged after months of fieldwork, route negotiations, and campsite approvals was the Sanjay Dubri Lakes Trek and the Patalkot Gorge Trek — two completely new trekking routes with no prior organised footfall.

This collaboration is being conducted in coordination with the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department and state tourism authorities, with structured permissions, pilot group monitoring, and mandatory forest guard presence.

The pilot treks by MP Tourism are open for booking now. Since itineraries are still being refined based on pilot group feedback, minor adjustments are possible — but the duration in days will not change, so you can plan travel to the start points confidently. 

Trek 1: Sanjay Dubri Lakes Trek — A Jungle Trek in Madhya Pradesh Like No Other

Overview

The Sanjay Dubri Lakes Trek is one of the most promising jungle treks in Madhya Pradesh. Located in the Sanjay Dubri Tiger Reserve region, this trek takes you through:

• Vast grasslands

• Serene forest lakes

• Dense sal and mixed deciduous forests

This trek is ideal for those looking for wildlife trekking in MP without the rush of popular safari zones.

Trek Distance & Difficulty

• Duration: 4–5 days

• Total Distance: ~30 km

• Difficulty Level: Easy to Moderate

• Ideal For: Fit beginners, nature lovers, photographers

The trail includes gentle ascents, forest walks, and meadow crossings, making it one of the best treks in Madhya Pradesh for beginners.

Highlights of Sanjay Dubri Trek

• Walking through a tiger reserve landscape

• Sunrise views over forest lakes

• Rich birdlife and animal trail sightings

• Remote camping under star-filled skies

Best Time to Visit

The best season for this forest trekking in MP is:

• October to January
  Cool temperatures and clear trails make winter the most comfortable trekking season.

Why This Is One of the Most Unique Wildlife Trekking Experiences in MP

Most people experience India's tiger reserves from the back of a jeep. The Sanjay Dubri Trek turns that script around entirely. This five-day jungle trek in Madhya Pradesh takes you deep inside the Sanjay-Dubri Tiger Reserve in Sidhi district — on foot, over sal forests, grassland meadows, perennial streams, and tribal hamlets, with armed forest guards walking beside you the whole way.

The reserve spans more than 831 sq km across both Sanjay National Park and Dubri Wildlife Sanctuary. It is home to over 152 species of birds, 32 species of mammals — including tigers, sloth bears, leopards, wild dogs, and the Indian python — and 34 species of freshwater fish. This is Central India trekking at its most raw. These forests echo the landscapes often associated with Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book — dense sal forests, open meadows, and raw wilderness. It is the actual landscape you walk through.

What makes the Sanjay Dubri Lakes Trek stand apart from any other forest trekking in MP is the combination of genuine wilderness, lakes and meadows, tribal village stays, and the knowledge that no commercial trekking group has come before you. Your observations and photographs help shape the route for all future trekkers.

The Route: What You Will See on the Sanjay Dubri Tiger Reserve Trek

The trail runs through the Marwas and Beohari Buffer Zones — a deliberately chosen path that puts you inside untouched forest while keeping core tiger habitats undisturbed. You move through alternating landscapes: dense sal and bamboo canopy, open grassland clearings where deer graze at dawn, and stream crossings where prints in the mud remind you that you share this space with much larger animals.

Two highlights stand out. First, the Sehra Dam backwaters — a spectacular lake system that draws birds in staggering variety, making this one of the finest birdwatching experiences on any forest and lake trek in MP. Second, the meadow of Birchuli Dol — an open grassland ringed on all sides by sal forest, feeling like a secret amphitheatre dropped inside the jungle.

The Sanjay Dubri trek also passes through remote tribal hamlets where communities have lived alongside the forest for generations. These brief human moments — a chai shared with a villager, a child curious about your trekking poles — are among the trek's most memorable experiences.

Key Details at a Glance

• Location: Sidhi district, Madhya Pradesh

• Duration: 5 days / 4 nights (camping throughout)

• Difficulty: Moderate

• Base Camp: Medhaki village

• How to Reach: Pick-up from Prayagraj Railway Station at 7 AM on Day 1. Return drop at Prayagraj by 7 PM on Day 5. Transport: approx. Rs. 3,000 per person, paid directly to the driver. 

• Best Time to Go: October to February (ideal winter treks in MP season)

• Forest Guards: Mandatory — present throughout all trail days

• All permits, camping fees, tents, sleeping bags, and vegetarian meals included in the trek fee

Sample 5-Day Itinerary

Day 1 — Travel from Prayagraj to Medhaki base camp. Evening forest briefing and campsite orientation. 

Day 2 — Trek through sal and bamboo forest to Narayan Ghati, a riverside campsite where the sounds of the forest take over at night. 

Day 3 — A shorter trail day with extended time at the Sehra Dam backwaters. Prime wildlife and birdwatching window. 

Day 4 — Trek through Birchuli Dol meadow. Brief halt at a tribal hamlet. Day 5 — Final trail section, return drive to Prayagraj.

A Word on Wildlife Safety

This is a live tiger reserve. Bears, leopards, snakes, and bison are part of the ecosystem. Forest guards walk with your group at all times and know how to manage any wildlife situation. Follow their instructions without question. Do not raise your voice, stray from the trail, or attempt to approach any animal. You are a guest in their habitat — and that is exactly what makes this one of the most exhilarating new trekking routes in MP.

Trek 2: The Patalkot Gorge Trek — Tribal Trek in Madhya Pradesh, Into the Earth Itself

Patalkot Valley Trekking: Where Ancient Rock Meets Living Culture

Very few places in India carry the weight of "Patalkot." The name comes from Sanskrit and means a place so sunken, so deep, that it touches the underworld. It earns the description. This horseshoe-shaped valley in the Tamia tehsil of Chhindwara district sits roughly 400 meters below the plateau above it. In some of the 12 tribal villages on the valley floor, sunlight reaches the ground for barely two hours a day. 

The Patalkot trek is one of the most dramatic offbeat treks in MP precisely because the landscape is so unlike anything else in the country. The gorge was carved by the Dudhi River cutting through Archaean rock formations estimated at over 2.5 billion years old. These canyon walls — streaked grey and green, wet from forest streams, shadowed even at midday — look like something from another continent. The Dudhi River winds through this gorge before joining the Narmada, and the Patalkot Gorge Trek follows it on foot for four days.

This is one of the few truly community-based tourism experiences available through structured trekking in India. You do not just pass through the valley. You sleep inside it, in tribal villages, and wake up to a world that most people will never see.

Patalkot Eco Tourism: The Bharia and Gond Tribes

The 12 villages of Patalkot are home to two tribal communities — the Gond and the Bharia. The Bharia, classified as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), are a Dravidian-speaking community believed to have inhabited this valley for over 500 years. Until road access reached the valley in the 1970s, they were almost entirely cut off from the outside world.

The Bharia are extraordinary in one specific way: their knowledge of medicinal plants. Their traditional healers — known as Bhumkas or Bhagats — have documented expertise across more than 220 plant species used to treat conditions ranging from snake bites to cholera. Partly because of this herbal wealth, the Patalkot valley has been recognised as a biodiversity hotspot. As a trekker, you are walking through a living pharmacy — one that has been tended and protected for centuries by communities whose relationship with the forest is fundamentally different from ours.

Patalkot eco tourism is built on this understanding. The Bharia community holds government-recognised habitat rights over the valley's resources. Sustainable tourism in MP means acknowledging that and showing up as a respectful guest, not an explorer claiming territory.

The valley also carries remarkable folklore. One legend holds that Meghnad, son of Ravana, descended into the underworld through Patalkot after worshipping Lord Shiva. Another, held by the Bharia themselves, says this is the spot where Goddess Sita merged back into the earth. The valley feels ancient enough to hold both stories without contradiction.

The Patalkot Gorge Trek Route: Four Days in the Canyon

The Patalkot Gorge Trek is a four-day trail that follows the Dudhi River through the gorge. You begin above the valley, descend into it, and spend three days moving alongside the river — crossing it at shallow points, stopping at confluences where smaller streams rush in, exploring hidden caves in the canyon walls, and camping in the tribal villages along the route. On the final day, you climb back out to the plateau above and look down at the entire landscape you have spent four days inside. That moment of elevation — seeing the scale of what you have just walked through — is the trek's defining experience. 

Key Details at a Glance

• Location: Tamia tehsil, Chhindwara district, Madhya Pradesh (78 km from Chhindwara town) 

• Duration: 4 days / 3 nights (camping in tribal villages)

• Difficulty: Easy to Moderate

• Pick-up: Nagpur Railway Station, 8 AM on Day 1 (approx. 210 km, 5-hour drive; transport approx. Rs. 3,000 per person) [2]

• Best Time to Go: October to February — one of the finest winter treks in MP

• Cloakroom: Available at base. Offloading: Not available.

• All permits, camping fees, tents, sleeping bags, and vegetarian meals included

Sample 4-Day Itinerary

Day 1 — Pick-up from Nagpur, drive to Chimtipur village at the valley rim. Camp introduction and briefing. 

Day 2 — Descent into the gorge. Walk along the Dudhi River to the first in-valley village camp. 

Day 3 — Trek through canyon terrain — river confluences, caves, rock formations, and time in a tribal village. 

Day 4 — Final climb out of the gorge to the plateau viewpoint. Drive back to Nagpur.

How to Prepare: Beginner-Friendly Treks in Madhya Pradesh Still Need Fitness

Both the Sanjay Dubri trek and the Patalkot Gorge Trek are beginner-friendly treks in Madhya Pradesh — no technical climbing, no altitude, no previous trekking experience required. But "beginner-friendly" does not mean "walk in cold." Six weeks of preparation makes a huge difference on trails like these.

Start with daily 5 km walks. Add stair climbing by week three — ten to fifteen floors, twice a day. By week five, pack a 7-8 kg daypack and walk 10 km with it on weekends. The goal is stamina and joint endurance, not speed.

There is no offloading on the Sanjay Dubri Lakes Trek, so you carry your daypack every day. On the Patalkot trek, a cloakroom stores your main bag at base, but you still carry essentials on the trail. Pack light.

Gear checklist for both treks:

• Trekking shoes (broken in before the trek — never brand new)

• Full-sleeved shirts and light trousers (insect and sun protection)

• Warm layer for evenings — temperatures drop significantly in winter

• Light waterproof jacket

• Sunscreen SPF 50+, insect repellent, lip balm

• Reusable water bottle — minimum 2 litres capacity

• Headlamp with spare batteries

• Personal medications and basic first aid

• Any mobility aids or knee supports if needed

Note: Trekkers above 58 years of age must provide a negative Treadmill Test (TMT) report not older than one year from the trek date. 

Sustainability and Tribal Respect: Nature Trails in MP Come With Responsibilities

These are not safe trekking destinations in Madhya Pradesh in spite of being remote — they are safe because of how carefully they have been designed. Part of keeping them that way falls on every trekker who walks them.

Follow Leave No Trace principles without exception. What you carry in, you carry out. Don't pick plants, disturb wildlife, leave litter, or light fires outside designated areas. Both trails are zero-plastic zones.

On the Patalkot trek, the tribal villages are homes, not exhibits. Observe and appreciate — but ask before photographing anyone, do not enter homes without invitation, and do not offer money to children. If community members offer handmade goods, buying them is a direct contribution to the eco-friendly travel ecosystem that makes Patalkot eco tourism viable long term.

On the Sanjay Dubri trek, wildlife interaction must go only through the forest guards. No approaching animals, no feeding, no deliberate noise-making to attract attention. The forest does not perform for visitors.

Both these pilot treks by MP Tourism are built with that philosophy embedded from day one. Every participant's behaviour helps determine whether these trails remain open for future trekkers — or get shut down because of damage.

Eco tourism treks in MP succeed only when the people walking them understand why the rules exist.

Treks in Madhya Pradesh Just Reached a New High Point

The Sanjay Dubri Lakes Trek and the Patalkot Gorge Trek are not simply new additions to India's trekking calendar. They represent a new vision for what adventure tourism in MP can look like — rooted in community, ecological care, and access to landscapes that have been hidden in plain sight for decades.

Madhya Pradesh is the Heart of India. These two trails take you to the chambers that keep it beating — the tiger reserve at Sidhi, the ancient gorge at Chhindwara, the tribal villages that have tended both for centuries.

If trekking in Madhya Pradesh is on your 2025 or 2026 bucket list, there has never been a better — or more historically significant — time to sign up.