How To Reach Madhai | Vacation in Satpura Tiger Reserve

Madhai, a small jungle-town, sits southeast of Bhopal – a drive of about 3-4 hours. The woods of Satpura Tiger Reserve can be accessed through Madhai Gate. Surprisingly, for all the smallness and limits of this town, Madhai is reachable with relative ease if you plan things out from the beginning. Read this blog to know about how to reach Madhai to experience a great holiday in Satpura National Park.

Where Exactly Is Madhai?

Madhai sits on the southern limits of Tawa Reservoir. On the map, Madhai is situated within an 8-hour drive from the major cities nearby:

• About 130 kilometres due southeast from Bhopal (~ 3.5 hours on the road)
• About 300 kilometres due northwest from Nagpur (~ 6 hours on the road)
• About 275 kilometres due east from Indore (~ 5 hours on the road)
• About 315 kilometres due southwest from Jabalpur (~ 7 hours on the road)

Considering the distances, it makes better sense to book a long-distance cab from Bhopal or Indore if you happen to be in these cities. If this doesn’t seem like an option, there are other ways to arrive at Madhai.

How To Reach Madhai By Air

Step-By-Step Guide To Reach Madhai

While being well connected via road and indirectly reachable via rail, Madhai does not yet have an airport. International travellers will first arrive at any of the following airports, from whence they would need to connect further to an airport in Madhya Pradesh before starting the final leg of their journey (Madhya Pradesh does not have an international airport, therefore a connecting domestic flight is needed to arrive here).

Delhi: The Indira Gandhi International Airport has direct flights to

• About 130 kilometres due southeast from Bhopal (~ 3.5 hours on the road)
• About 300 kilometres due northwest from Nagpur (~ 6 hours on the road)
• About 275 kilometres due east from Indore (~ 5 hours on the road)
• About 315 kilometres due southwest from Jabalpur (~ 7 hours on the road)

Mumbai: The Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport has direct flights to 

• Indore, at Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Airport; carriers Indigo, Air India
• Bhopal, at Raja Bhoj Airport; carrier Indigo
• Jabalpur, at Dumna Airport; carrier SpiceJet

Ahmedabad: The Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel International Airport has direct flights to

• Indore, at Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Airport; carrier Indigo

Hyderabad: The GMR Hyderabad International Airport has direct flights to 

• Indore, at Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Airport; carrier Indigo
• Bhopal, at Raja Bhoj Airport; carrier Indigo
• Jabalpur, at Dumna Airport; carrier SpiceJet

Nagpur: The Bharat Ratna Babasaheb Dr. B.R. Ambedkar International Airport has direct flights to

• Indore, at Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Airport; carrier Indigo

From here, reaching Madhya Pradesh is just another flight away. The nearest airports in Madhya Pradesh that enable further transport to Madhai via rail or road are:

Raja Bhoj Airport, Bhopal: Caters to domestic flights. Connected to Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad via direct flights.

Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Airport, Indore: Caters to domestic flights. Connected to Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad via direct flight. Indigo carriers operate on almost all of these routes.

Jabalpur (Dumna) Airport, Jabalpur: Caters to domestic flights. You can fly into Jabalpur directly from Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Hyderabad airports. Indigo and SpiceJet handle most of this domestic-direct traffic.

Having arrived at one of the airports above, how do you reach Madhai?

It is highly recommended to choose to travel via road – it offers breathtaking vistas of the jungles and valleys that the highway winds through. It makes for a good road-trip if you are travelling with your family. Also, getting your tour operator to book a reliable taxi takes away a lot of headache of having to navigate busy railway stations and crowded trains. It also adds the convenience of arriving right at the doorstep of your accommodation without needing another connecting conveyance.

How To Reach Madhai By Road?

Madhai is well-connected via highways to all major cities around it. The way is pleasant, green and scenic. Here is how you can reach Madhai via roadways.

From Bhopal:

• Catch NH46, leaving the city via Obaidullaganj. Continue on NH46 till you reach Hoshangabad.
• Get on MP SH 22 from Hoshangabad until you cross the bridge over Tawa River and reach Semri.
• Leave MP SH22 at Semri in the direction of Urdon till you reach Madhai.

From Indore:

• From Indore, you can either travel via NH18 to Bhopal first and then continue,
• or you can drive on NH47 via Karnawad and Chapda until you reach Sandalpur.
• From Sandalpur, leave NH47 to get on to MP SH22 and continue until you reach Budni.
• At Budni, leave MP SH22 to get on NH46 till Hoshangabad.
• From Hoshangabad, catch MP SH22 again and follow it till the right-turn at Semri.
• Drive on until you reach Madhai.

From Jabalpur:

• MP SH22 takes you all the way to Madhai when you start from Jabalpur. The highway takes you via Narsinghpur, Gadarwara, then on to Pipariya and finally Sohagpur from where Madhai is barely 25 kilometres.

From Nagpur: The road, starting from Nagpur, is a bit long if you wish to get to Madhai.

• Catch NH47 from Nagpur and stay on it as you cross Savner and Multai.
• Leave NH47 at Betul and get on NH46 that goes via Shahpur and Bhoura and stay on it until you reach a T-junction near Circuit House.
• Take the right turn at T-junction and pass by Circuit House until you reach Ranipur.
• You will begin to see Tawa Reservoir.
• From here, it is best to navigate via GPS as the route involves a lot of villages and towns. The GPS will eventually get you to Urdon from where Madhai is close.

No matter which road you take, or where you start from, the drive is bound to bring you stunning scenery and interesting things to look at. The highway may, at times, wind through valleys uphill and downhill – travellers with motion sickness, therefore, be advised. Carry your medication at all times.

How To Reach Madhai By Train

Although not highly recommended, railways can be availed by those who don’t have any other option of getting to Madhai. The railway stations closest to Madhai are:

• Sohagpur Railway Station
• Bagratawa Railway Station
• Itarsi Railway Station
• Pipariya Railway Station

Connectivity to these railway stations is available from all major cities as discussed earlier. After disembarking on these stations, taxis are easily available that drop you off at taxi stands in Madhai or Pachmarhi.