Nagzira (Pitezari Gate)
Small teak reserve around a forest lake, tigers without the queue
Best time to visit Nagzira (Pitezari Gate)
- Jan, peak season
- Feb, peak season
- Mar, peak season
- Apr, shoulder season
- May, shoulder season
- Jun, shoulder season
- Jul, best avoided
- Aug, best avoided
- Sep, best avoided
- Oct, shoulder season
- Nov, peak season
- Dec, peak season
peak shoulder off-season avoid
- Go: November to March
- Shoulder: April to June and October, quieter, and the weather is less of a sure thing
- Skip: July to September
Planning a specific month? JanuaryFebruaryMarchNovemberDecember
Nagzira (Pitezari Gate) season by season
Winter December to February Prime time
December to February is comfortable and still green: gaur and sambar out at the lake, 10 C at the 6 am gate and rarely more than a few jeeps inside.
Summer March to May Prime time
March to May is the sighting season as the pools shrink, but May hits 45 C by noon, so take the morning slot and carry more water than you think.
Monsoon June to September Shoulder
June is the last chance before the core shuts on 1 July; through September the gates stay closed for the breeding season and the tracks are mud.
Autumn October to November Prime time
The reserve reopens in October to wet green teak and full waterholes, and November is the best of both: cool mornings, thin crowds, active cats.
What Nagzira (Pitezari Gate) is actually like
Forest rest houses by the lake and homestays at Pitezari gate; a shared dinner, then the forest noise after dark
Getting to Nagzira (Pitezari Gate)
Gondia railhead 50 km on the Howrah-Mumbai line, then an hour by road to Pitezari; Nagpur 130 km
Practical ways in: trainroad
Trip facts
- How long to stay
- 2 days
- Budget
- Mid-range
- How busy
- Quiet at its peak
- Solo travel
- Doable solo with some planning
- Altitude
- 359 m
- State
- Maharashtra
- Coordinates
- 21.2546, 80.0274
Common questions
When is the best time to visit Nagzira (Pitezari Gate)?
November to March is peak season in Nagzira (Pitezari Gate). April to June and October is shoulder season: thinner crowds, a bit more risk in the weather. Avoid July to September. December to February is comfortable and still green: gaur and sambar out at the lake, 10 C at the 6 am gate and rarely more than a few jeeps inside.
How many days do you need in Nagzira (Pitezari Gate)?
2 days is the usual stay. Forest rest houses by the lake and homestays at Pitezari gate; a shared dinner, then the forest noise after dark.
How do you get to Nagzira (Pitezari Gate)?
Gondia railhead 50 km on the Howrah-Mumbai line, then an hour by road to Pitezari; Nagpur 130 km. Practical ways in: train and road.
Is Nagzira (Pitezari Gate) expensive, and does it get crowded?
Mid-range by Indian travel standards, and it runs quiet at the busiest time of year. Doable solo with some planning.
Nearby, and where to go next
-
Ramtek
Maharashtra
Hilltop Ram temples where Kalidasa set the Meghadoot
100 km from Nagzira (Pitezari Gate), roughly about 2 h by road
-
Pench National Park (Turia)
Madhya Pradesh
Kipling's teak country on the Pench river, tigers and gaur
120 km from Nagzira (Pitezari Gate), roughly about 2 h by road
-
Pench Tiger Reserve (Maharashtra)
Maharashtra
Sillari gate teak and bamboo, the quieter half of Pench
120 km from Nagzira (Pitezari Gate), roughly about 2 h by road
-
Kanha National Park
Madhya Pradesh
Sal-forest tiger reserve that inspired The Jungle Book
180 km from Nagzira (Pitezari Gate), roughly about 3 h by road
-
Tadoba
Maharashtra
Maharashtra's oldest reserve, its best tiger sightings
180 km from Nagzira (Pitezari Gate), roughly about 3 h by road
-
Bhoramdeo (Kawardha)
Chhattisgarh
Carved 11th-century Nagara temple below the Maikal hills
200 km from Nagzira (Pitezari Gate), roughly about 4 h by road
-
Sevagram (Wardha)
Maharashtra
Gandhi's mud-hut ashram, his working base from 1936
200 km from Nagzira (Pitezari Gate), roughly about 4 h by road
-
Mandla
Madhya Pradesh
Gond fort town inside a Narmada loop below Kanha
200 km from Nagzira (Pitezari Gate), roughly about 4 h by road
More places to visit in Maharashtra
- Ajanta-Ellora Maharashtra
- Alibaug Maharashtra
- Amboli Maharashtra
- Bhandardara Maharashtra
- Bhigwan (Kumbhargaon) Maharashtra
- Bhimashankar Maharashtra
- Chandoli National Park Maharashtra
- Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) Maharashtra
- Chikhaldara Maharashtra
- Dajipur (Radhanagari) Maharashtra
- Gaganbawda Maharashtra
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- Guhagar Maharashtra
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- Igatpuri Maharashtra
- Jawhar Maharashtra
- Junnar (Shivneri) Maharashtra
- Kaas Plateau Maharashtra
- Kunkeshwar (Devgad) Maharashtra
- Lonar Crater Lake Maharashtra
- Lonavala Maharashtra
- Mahabaleshwar Maharashtra
- Mahur (Mahurgad) Maharashtra
- Malvan-Tarkarli Maharashtra
- Matheran Maharashtra
- Mumbai Maharashtra
- Murud-Janjira Maharashtra
- Naldurg Maharashtra
- Nanded (Hazur Sahib) Maharashtra
- Nashik Maharashtra
- Panchgani Maharashtra
- Pandharpur Maharashtra
- Panhala Maharashtra
- Pench Tiger Reserve (Maharashtra) Maharashtra
- Raigad Fort Maharashtra
- Rajgad Fort Maharashtra
- Ramtek Maharashtra
- Sahastrakund Falls Maharashtra
- Salher Fort Maharashtra