Panna is the only area in the country where one can find jewelery quality diamond. Here within this mining and with the intermingling of Ken river one can find the beautiful natural forest of Panna Tiger Reserve spanning along the two districts of Madhya Pradesh - Panna and Chatterpur. Along with the Tiger reserve there are two sanctuaries - Ken Gharial Sanctuary and Gangau Sanctuary. The reserve forest is also an attractive tourist destination due to its nearness to the Khajuraho ( 40 km approx.). People can also visit the NMDC diamond mining area with prior permission from the Director. As for staying there are several good hotels and lodges ready to give one unique experience of the forest and the Ken river. One can also opt to stay in the small trekking camp in Jhinna by contacting the Forest Department or the district DPIP officials. In case of animal viewing one have to be very very patient due to the hilly terrain. One can also enjoy the boat ride in the Ken gharial sanctuary in the midst of live and free ranging gharials.
One can reach Panna in the following fashions-
Satna by train and then Panna by bus, or
Jhanshi by train and to Panna via Chattarpur by bus, or
Khajuraho by plane and then to Panna by bus or taxi.
As I have already mentioned that visiting Panna or any other National Park area in India is a costly affair. One should be ready to fork out around Rs.1500 atleast for all inclusive daily expense. And one should be able to face the hardships of no electricity, mosquitoes, insects and deal with the fear of jungle.
If some group is ready to visit and I have time I can also join them as a tour operator for them :). The best time is october to february though I feel one can visit there anytime in the year (keep in mind that the park will be closed in the rainy season for maintenance).