Kheoni Wildlife Sanctuary — Bhopal or Indore?

Most Madhya Pradesh wildlife destinations clearly favour one city over another. Kheoni is different — sitting in the Malwa region, it's genuinely reachable from both Bhopal and Indore, which makes route planning worth thinking through rather than assuming.

For the full gate breakdown, see our complete Kheoni Wildlife Sanctuary guide — this article focuses on the city-routing choice.

Daulatpur gate is your clear best option — at just 79 km, it's significantly closer than either of Kheoni's other two gates. This makes Kheoni a realistic day-trip or short-getaway option specifically for Bhopal-based travellers.

The picture is less clear-cut. Richhi Khoh and Nandadai gates sit at roughly similar distances from Indore as from Bhopal, so Indore travellers don't have the same single obvious choice that Bhopal travellers do with Daulatpur.

Nandadai, reached via Ashta, is often the more practical choice if your route from Indore already passes through that direction.

• Fastest from Bhopal: Daulatpur gate (79 km) — no contest.
• From Indore: Richhi Khoh and Nandadai are broadly comparable — choose based on which side of Indore you're travelling from, or whether Ashta fits your route.
• If unsure which city to base yourself in: Bhopal has the clearer advantage overall, given Daulatpur's shorter, more direct access.

Because Kheoni sees far fewer visitors than MP's major reserves, accommodation and local infrastructure are more limited — deciding your city and gate combination in advance avoids arriving without confirmed plans nearby.