Melghat's rugged topography is characterised by steep cliffs and rocky ravines and more than the forest guards, this is what protects it from encroachers. The hills are between 200 to 1,500 m high, with Vairat Devi Point the tallest at 1,178 m. An irregular succession of hills and valleys vary in altitude and gradient, with numerous spurs branching off from the main ridge. Between the plateau and hills are fodder-rich saddles used extensively by wild animals. Teak forests and bamboo thickets combine to form prime tiger habitat... remnants of the once grand forests of Central India.

Rhesus monkeys frequent the area near Gawilgarh fort. You can spend hours sitting atop machans at the Fitakaripani waterhole and hope to spot sambar or tiger. Bana Aam or Bear's Mango is a perennial waterhole upstream from the Rupa Bhavala nala. In summer, this place is a hive of wildlife activity. Umber Pani or Gaur's graveyard, is another small waterhole dug amidst the rocks. Gaur, peafowl, junglefowl and langurs frequent the place. It is located in a narrow rocky nala bed, with steep slopes on either side. Lantana weeds and a few trees including the small umber, Ficus glomerata grow here. At the base lies the water hole.

The sloth bear is found in the escarpments around the Narnala and Gawilgarh forts.

The saddles between the plateau and hills are great places to watch wildlife. You can see sambar or a foraging sloth bear in the area around Chikaldhara, a hill-station nearby. Bears are often found amidst the bamboo on the hillside, camouflaged by the huge black boulders that lie scattered on the slopes. Take a night drive along the tarred roads of this famed tourist resort town. If you're lucky, you may spot civets, owls and, with luck, a leopard or sloth bear. Waterbirds can be seen in the Sipna and Tapti rivers, especially in the winters. Owls, particularly the Brown Fish Owl, are seen in the older, larger trees that overhang rivers and streams. Eagles and falcons are most likely to be sighted on the steep hills and cliffs that characterise Melghat.

If you are quiet, crows may give away the location of fresh kills and you might even chance upon the tiger! And if you chance upon a road kill (sadly on the increase since the roads were tarred) be sure to report it to the authorities.

The Sipna arm of the Tapti River is named after the dominant teak vegetation of the region. The plateaux on the summits of the hills are filled with tall prairie grass and stout teak. The grassy areas are locally called ballas. The low-lying areas of Kupawati and Chunkhadi, harbour trees of great height and immense girth. As one moves higher on the slopes, the trees show poorer growth and it is the slender bamboo that dominates.

Tiwas forests are found on the higher peaks. The western part of the reserve is full of Salai trees. The reserve has a rich repository of tree species including Haldu, Tendu, Kalamb, Sajad, Kusum, Mowal, Dhawda, Lendia, Mahua, Behada, Hirda, Rosh and Musli. Gum and Lac are exploited for commercial produce. Shrubs like Azenza lampas, Strobilanthes callosa and Securinega virosa are also found.

Weeds include Lantana camara and Hyptis sauveolens. Lantana was initially introduced into the area in the latter half of the 19th century as a hedge plant bordering agricultural fields. But the weed has now invaded the forest.

Around mid-February, the land is shorn of grasses and the undergrowth dries out. Rare mango and umbar trees laden with fruit provide the only break from the monotonous brown. As summer wears on even the bamboo dries up and the forests are bare of canopy. Forest fires are common at this time.