The flora of Bandhavgarh is the typical moist, deciduous forest, so common to Central India. Most of the park area is covered with rich sal (Shorea robusta) forests, although at high altitude you may also come across mixed forests comprising of sali, saj, saja, etc. Large stretches of bamboo and grassland are also distributed here.

The park boasts of a wide variety of game. Its main wild beasts are tiger (Panthera tigris), leopard (P. pardus), sloth bear (Melursus ursinus), gaur (Bos gaurus), sambar (Cervus unicolor), chital (Axis axis), muntjac (Muntiacus muntjak), nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus), chinkara (Gazella gazella; mountain gazelle), and wild boar (Sus scrofa). The gaur is spotted mainly in March/April, while the sambar and muntjac are found in thick vegetation area. The 1990 census accounted for 59 tigers, over 4,500 sambars, and over 7,000 spotted deer. The tigers, however, remain very elusive. The flowering and fruit trees attract woodland birds, which include green pigeon, crested serpent eagle, and variable hawk eagle. One may also encounter rhesus macaque, hyenas, porcupine, white-browed fantails, Steppe eagle, green pigeons, Malabar hornbills, blossom-headed parakeets, blue-bearded bee-eater, white-bellied grongo, and Jerdon\’s leaf birds.