Bandipur National Park

Once the private hunting ground of the Maharaja of the princely state of Mysore, it is now known as Bandipur National Park. In the state of Karnataka in South India in 1974, this forest of Bandipur was developed under Project Tiger and declared a Tiger Reserve. Various species of wildlife are present here in abundance.

Going into history, it is known that in the year 1931, the Maharaja of Mysore gave the shape of a sanctuary to an area of   90 square kilometres which was named Venugopal Wildlife Park. Bandipur, situated in Gundulupet taluka of Chamarajanagar district, Karnataka, is 80 km from Mysore on the way towards Ooty.

Bandipur Forest, spread over a total area of   874 square kilometres, is a refuge for endangered wildlife. This forest area of   2183 square kilometres, including the surrounding Nagarhole National Park, Mudumalai, and Wayanad National Park, is a part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. Therefore it is considered to be the largest wildlife conservation site in South India.

Due to being on the route from Mysore to Ooty, the pressure of tourist traffic remains on this route. Due to the movement of hundreds of vehicles daily, in the Bandipur area, wild animals often die due to the collision of vehicles. To prevent these accidents, the government has banned the passing of vehicles from here from evening till the next morning.

Several species of animals and birds live here 

As vegetation, evergreen and deciduous trees and plants are found in abundance in this forest. In the wildlife, mainly animals like leopard, elephant, tiger, sambar, chital, gaur, bear, spotted deer can be seen during Wildlife safari in Bandipur park. This park is like a paradise for bird lovers. About 200 species of different types of birds are also found in the forest of Bandipur. 

How to reach Bandipur national park? 

By road- one can go through Mysore by taxi to reach Bandipur National Park.

By train- To reach Bandipur national park by train one can take a train to Mysore from their nearest railway station and after reaching there people can take a taxi to reach the park which is about 80 km from Bandipur national park.

By air- The nearest airport is Coimbatore which is directly connected to many cities of the country. People can take a flight from any major city in India to Coimbatore and from there can reach the park by taxi. 

Where to stay in Bandipur national park? 

Bandipur National Park has all kinds of hotels from low budget to luxury stays during your trip. Apart from Tiger Treks Holiday Resort in Madhumalai, there are suitable places to stay like Silent Wild Resort, Labdhi Resort, and Greenhills Farm & Guest House.

Best time for Wildlife Safari in Bandipur National Park

This National Park of Bandipur is the best natural place for tourists and students to see and feel the wildlife up close during the tour of Karnataka. The time from October to March is the best time for a Wildlife safari in the park. There is a beautiful environment of greenery here in the monsoon. During this also a tour can be done here.

Author,

Pratyasha