Bandipur National Park
- a quintessential paradise in blue!
Go there for: Asian Elephants and Gaurs (huge wild oxen)
Bandipur National Park at a glance
If you travel along the highway from Ooty to Mysore in Karnataka, India, you will drive past the Bandipur National Park.
One of India’s most protected wildlife reserves spread across an area of 874.20-sq-kms. is nestled in the Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka amidst the Nagarhole National Park, the Mudumalai National Park in Tamil Nadu and Wynaad sanctuary in Kerala. With four wildlife reserves cloistered together, no doubt this whole area figures well in the tourist hitlist. The once royal game reserve of the Mysore Maharajahs - the Bandipur National Park - came to be designated a part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and one of WWF’s Projest Tiger sites. For those with a panache for adventure, Bandipur has not just wild animals, thickets and gorges but one of the most fascinating spectacle of nature’s wonders, you will want to visit again and again.
Wildlife Attractions at Bandipur National Park
Bandipur looks like a virtual paradise with the onset of the pre-monsoon showers. After the long winter lull, the flora and fauna suddenly spring back to life. The resident birds commence their breeding activities and the air is repleted with their endless chirpings. The 200 species of birds that abound the region include ornithologist favorite jungle fowl , the green pigeon and other species like Hawk eagle, Serpent eagle,Parakreets, Wood peckers, Barbets, Hornbills and the warblers. Ducks , Gray Patridges, Firhinges, Falcons and so on.
Sprouting grass in the meadows attract large numbers of the elephants and the majestic gaurs or the largest wild oxen. Close, harmless encounters with them are not uncommon if your guide knows where to find them. The other animals include Tigers, wild boar, deer, porcupine, squirrels, pangolin, monkeys, monitor lizards and so on. The reptile population includes the Marsh Crocodile, Monitor Lizards, Rock Python, Bamboo Pit Snake, Wolf Snake, Vine Snake and the common Krait besides a variety of turtles.
The area is infested with mixed vegetation - dry deciduous forest with an abundance of teak, sandalwood and rosewood and tropical mixed deciduous jungles. However, some summers this area too gets unbearably dry and during these times the animals either migrate to the neighbouring wetter Mudumalai Park or seek shelterin the the backwaters of the Kabini Reservoir in the northwestern portion of the park.
Safari Adventure
As you manoeuvre on the muddy tracks of the sanctuary on your jeep, chances are, you will find pug marks, discover some secret track used by the game animals or just be startled by an elephant or Gaur from amongst the thickets. Elephant safaris can also be exciting as you venture into the wild recesses and watch the wildlife in their natural habitat.
What more to look out for in Bandipur
Gopalaswamy Betta: The place near the park forest office base, Gopalaswamy Betta, provides an enthralling view of Mysore plateau. The "Rolling Rocks," situated to the south of the forest, offer a panoramic view of the weather-beaten 260-meter-deep Mysore Ditch and the entire Moyar gorge. The Moyar Gorge, as much as thousand feet deep at some places, with the Nilgiri hills in the background, casts a bewitching spell on the onlookers. The Moyar River plummets down hundreds of feet into the gorge, thundering through its depths and at times dissappearing from the sight of those who look down at it from the high cliffs. This is a must-photoghaphed spectacle. Excited already? Nearby Sanctuaries: Now this is called optimized utilization of your vacation. Once you have had your fill of the Bandipur Park, you can go to the adjoining Nagarhole National Park, the Mudumalai National Park in Tamil Nadu and Wynaad sanctuary in Kerala - all veritable havens of a pricelss wildlife.
How to reach there
Bandipur National Park lies on the Mysore-Ooty highway. The nearest airport is at Bangalore (220 km). Mysore is nearest railhead, at a distance of 80-kms. And if you are travelling with your own vehicle, the park is 220 km from Bangalore, 80 km from Mysore, 80 km from Ooty.
Ideal time to visit: Between the months of April and October when wildlife in Bandipur comes alive with its activities. Ideally make a post monsoon visit, for then you'll see Bandipur National Park at its lush and verdant best.
Accommodation options
Tourists can stay in the comfortable Forest Resthouses and KSTDC cottages, besides a few private luxury resorts and hotels that also arrange their own elephant safaris and jeep rides. The grassy patches between the huts are the grazing ground of local deer and monkeys, so the fun of watching them from close quarters should not be missed.
- a quintessential paradise in blue!
Go there for: Asian Elephants and Gaurs (huge wild oxen)
Bandipur National Park at a glance
If you travel along the highway from Ooty to Mysore in Karnataka, India, you will drive past the Bandipur National Park.
One of India’s most protected wildlife reserves spread across an area of 874.20-sq-kms. is nestled in the Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka amidst the Nagarhole National Park, the Mudumalai National Park in Tamil Nadu and Wynaad sanctuary in Kerala. With four wildlife reserves cloistered together, no doubt this whole area figures well in the tourist hitlist. The once royal game reserve of the Mysore Maharajahs - the Bandipur National Park - came to be designated a part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and one of WWF’s Projest Tiger sites. For those with a panache for adventure, Bandipur has not just wild animals, thickets and gorges but one of the most fascinating spectacle of nature’s wonders, you will want to visit again and again.
Wildlife Attractions at Bandipur National Park
Bandipur looks like a virtual paradise with the onset of the pre-monsoon showers. After the long winter lull, the flora and fauna suddenly spring back to life. The resident birds commence their breeding activities and the air is repleted with their endless chirpings. The 200 species of birds that abound the region include ornithologist favorite jungle fowl , the green pigeon and other species like Hawk eagle, Serpent eagle,Parakreets, Wood peckers, Barbets, Hornbills and the warblers. Ducks , Gray Patridges, Firhinges, Falcons and so on.
Sprouting grass in the meadows attract large numbers of the elephants and the majestic gaurs or the largest wild oxen. Close, harmless encounters with them are not uncommon if your guide knows where to find them. The other animals include Tigers, wild boar, deer, porcupine, squirrels, pangolin, monkeys, monitor lizards and so on. The reptile population includes the Marsh Crocodile, Monitor Lizards, Rock Python, Bamboo Pit Snake, Wolf Snake, Vine Snake and the common Krait besides a variety of turtles.
The area is infested with mixed vegetation - dry deciduous forest with an abundance of teak, sandalwood and rosewood and tropical mixed deciduous jungles. However, some summers this area too gets unbearably dry and during these times the animals either migrate to the neighbouring wetter Mudumalai Park or seek shelterin the the backwaters of the Kabini Reservoir in the northwestern portion of the park.
Safari Adventure
As you manoeuvre on the muddy tracks of the sanctuary on your jeep, chances are, you will find pug marks, discover some secret track used by the game animals or just be startled by an elephant or Gaur from amongst the thickets. Elephant safaris can also be exciting as you venture into the wild recesses and watch the wildlife in their natural habitat.
What more to look out for in Bandipur
Gopalaswamy Betta: The place near the park forest office base, Gopalaswamy Betta, provides an enthralling view of Mysore plateau. The "Rolling Rocks," situated to the south of the forest, offer a panoramic view of the weather-beaten 260-meter-deep Mysore Ditch and the entire Moyar gorge. The Moyar Gorge, as much as thousand feet deep at some places, with the Nilgiri hills in the background, casts a bewitching spell on the onlookers. The Moyar River plummets down hundreds of feet into the gorge, thundering through its depths and at times dissappearing from the sight of those who look down at it from the high cliffs. This is a must-photoghaphed spectacle. Excited already? Nearby Sanctuaries: Now this is called optimized utilization of your vacation. Once you have had your fill of the Bandipur Park, you can go to the adjoining Nagarhole National Park, the Mudumalai National Park in Tamil Nadu and Wynaad sanctuary in Kerala - all veritable havens of a pricelss wildlife.
How to reach there
Bandipur National Park lies on the Mysore-Ooty highway. The nearest airport is at Bangalore (220 km). Mysore is nearest railhead, at a distance of 80-kms. And if you are travelling with your own vehicle, the park is 220 km from Bangalore, 80 km from Mysore, 80 km from Ooty.
Ideal time to visit: Between the months of April and October when wildlife in Bandipur comes alive with its activities. Ideally make a post monsoon visit, for then you'll see Bandipur National Park at its lush and verdant best.
Accommodation options
Tourists can stay in the comfortable Forest Resthouses and KSTDC cottages, besides a few private luxury resorts and hotels that also arrange their own elephant safaris and jeep rides. The grassy patches between the huts are the grazing ground of local deer and monkeys, so the fun of watching them from close quarters should not be missed.
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