Bandipur National Park: A Wild Getaway
A jungle safari to Bandipur National Park in south Karnataka offers some of the best wildlife sightings in the country. Apart from game like the Chital,(the Spotted Deer), Sambar, Gaur, Giant Malabar Squirrel, Peacocks, Indian Rollers and variety of other mammals and birds, one will almost certainly run into elephants. And if one is lucky one may even come across a pack of wild dogs hunting and maybe even a tiger. Indeed, Bandipur was one of the seven parks in which Project Tiger was first launched in 1973.
Map of Bandipur:
Whats Famous Here:
Asiatic Elephant: Today Bandipur has about one-fifth of the world’s Asiatic elephant population and the highest concentration of wild dogs in India. The former private hunting grounds of the Maharajas of Mysore, it is an ideal getaway for those who have had surfeit of urban chaos and need to get back to nature. Here you exchange unruly bumper to bumper city traffic for the quiet parade of wildlife through the park’s tall green grass.
What to see:
Wildlife Safaris: In the morning and then again in the evening… are the staple diet here. And green the predominant color. Yes, it is the color and mood of the forest and the Gods who created it seemed to have run amuck splashing it from over the biosphere with every shade and hue imaginable. You will see it in the peacock’s tail, in the cool rustle of the bamboo fronds, in the green algae that mantled a water hole and in the sea of lush grass washed by early morning dew. The green merged into the velvety brown of the sambar and the high-stepping Chital; the bare branch of a tree on which a vulture, handsome in its ugliness, waits; the black faces of a family of Langur Monkeys, the bushy tail of the giant Malabar Squirrel…
Unlike many parks in India which remain closed during the monsoon months, Bandipur, like many of the parks in South India, is open throughout the year.
Travel to Bandipur
Local Languages: Kanada, Hindi and English.
Best Time to Visit: November to February
How to Reach:
AIR:
The nearest airports are at Mysore (65 km) and Bangalore (190 km.)
RAIL:
The nearest station is at Nanjangud (55 km). However, Mysore (65 km) is better connected to the national grid
ROAD:
Distances from major cities
Mysore (65 km)
Bangalore (190 km)
Ooty in Tamil Nadu (65 km)
Excursions from Bandipur:
NOTE: Bandipur is part of a larger tourist circuit that could include Ooty in the Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu, the Rain-forests of Wainad in Kerala, Nagarhole National Park and maybe even Mysore and its surroundings.
Srihamawat Gopal Swamy Temple: The 700-year-old temple sits at the summit of a thickly forested mountain. After a brief Darshan of the Gods, stroll across rolling green meadows to the edge of a vertical cliff which has a panoramic view of the densely forested slopes of the surrounding mountains. The setting is deceptively peaceful for within this savage paradise life unravels, raw and uncompromising.
Hotels in Bandipur
Apart from the Karnataka Tourism’s Jungle Lodge Camp, there are a number of private lodges and camps on the fringe of the National Park.
Hotel information and booking
Bandipur Travel Packages:
Customize your travel. Write your requirements and we will revert with a quote soon.
Flights to Bandipur
The nearest airports are at Mysore (65 km) and Bangalore (190 km.)
Trains to Bandipur
The nearest station is at Nanjangud (55 km). However, Mysore (65 km) is better connected to the national grid
Buses to Bandipur
State Transport (ST) and private buses ply regular services between Bandipur and most major cities in Karnataka as well as adjoining states like Tamil Nadu.
Car Hire in Bandipur
To experience Bandipur at your own pace, you can take a care hire. Hire a cab and get enchanted by the captivating locations of Bandipur. You can also hire a cab for excursions from Bandipur.
