Elephants at Bandipur
In Karnataka, the two attractive wildlife parks of Nagarhole and Bandipur, though separate entities, are part of a larger contiguous wildlife reserve that includes the
Mudumalai Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu and the Wynad Reserve in Kerala. Both the parks are easily accessible from
Mysore.
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Bandipur National Park and Tiger Reserve |
Best Time to Visit :
March - August
Accommodation : Forest Lodges, Cottages, Forest Rest Houses
Nearest town : Gundulpet (20km)
How to get there : Rail - Mysore (65 km)
Air - Bangalore (190 km)
For further information contact :
Field Director, Bandipur Tiger Reserve, Mysore - 570004. |
The 874.20 sq. km. Bandipur National Park, which is also a Tiger Reserve, with its open grassy woodland, lies to the south of the Kabini River while Nagarhole, 643.39 so. km. in area, to the north of the river, has taller and denser forests. A dam on the Kabini and its picturesque reservoir separate the two parks. In the dense moist deciduous forests of this area the upper canopy reaches heights of 30m and valuable hardwoods like teak and rosewood are also to be found here. |
Bandipur, lying in the shadow of the Western
Ghats, is one of the finest habitats of the Asian elephant. Drained by the Moyar River, its open forest makes it easy for visitors to see the elephant and gaur in natural surroundings. 
At Nagarhole, too, there are excellent
facilities for viewing wildlife and large groups of gaur, elephant,
sambar, chital and even the occasional tiger or leopard are seen. Among other mammals are the
muntjac, the tiny mouse deer, wild boar, pangolin, giant squirrel, slender
loris, langurs and macaques. The Park has about 250 species of birds and the Malabar
trogan, the Malabar Herd of elephants pied hornbill, the great black woodpecker, the Indian pitta and the green imperial pigeon are part of its avian variety. Lesser cats like the jungle cat, leopard cat and rusty spotted cat are also resident species.
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Nagarhole National Park |
Best Time to Visit :
October - March
Accommodation : Kabini River Lodge with excellent facilities
Nearest town : Kutta (7 km), Mysore (80 km)
How to get there : Rail - Mysore (80 km) Air - Bangalore (220 km)
For further information contact :
Jungle Lodges and Resorts Ltd., 2nd floor, Srungar Shopping
Centre, MG Road, Bangalore - 560001. |
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