Bandipur

Bandipur National Park established in 1974 as a tiger reserve under Project Tiger, is a national park located in the Indian state of Karnataka, which is the state with the highest tiger population in India. It is one of the premier Tiger Reserves in the country along with the adjoining Nagarhole national park. It was once a private hunting reserve for the Maharaja of the Kingdom of Mysore but has now been upgraded to Bandipur Tiger Reserve. It is regarded as one of the most beautiful and the better-managed national parks of India.

Located amidst the picturesque surroundings of the towering Western Ghat Mountains on the Mysore-Ooty highway in Karnataka, Bandipur National Park covers an area of about 874.2 sq km. Together with Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu, Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala and Nagarhole National Park in the North, it creates the India’s biggest biosphere reserve popularly known as the ‘Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve’.

Summers here, are hot and dry with maximum temperature of 33 º C. However it is the best time to spot tigers. Animals are easily found around the lake and enable good wild life sightings. The winters are cooler here but short spanned from November to January with temperature dipping to a minimum of 14 º C. This time is exceeding pleasant and best for those who do not wish to sweat much. From June to September due to the rains the roads are washed out and hence we do not recommend tourists to visit during these months.

The Bandipur national park is famous for spotting elephants and tigers. Apart from these, top mammals to spot here are bonner macaque, dhole, civet, jungle cat, Indian palm, giant flying squirrel, striped hyena, rusty-spotted cat, Nilgiritahr, leopard, Hanuman langur, cat leopard, four horned antelope, Indian hare red and others.

Birdwatching is an important activity here. Top birds found in this park are peafowl, junglefowl, drongos, redheaded vultures, flowerpeckers, Indian rollers, creasted serpent eagles, bee-eaters, hawk eagles, kingfishers, ospreys and others. There are more than 200 species of birds in the park. The breeding season of birds, start right before the monsoon season.

Top reptiles to spot here are Indian rock python, Indian pond terrapin, flying lizard, mugger, monitor lizard, rat snake and others. Common butterflies to spot here are common rose, common jay, lime butterfly, Malabar raven, crimson rose, blue Mormon and others. Numerous species of butterflies are spotted in the park. Numerous beetle varieties are also spotted here. Many new species of butterflies and beetles that are yet to be identified are also found here. Turtles, crocodiles and frogs are also found here.

At JungleTrail,  we customise your packages as per your requirements. Generally, 2 or 3 nights package would be ideal to explore the entire forest and have the best wildlife experiences. There are 2 jungle safaris in a day. One starts early morning and the other in the afternoon. All our packages includes transfers from the nearest railway station or the airport, stay with all meals and jungle safaris as per the plan. Kindly fill in the form on the page with your requirements and we shall get back to you with a complete Itinerary designed for you.