Bandipur National Park – A Part of Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve

Bandipur National Park – Safaris, wildlife and bird species

I have driven through Bandipur National Park many a times on the way to Ooty and Wayanad. Rich in both flora and fauna, this park is a dense forest. Formed by the Maharajah of Mysore in 1931, this park was called Venugopal Wildlife Park. This park spanned just 90 sq. km then and expanded to 800 kms in 1973. This park was renamed to Bandipur National Park post the expansion.

The tiger population in India is the second highest in Bandipur National Park. This park neighbors three other parks namely Wayanad National Park, Nagarhole National Park and Mudumalai National park. All of them put together form the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve. This reserve is the largest habitat of wild elephants in South Asia and largest wildlife protected zone.

Note: Traffic is banned between 9 pm to 6 am thereby avoiding any disturbance to the wildlife

Safaris:

The Bandipur National Park is known for its safaris. I have never sighted a tiger in the many safaris that I have taken all over India. Who knows, you could be the lucky one to sight a tiger here!

The Safari times are as follows:

• Morning: 6 am to 8 am
• Evening: 3 pm to 5 pm

Wildlife and Bird species:

Some of the endangered wildlife species are follows:

• Tigers
• Gaurs
• Sloth Bears
• Jackals
• Elephants
• Antelopes

Some of the popular bird species are as follows:

• Kingfishers
• Vultures
• Brown Fish Owls
• Flowerpeckers
• Crested Hawk-Eagles
• Bee-eaters

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Best time to visit Bandipur

The best to visit Bandipur is between the months of October to March.

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How to reach Bandipur ?

Bandipur is best accessible by road and air from Bengaluru. It is best accessible by rail from Mysore.
Some of the best places to stay in Bandipur are Serai Bandipur, Dholes Den and Windflower Tusker Trails .

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Places close by Bandipur

Bandipur to Wayanad

Bandipur to Wayanad is at a driving distance of about 40 kms. It takes around 1 hour to reach Wayanad. The increase in driving time is mainly due to the fact that one crosses the national forest.

Bandipur to Ooty

Bandipur to Ooty is at a driving distance of about 40 kms. It takes around 1.5 hours to reach Ooty. The increase in driving time is mainly due to the fact that one crosses the national forest.

Bandipur to Mysore

Bandipur to Mysore is at a driving distance of about 75 kms. It takes around 1.5 hours to reach Mysore. The Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta close to Bandipur National Park in Gundlupet taluk is worth a visit.

Bandipur to Nagarhole

Bandipur to Nagarhole is at a driving distance of about 95 kms. It takes around 3 hours to reach Nagarhole.

Bandipur to Kabini

Bandipur to Kabini is at a driving distance of about 80 kms. It takes around 2 hours to reach Kabini.

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For more such wildlife experiences in India, check out some of the Indian National Parks and tiger reserves in India. And in case nature is your interest, check out the places to visit for nature lovers.

In case you are keen on traveling to southern India, you could take a look at the itinerary of Karnataka and cover Bandipur by adding an additional day or more as a part of this itinerary.

India is not just about wildlife. In fact, there are many more facets to this ancient land – culture, spirituality, mystery, nature, history and so on. Read more about the places to visit in India.

In case you are keen on experiential travel and wish to explore India, visit Beyonder Travel