The flora in the forest comprises of teak, rosewood, honne, mathi, bamboo and sandal trees. An endless variety of wildlife flourishes and the main fauna are the tiger, elephant, gaur, leopard, chital, wild dog, sloth bear and sambar. A wide variety of birds like the peafowl, partridge, quail, hornbill and ibis are also found here.
The Park is one of the fifteen Tiger Reserves in the country, launched under the Project Tiger scheme in 1973. It is committed to the preservation of the endangered tiger population and its habitat.
There is no local transport available. The Forest Department arranges for Wild Life viewing by jeep or van and elephants can be hired for rides around the Park. Wildlife viewing & elephant rides are normally arranged between 0600 to 0900 hrs. and 1630 to 1830 hrs. Visitors vehicles are also permitted into the Park if accompanied by trained guides on payment of prescribed fees
The temperature is moderate and ranges from a maximum of 29 degrees celsius to a minimum of 17 degrees.
The park is open throughout the year. The best season is March to July & September to November.
Around Bandipur:
One can make day excursions to the Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary (19 km), Mysore (80 km), Udhagamandalam (Ooty) (79 km) and Gopalaswamy Hills (20 km).
Accommodation:
Forest Rest Houses are available at Kakanhalla, Mulehole, Kalkere and Gopalaswamy (Betta). The Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation has cottages located just outside the park on the Mysore road, which can be booked from the KSTDC office in Mysore (423 652) or Bangalore (221 2901). There is private accommodation also available at the Bush Betta resort and also at Tusker Trails. Bookings for both resorts are available from Bangalore.
Getting there:
Air: The nearest airport is at Mysore (80 km).
Rail: The nearest station is at Nanjangud, 55 kilometres away and Mysore is a major railhead.
Road: The closest town is Gundulpet 20 kilometres away. All buses between Ooty and Mysore stop at Bandipur. Motorable roads connect Bandipur to Bangalore, which is 220 km via Mysore. Coimbatore is 168 km via Udhagamandalam (Ooty). Mudumalai Wild Life Sanctuary is 19 km away. Ooty is 79 km via Mudumalai.
For reservations one can contact
The Assistant Director,
Bandipur National Park,
Bandipur 571318.
Tel: 22/22.
Information is also available from
The Field Director,
Project Tiger, Vanasree,
Govt.Sandalkoti Premises,
Asokapuram, Mysore-570008.
Tel: 20901/24980.
(Information courtesy Karnataka Tourism Department)
Far from the crowd, nestling in the foothills of the Nilgiris, is the beautiful sanctuary of Bandipur. The Moyer River forms a natural boundary between the Mudumalain Wildlife Sanctuary in Tamilnadu and the Bandipur National Park in Karnataka. The park was formed by extending the Venugopal Wildlife Park which had been set up in 1931 by the Maharajas of Mysore. It covers an area of 874 kms at an altitude ranging from 780 to 1454 metres.
