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Index :
About | Area |
Established |
Season | Access
Description
Nestled well
amidst the towering Western Ghat Mountains on the
Mysore-Ooty highway, the Deccan Plateau houses one of the
first Tiger Reserves of the country - The Bandipur
National Park. Situated in Karnataka, the Bandipur
National Park includes the neighbouring wildlife
sanctuaries of Mudumalai National Park in Tamil Nadu and
Wayanad in Kerala. A moderate climate and diverse
geographical features support a remarkable variety of
flora and fauna. Bandipur Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the
15 sanctuaries belonging to the Project Tiger Scheme
launched in 1973, by the World Wide Fund for Nature. In
1974, the Bandipur was declared a National Park under the
Wildlife Protection Act. The Bandipur National Park is one
of its own kind in Asia as it has huge elephant herds.
The drier SE corner of Bandipur National Park has scrub
forests. During the dry months of March-May, Indian
Elephants stay close to rivers and lakes. At this time of
year, Indian Elephant sightings are unsurpassed in
Nagarhole National Park, especially if you are staying at
the Kabini River Lodge in Karapur. Nearby, at Mastigudi
large gatherings of 100 or so Indian Elephants on the
banks of the Kabini Lake are known, a sight unrivalled
anywhere. Bandipur National Park is probably the best
place in the subcontinent for seeing Dhole, and the Indian
Giant Squirrel can be seen at Mudumalai, lying curled in
trees holes or crooks of brances during the day.
Area
Nagarhole
national park 64,330 hectares.
Bandipur National Park 87,420 hectares.
Mudumalai National Park 32,155 hectares.
Established
Nagarhole
National Park, 1955 as a sanctuary, 1975 as a national
park.
Bandipur National Park, 1931 as a sanctuary, 1941 as a
national park,
1973 as a tiger reserve. Mudumalai, 1940 as a sanctuary.
Season :
Open year round, the best period being October-May,
especially April-May.
Access :
Fly to
Bangalore and drive to Nagarhole (6 hours) or Bandipur
(6-7 hours). The nearest station railway station is Mysore.
For Mudumalai National Park the nearest airport is
Coimbatore (160 km) and the nearest railway station Ooty
or Udhagamandalam (64 km).
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