Bandipur National Park is in India’s first declared biosphere reserve and covers an area of 879 sq. km buffer zone. Only 82 sq. km of this has been demarcated as tourism zone. One can cover this easily in the safari ride. The area receives a decent rainfall through the year, averaging to just over 600 mm. The majority of trees are teak, which provides a stunning orange hue to the area. Elephant sightings are plentiful and although it does have a relatively decent population of tigers, sightings are not frequent. It is an excellent park for birding as well Occasionally, a herd of wild elephants blocks the busy highway from Bangalore to Udhagamandalam (Ooty). This road passes through the expansive, a viable elephant habitat that includes Bandipur and the adjoining Mudumalai, Nagarhole and Wynaad wildlife reserves.

The Bandipur forests of Karnataka have been officially protected for over a hundred years and no timber felling or hunting was allowed. As long ago as 1898, a small area was declared a sanctuary, and by 1941 the Venugopal Wildlife Park was established on nearly 800 sq km, the small inner core being Bandipur. Project Tiger, launched in 1973, recognized the importance of this tract for elephant, tiger and other wildlife, and Bandipur Tiger Reserve was born on an 874 sq km area, which included most of the Venugopal Park.

Gopalaswamy Betta, the highest point in the reserve, has a panoramic view of gently sloping mountains, flat-topped hills and gorges encrusted with largely mixed-deciduous forest. Bamboo stands are interspersed with grassy carpets, giving a park-like quality to some of the terrain. Bandipur's beauty can be attributed to the two monsoons, the south-west and the north-east, that bring in rainfall well through the year, and to the fact that it is almost at the juncture of the Deccan Plateau and the outer spurs of the Western Ghats.

These open woodlands offer ' excellent opportunities for viewing wildlife. The Kabini River, a tributary of the Kaveri, runs along the park's north-west precincts. Beyond the backwaters of the Kabini Reservoir lies the Nagarhole National Park. Wild elephants can be seen along this stretch of river. The rivers Mulahole, Nugu and Moyar meander through Bandipur and, from a point known as Rolling Rocks, there is an excellent view of the Moyar River's impressive gorge.

Bandipur Tiger Reserve falls midway between Ooty and the city of Mysore and is easily accessible. The 82 sq km tourism zone allows most of the area in the reserve to remain undisturbed. Roads skirt numerous salt-licks and water pools frequented by a wide range of animals such as Tiger, Leopard, Wild Dog and Sloth Bear, There is plenty of bird activity. Herds of elephant are common as are the majestic gaur. These great oxen, wrongly known as the Indian Bison, staged a remarkable comeback after the disastrous rinderpest epidemic of the late 1960s. Large herds of Spotted Deer can be seen around the Bandipur tourism zone every evening. The profusion and accessibility of its wildlife makes Bandipur a popular destination.

KEY SPECIES
MAMMALS Asian Elephant, Gaur (Indian Bison), Tiger (above), Leopard, Wild Dog (Dhole), Sloth Bear, Leopard-cat, Small Indian Civet, Common Palm Civet, Striped-necked Mongoose, Ruddy Mongoose, Sambar, Spotted Deer (Chital), Barking Deer, Mouse Deer, Indian Pangolin, Indian Giant Squirrel

BIRDS RAPTORS Changeable Hawk Eagle, Bonelli's Eagle, Crested Serpent Eagle, Besra, Crested Goshawk, Mottled Wood Owl, Brown Hawk Owl

WOODLAND/SCRUB Grey Junglefowl, Red Spurfowl, Grey Francolin, Painted Spurfowl, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Whitebellied Woodpecker, Malabar Trogon, Chestnut-headed Bee-eater, Blue-bearded Bee-eater, Vernal Hanging Parrot, Blue-faced Malkoha, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Black-headed Cuckooshrike, Hill Myna, White-bellied Drongo, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Green Imperial Pigeon, Asian Paradise-flycatcher, Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike, Scarlet Minivet

Resorts in Bandipur
Bandipur Safari Lodge.
Forest Rest Houses.