¤ About Bandipur National Park
The entire area now constitutes the vast Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, one of India's most extensive tracts of protected forest. It has been a designated tiger reserve in 1973. Bandipur National Park lies in the Indian Deccan plateau area, thus being totally in the shadow of the Western Ghats. The region is well endowed in terms of vegetation and flora that ranges from deciduous and evergreen forest covers to open grassy woodlands. Valuable hardwoods including rosewood and teak are also found here. The lifeline of the forest is the Moyar River, which irrigates the area along with two minor rivulets. The river also acts as a boundary between the Park and the Madumulai Sanctuary. Bandipur is one of the finest and most accessible habitats of the Asiatic elephant. Its vast open spaces make it a pleasant and convenient outing for visitors to see the elephant in its natural surroundings.

¤ Major Tourist Attractions of Bandipur National Park
Bandipur wildlife sanctuary in the south Indian state of Karnataka, is situated in the foothills of the Nilgiri hills on the highway from Mysore to Ooty. With its hilly forest, waterholes and pleasant weather, Bandipur Sanctuary is an enchanting place to visit. The herds of deer that graze unconcernedly in between the tourist huts, add to the charm of the tourist huts. Bandipur Sanctuary has a significant number of tigers and elephants.

Tame elephants of the Bandipur Sanctuary forest department on which tourists are taken for elephant safari rides are also present. Herds of gaur - the Indian wild bull - are to be found here. Many different species of deer, monkeys, squirrels and birds can also be seen. The months from April to October are the best time to tour Bandipur Sanctuary.

Bandipur Sanctuary is green with new growth after the monsoon rains and the deer, gaur and elephants can be seen grazing in the clearings in the forest. Bandipur wildlife sanctuary's unique attractions make it an attractive tour destination for tourists on an Incredible wildlife tour of India.

¤ Season to visit Bandipur National Park
The region is warm and comfortable for most parts of the year with temperatures ranging from 24 to 28°C, except for the brief winter that lasts from October to January when the temperature hovers around the 19°C mark. Monsoon is erratic, but it generally rains from June to September.

¤ How To Reach Bandipur National Park
Bandipur National Park is located on the highway connecting Mysore and the hill station of Ootacamund (Ooty). Reaching Bandipur by bus is very convenient. All regular and express state transport buses plying between Ooty and Mysore pass through the park fringes and the Forest Department Center is a designated bus stop. It takes 2½ hours to reach Bandipur forest from Mysore and about 3 hours from Ooty. The nearest rail junction is Mysore (65 km) and the nearest international airport is the software Mecca of Bangalore (204 km).