Bandhipur National Park, Karnataka

Article by Dr. Apurva Tamhane

The Bandipur National Park

The Bandipur National Park is located in the State of Karnataka. The Nearest access to the Bandipur National Park is from Mysore and Ooty cities, both of which are located nearly 80 kilometers from the National Park.
The Main wildlife animals found in the Bandipur National Park are the Asian Elephants and the Gaurs.

About Bandipur National Park

Around midway in the Mysore – Ooty National Highway, the Deccan plateau rises from the mean level of the Grounds where it meets the mountains of the Western Ghats. This place has become one of the most popular places for the reserves of Wildlife and is named after the local area – The Bandipur National Park.
The Park lies in the District of Chamarajanagar of the Southern Western District of Karnataka and also becomes a part of the States of Tamilnadu and Kerala. The climate in the Park is ambient, moderate and the geographical features are diverse in flora and the fauna. The richness of the place gives it a resemblance to the paradise of Wildlife.

History of Bandipur National Park

The year 1973 evidenced Bandipur to become one of the first Tiger Reserves which was a part of the Nine reserves under the Project Tiger. The next year, Bandipur was declared as the National Park under the Wildlife protection Act. The best time to visit the Bandipur National Park are the Pre monsoon showers in the month of April when the reserve becomes greener. The birds in the park start their breeding activities and the air is filled with melodious calls. The grass which is sprouting has visitors like the herds of elephants and the Gaurs in large numbers. The Bandipur National Park is a heaven to visit in the months of April to October. In the dry months of Summer, The Kabini Reservoir in the Northwestern portion of the park has the most congregations of animals from the Reserve.

Time to visit Bandipur National Park

The Best time to visit Bandipur National Park is between the months of April to October.

How to get to Bandipur National Park

Air : The nearest airport is at Bangalore which is 220 km from Bandipur.
Rail : Mysore is nearest railhead, at a distance of 80-kms.
Road : 220 km from Bangalore; 80 km from Mysore; 80 km from Ooty.

Bandipur National Park Tourism Packages

Check out the tourism packages for Bandipur National Park which is a part of the South India tourism packages and is usually a 2 to 3 day tour package. Enjoy more deep forest reserve tours from the Indian forest department or you can enjoy the bigger tour packages which include the other national parks too.

Simlipal Wildlife Sanctuary and Forest Reserve

Simlipal elephant reserve is also a National Park in the state of Orissa. The national park have derived its name from the abundance grwoth of the Semul and red silk cotton trees. The elephant reserve was originally a hunting ground for the kings which was later converted to sanctuary which became a national park in the event of time. The National park is a part of the tiger reserve and it have about 95 tigers.Government of India declared Simlipal as Biosphere reserve in 1994 and in the year 2009, UNESCO added it to its list of International Biospheres.

The forest have 61 villages and about 10,000 people live in those forests. These people are mainly tribals. The park has a total area of 2750 sq kms and is at an altitude of 559.31 mts. Out of the total 2750sq kms, 845.70 sq.kms comes under protected area. The national park is the home of Asian Elephants, Tiger and Gaur. The forest is located in the northernmost district of Orissa and is mainly hilly in terrain. The park receives an annual rainfall of about 2000mm. The park have 12 rivers running across it and is the home land of lots of medicinal and aromatic plants and 82 different kinds of Orchids. The park is also the home land of Mugger crocodiles at Jashipur.

The climate during summer is too high and it goes upto 40 degrees and during winter it falls up to 14 degrees. The forest reserve remains open from mid October to mid June. To enter one have to get a permit from the Assistant Conservator of Forest in Jashipur or from the Range Officer at Pithabata. The permits have to be obtained from the entry points atleast two weeks in advance. The tourists are allowed to visit the park from 6.00 am in the morning to 12.00 noon and is extended for another 2 hours till 2.00 pm for the reservation holders. The park can be entered either from Pithabata or from Jashipur. The Santal tribes celebrate feast and dance festival during the month of January which can be attended by tourists after prior notification.

How to reach Simlipal National Park:
Airports: The nearest airports are Kolkata at 240 kms and Bhubaneshwar at 270 kms. Many prefer to drive to the national park directly from Kolkata.

By rail: The nearest railway station is Balasore which is at 60kms from Baripada.

By road: The district headquarters of Mayurbhanj distrcit Baripada is on the junction of NH5 and 6 and is 170kms from Bhubaneshwar by road and 240 kms from Kolkatta, 60 kms from Baripada and 22 kms from Pithabata, 94 kms from Jashipur on N.H.6. Both the entry points are well connected by regular bus services.

Once entered inside the park, one can hire jeeps to venture inside the forest. People can do bird watching, trekking, nature walks, buy handloom products, stone carvings and curios from the locals and also visit the tribals living in that area.

Food and Drinks inside the park: Indian and local cuisine is available at the tourist lodges inside the park. Bottled water is available but Alchoholic beverages and drinks are prohibited inside the park.
Accomodation inside the park: There are a number of Forest rest houses within the forest run by Orissa Tourism department which needs advance booking.
Tourist office, Baripada, Ph. 06792 - 52553, Fax 56705
Youth Hostel at Jashipur also provides accomodation for those visiting Simlipal Wildlife Sanctuary.
Contact Information:
Assistant Conservator of Forests, Jashipur Ph. 06797-2474.

Ranthambore National Park - Rajasthan

Ranthambore, the destination of wild life sanctuaries of India is famous for its different kind of birds and animals. It is also regarded as one of the tiger reserves of India. Watching tigvers in their natural habitat is the major tourist attraction of this place.

    Ranthambore National park is in the proximity of Sawai Madhopur village and to be more precise the village is the gate way of Ranthambore which is just 15 kms away. The National park is in the southeastern Rajasthan. Ranthambore was once the famous hunting grounds of the Rajas and Maharajas of Jaipur.

    Ranthambore national park is spread over 1334 sq dm and is along with the Mansingh Sanctuary and Kaila Devi Sanctuary. The National Park can also be considered as historical and heritage tourist site due to the ruins one can see all over the park. 

Best time to visit Ranthambore National Park: 
           The National park is open to visitors from 1st October to 30th June. The remaining time the park remains closed.

What to wear while visiting Ranthambore National Park?   
           As the National Park is in Rajasthan, which is the part of Thar Desert, the summers are extremely hot and winters are extremely cold. So one should be highly careful in selecting the cloth. The clothes during summer have to be very light and during winther thick enough to save from the chill breeze. Better carry a pair of loves and a muffler.

How to reach Ranthambore National Park? 
           The nearby Airports are at Jaipur and at Kota.      
           The nearby Railway stations are Delhi, Agra, Kota and Jaipur.
           Ranthambore National Park can be reached via road from Delhi via Dausa and from Jaipur via Tonk

Kuruva Island - Eco Tourist Paradise, Kerala

Kuruva Island or Kuruva Dweep is a group of seven islands on the banks of river Kabini and is one of the famous place in Wayanad Kerala. Kuruva Island is a vast island of green forest and is a peace and calm locality away from the busy city life. Kuruva Island is the largest island in India which is the best place for forest tour. Kuruva Island is also famous for eco-tourism and the visitors to this island can go for a nature walk. It is located at a distance of 45kms from Kalpetta and the entry fee into this island is Rs. 10 per person.

The total 950 acres of land mass definitely relaxes and rejenuvates the tourist. The local population in this island is very minimal and they become the local guide to take the visitors through the entire land mass. Rare species of plants and animals are preserved in their natural inhabitation in this island. River Rafting in Kuruva Island:

Though picnicing is banned in this island, one can enjoy the river rafting sport in Kuruva Island. Special bamboo made boats are available for the tourists to raft through the river kabini and the tourist authority of Kuruva island have to be contacted for this activity. Rs. 300 per head is charged for 3 hours and about 10 people can go in one rafting boat. Forest Trekking in Kuruva Island:     Those who are interested in trekking especially in forests can opt for forest trekking which costs about Rs. 800 for 5 people and Rs. 100 is charged additional for every additional person. The forest department arranges for a guide who takes the group along and they charge Rs. 100 for the guides.

The forest department also rents tree top hut within the island for the tourists and a maximum of 3 people can stay in those for a cost of Rs. 750 per night.

Ranthambore Wild Life National Park - Tiger Reserve

One of the biggest National Parks in North India is this Ranthambhore National Park (often misspelled as Ranthambore National Park). The park is a part of Project Tiger Reserve in the Sawai Madhopur district of Rajasthan. This is the area where the Aravalli Hill Ranges and Vindhya Plateau meet. One of the best places to see the Bengal Tigers in its deciduous natural habitat. The National park is bound by Chambal and Banas in south and north respectively. The entire region where this National Park is located had once been the hunting grounds for Jaipur Maharajas and so it have turned out to be a major tourist attraction.

About Ranthambore National Park
        Spread over 1,334 sq km the National park the entire park have huge number of Flora spread all over. One can find Banyan trees, Dhok and Pipal trees, Mango trees and ever green trees too. There are six man made lakes in the park and there are lots of perinnial streams flowing through the park. The park is considered to be the water shed for the surrounding areas. The National Park being the part of Vindhya Platueau and Aravalli hills have lots of rock formations, steep scarps and also Savannah desert region (as it is in Rajasthan).

Major Wildlife Attractions of Ranthambore National Park
         Ranthambore National Park is a major Tiger reserve of India and it have attracted lots of tourists and also wild life photographers. Though a tiger reserve, being a park, Ranthambore National park hosts 272 different varities of birds, 12 types of reptiles which include March Crocodiles and 30 different mammals. One can also spot Sambar, Chital, Nilgai, Gazzele, Boars, Mongoose, Indian Hare, Monitor Lizards and also a large number of birds.

Best Time to visit Ranthambore
         The best time to visit Ranthambore National Park is October-March (Winter) and April-June (Summer).

What to where to Ranthambore National Park
         The clothes that one should wear while visiting Ranthambore National Park depends upon the season one visits.

         The summer is quite hot (as it is close to the Thar Desert of India) so one can expect a temperature of about 35 to 47 degrees and so it is best to carry light T. Shirts and other summer clothes along with a cap and glasses.

         The winter is just the opposite as summer and freezing cold. The days are pleasant, but evenings and night are very chilly and it is better to carry thick and heavy winter clothes. Though the morning ride in jeep is liked by many tourists, doing this in winter one have to wear lots of thick clothes and cover them with muffler and gloves for hand.

Entry and Exit timings of Ranthambore National Park
   1. 6.00am to 9.00am and 3.00pm to 6.00pm in the months of October - March
   2. 6.30am to 9.30am and 3.30pm to 6.00pm in the months of April - June.

Safari Timings in Ranthambore National Park
S.No.        Month                                    Morning Trip                      Evening Trip
1        1st October to 31st October      7.00 A.M. to 10.30 A.M.   2.30 P.M. to 6.00 P.M.
2        1st November to 31st January   7.00 A.M. to 10.30 A.M.   2.00 P.M. to 5.30 P.M.
3        1st February to 31st March       6.30 A.M. to 10.00 A.M.   2.30 P.M. to 6.00 P.M.
4        1st April to 15th May                6.00 A.M. to 9.30 A.M.    3.00 P.M. to 6.30 P.M.
5        15th May to 30th June               6.00 A.M. to 9.30 A.M.    3.30 P.M. to 7.00 P.M.

How to reach Ranthambore National Park
By AirThe nearest Airport is in Jaipur which is about 140 kms from Ranthambhore National Park.
By RailSawai Madhopur station is in a distance of 11 kms from Ranthambhore National Park.
By RoadSawai Madhopur district is connected by road with all the districts of Rajasthan and there are well laid roads leading to the National Park.    

Accomodation in Ranthambore:
Oberai Vanyavilas
Hotel Ankur Resort

Wayanad - Rain Forest Reserve

Home for two major wildlife reserves Mathunga and Tholpetty, this Wayanad Rain Forest Reserve is in the Nilgiri Biosphere Region. This reserve forest connects Bandipur National Park in Karnataka and Mudumalai Sanctuary ihe n Tamilnadu. These two wild life sanctuaries of Wayanad are best locations for wild life lovers.

Muthanga Sanctuary:
     A wild life sanctuary that is famous for its tigers, elephants and green deciduous forests is this Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary in Wayanad. Muthanga sanctuary is a part of Nilgiri biosphere region and is located in the north Kerala at a distance of 18 kms in the east of Sultan Bathery.

Tholpetty Sanctuary:
          A part of Waynad Wildlife Sanctuary this is connected with Mathunga and Nagarhole. The reserve is covered by mountain ranges on all the four sides. and they are rich in flora and fauna. The most exciting thing to do in this forest reserve is the night camping. It is a great thrilling experience to watch the animals drink water from the watch tower, situated just near the lake.