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.

List of Endagered Species in India

Royal Bengal Tiger
Asiatic Lion
Asiatic Black Bear
Desert Cat
Great Indian Rhinoceros
Indian Elephant or Asian Elephant
Blue Whale
Capped Leaf Monkey
Fin Whale
Ganges River Dolphin
Indus River Dolphin
Red Panda
Snow Leopard
Jenkin's Shrew
Malabar Large Spotted Civet
Namdapha Flying Squirrel
Pygmy Hog
Salim Ali's Fruit Bat
Sumatran Rhinoceros
Wroughton's Free Tailed Bat

Shenbagathoppu Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary

Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary - Shenbagathoppu is about 8 km west of Srivilliputhur. This sanctuary is the home of the endangered species of Grizzled giant squirrel. The wild life sanctuary is spread in about 480kms and was established in Srivilliputhur. On the south-west of this forest lies the Periyar Tiger Reserve and on the north-west lies the Megamalai Reserve forest. This place is a shelter for many tribal communities too.

This is a good trekking site in south India. As the place can be reached only two wheeler or cycle alone this happens to be a best cycling zone too. There are lots of waterfalls enroute and one can enjoy taking bath in them. People from Srivilliputhur, Rajapalayam and Sivakasi visit Shenbagathoppu regularly. Meenvetti Parai falls is very famous place enroute to visit during winter and rainy seasons.

One can find the forests of Shenbagathoppu in the eastern side of Western Ghats. One can find a lot of rare species of plants and animals. 

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

Viralimalai - The Peacock Sanctuary in Tamilnadu

Want to enjoy the dance of Peacock in its natural habitat, then the best place to visit is Viralimalai. It is a green paradise where the peacocks dance to the nature's tunes.

 Viralimalai is situated at 30kms from Tiruchirapalli. Viralimalai is famous for its Peacock sanctuary and Shanmuganathar temple on top of the granite hill. Viralimalai is abundant with peacocks, National Animal of India. Peacocks can be seen in the natural hillocks of Viralimalai. Viralimalai is famous for its Kuravanji dance drama.

The Viralimalai sancturary have atleast 6 different species of peacocks. The peacocks roam here very freely in its natural habitat.

How to reach:
     Viralimalai can be reached from Tiruchirapalli and Pudukottai via road. Regular busses are plyed from these places.

Best time to visit
      October to April