Bandipur National Park – UNESCO World Heritage Site

Bandipur is a renowned National Park located in Karnataka in the district of Charajnagar, in the southern India. The Bandipur Park covers an area of about 865 square kilometers, and was declared as a National Park in the year 1974. It is one amongst the nine tiger reserves in India.

The Bandipur Tiger Reserve boasts of housing almost 70 tigers and more than 300 Asian elephants, and Leopards and Bears. The park along with the adjoining Nagarhole National Park, Mudumalai National Park, and the wildlife sanctuary of Wynad, forms the largest protected tiger reserve in southern India. The park is a part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. The UNESCO World Heritage Committee is considering making the area covering the Bandipur Wildlife sanctuary and the Western Ghats, along with the Niligiri Sub Cluster into a World Heritage Site. Bandipur is considered to be one of the most beautiful wildlife sanctuaries in the country.

The Bandipur Park has a rich flora reserve comprising of deciduous forests, evergreen vegetations and bits of scrubland too. Teak, Rosewood, Satinwood, Indigoberry, Indian gooseberry, Axlewood, Black Myrobalan, and Flame of the Forest are some of the common trees and shrubs found here.

The Fauna mainly comprises of Elephants, and Predator animal like the Tiger, Leopards, Dhole, Hyena, Sloth Bear, and Chevrotain etc. There are also prey animals like the Guar, Chital, Barking Deer, Four Horned Antelope, and Sambhar, who survive on mainly gazing.

The Bandipur Tiger reserve is also well known for its rich avian population. There are abundant of Peafowl, Jungle Fowl, Red Spur Fowl, Ducks, Herons, Serpent Eagles, Woodpeckars and Hornbills are among other popular species residing here.

The Bandipur National Park has a climate that is pre dominantly warm and comfortable round the year. Temperatures here range from about 24 degrees to 28 degrees centigrade. The winters here have a brief appearance - from the month of October until January. The monsoon season however is marked by unexpected rains which are overwhelmingly heavy; this season lasts from June to September.

Owing to fine weather conditions almost throughout the year, the Bandipur Park can be visited anytime but the months from April to October are ideal months for a trip round this park oozing with life. For the elephant lovers the rainy season is however the best time to visit. The Bandipur National Park is well connected by rail road and air. The closest airport is the Bangalore airport, and Nanjangud being the nearest railway station.