A Haven For Wild Life- Bandipur National Park, Karnataka, India

Gundlupet-  in the Nilgiris is a name associated with the wild life is the apt setting for endangered species of wild life in South India.  The wild life Safari park is located on the Deccan plateau abutting the Western Ghats and thus offers a perfect gateway for tourist to enjoy the beauty of watching nature at its very best. The original tiger reserve was a small piece of dense forest vegetation set up by the Maharaja of Mysore, nearly a century ago and named it Venugopala Wild Life Park. It was only after 1973, when project tiger was envisaged that the name got associated as a tiger reserve.

As the clock strikes 4 in the afternoon, the wild life reserve comes to life literally!  Tourists, from all parts of India converge at the park entrance board the forest department vehicles to embark into a journey that will take them deep in to the forest. As the sun’s shines through the thick foliage and the shadows get longer, nature calls get louder. The forest transforms into a symphony of different bird and animal calls, indicating it is time to retire for the day. It is at this time that the forest greets visitors with a loud trumpet, of the elephant or with peacocks perched on tall trees giving out their calls, or from a neighbouring tree, chattering macaques continuously chattering away, warning the other forest inmates with a warning alarm call should they spot a lurking tiger, Black Panther, or a leopard. The sound of the forest floor has a range of other noises too of that of a low moo of the gaur, or the call of a cuckoo or the pecking sound of a streak throated wood packer. All the sounds so generated bring the forest back to life.

The mood in the forest also transforms within an hour of the safari journey. With a pleasant breeze blowing around the wind makes the air nippy making the moment even more salubrious, interspersed with a warning call from nature it is an invitation for a serendipitous encounter with the top three animals of the forest which are the leopard, black panther or the elusive tiger which are known to emerge from the thicket and vanish amongst the vegetation.  A keen eye along with the briefing from the naturalist present in the safari enhances the sighting of these animals. Of course, the deer and elephants are more commonly found. The Indian bison, or the gaur and more commonly found near the forest sky line where the vegetation is best suited for its survival.

Where to stay in Bandipur?

Bandipur is a tourist’s paradise. It caters to every strata of travellers from the back packers to the very sophisticated high end travellers. Little wonder there are places to meet every need. To name a few of the stays there are the Wind flower Tusker trails, The Serai , and for the budget conscious, the MC Resorts fits the bill. The Government owned Jungle Lodges is also worthy of an experience.

How to reach?

Good road connectivity exists from Bangalore and Mysore which is on the Ooty highway. By road it is 220 Kms from Bangalore. The nearest railhead is Mysore, some 75 Kms. away.

How to book?

Skyway International Travels is a bespoke travel company which has standard packages or can tailor make packages to suit individual choice. They have offices both in Bangalore and Mysore and can arrange packages with a focus on customer satisfaction. Talk to Manu on 98451 18222 the man behind the scene who will tailor the package and keep customers delighted with lot of stories.