|
In
Karnataka, the two attractive wildlife parks of Nagarhole and
Bandipur,
though separate entities, are part of a larger contiguous wildlife
reserve that includes the Mudumalai Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu and the
Wynad Reserve in Kerala. Both the parks are easily accessible from
Mysore
.
The
874.20 sq. km. Bandipur National Park, which is also a Tiger Reserve,
with its open grassy woodland, lies to the south of the Kabini River
while Nagarhole, 643.39 sq. km. in area, to the north of the river,
has taller and denser forests. A dam on the Kabini and its picturesque
reservoir separate the two parks. In the dense moist deciduous forests
of this area the upper canopy reaches heights of 30m and valuable
hardwoods like teak and rosewood are also to be found here.
Bandipur,
lying in the shadow of the
Western Ghats
, is one of the finest habitats of the Asian elephant. Drained by the
Moyar
River
, its open forest makes it easy for visitors to see the elephant and
gaur in natural surroundings.
At
Nagarhole, too, there are excellent facilities for viewing wildlife
and large groups of gaur, elephant, sambar, chital and even the
occasional tiger or leopards are seen. Among other mammals are the
muntjac, the tiny mouse deer, wild boar, pangolin, giant squirrel,
slender loris, langurs and macaques. The Park has about 250 species of
birds and the Malabar trogan, the Malabar pied hornbill, the great
black woodpecker, the Indian pitta and the green imperial pigeon are
part of its avian variety. Lesser cats like the jungle cat; leopard
cat and rusty spotted cat are also resident species.
|
|
| Accommodation |
Kabini
River
Lodge with excellent facilities |
| Nearest
Town |
Kutta ( 7 km),
Mysore
( 80 km) |
| Species
found |
Elephant, tiger,
panther, chital, sambar, sloth bear, |
|
partridge etc. |
|