Part of the lushly-forested Deccan Plateau, Bandipur, in Karnataka, offers a rich and varied wildlife habitat. It is a part of a larger national park, which also includes the neighbouring wildlife sanctuaries, of Mudumalai in Tamil Nadu and Wynad in Kerala. This sanctuary is one of the 15 sanctuaries selected across India for Project Tiger, a scheme launched in 1973, by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature, to save the tiger and its habitat. Located on the highway connecting Mysore and Ooty, at the foothills of the western Ghats, Bandipur is truly a common man's getaway.

The terrain is undulating and broken by chain of hills, hillocks and watercourses. The annual temperature varies from 21° C to 33° C, the maximum being in June. The habitat comprises of scrubs, tropical dry deciduous forests and moist mixed deciduous forests. The fauna comprises of langur, bonnet macaque, tiger, leopard, wild dog, jungle cat, sloth bear, striped hyena, jackal, elephant, mouse deer, muntjac, spotted deer, gaur, etc. The reptiles include mugger crocodile and python. The presence of about 180 species of birds is recorded.

The park has good facilities for viewing wildlife, which include gaur, elephant, sambar, chital and even the occasional tiger or leopard. 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 Malabar trogan, the Malabar pied hornbill, the great black woodpecker, the Indian pitta and the green imperial pigeon are part of its avian variety.

Time to visit
It is warm for most part of the year in this area. During the months of October to March, the weather is cool and pleasant. The ideal time for viewing the wildlife, is during May and June, and again from September to November.

How To Reach
The nearest town is Gundulpet, 20 kilometres away.
The nearest railhead is at Nanjangud, 55 kilometres away.
The nearest airport is 80 kilometres away, at Mysore. The best way to visit this sanctuary, would be to make a day trip from Mysore.