Bannerghatta
National Park project established in 1971
comprises the national park, the safari park
with an herbivore safari and a lion safari,
picnic corner, crocodile farm, serpentarium,
pet's corner, and a museum besides a park of
pre-historic animals.
Teeming with exotic species of wildlife, the
park boasts of astonishing variety of trees
like sandal, jalari, chujjullu, neem, tamarind
and zizyphus amongst others. The park spans
104 sq. kms, which includes ten reserve
forests of Anekal Range of the Bangalore
Forest Division. It is surrounded by scenic
hills, with many ancient temples perched on
them.
A trip to Bannerghatta National Park promises
to be a memorable experience, for nature,
history, botany and wildlife buffs.
Location
The national park is situated at
convenient distances from the important cities
of the State. By road it is at 226 km from
Bangalore via Mysore, Nanjangud and 86 km from
Mysore via by road.
Situated at an altitude of 3375 ft. above sea
level the sanctuary is spread over 525 sq.km,
interspersed with valleys, streams and scenic
spots.
Encounters
The principal inhabitants of the national
park are elephants, which migrate from
Kollegal and nearby Tamil Nadu territory,
for the major part of the year. The abundant
bamboo growth provides fodder for these
magnificent animals.
Some of the other inhabitants of the park
include wild pigs, panthers, bears, sambar,
spotted deer and the black buck. Huge
monitor lizards as well as cobras, pythons,
kraits and Russell vipers roam the park. The
avian population comprises pelicans,
cormorants, painted storks, white ibis and
spoonbills among others.
Access
The nearest city, air and rail head is
Bangalore, 22 kms from Bannerghatta (one
kilometre from the park itself). Government
buses ply between Bangalore and Bannerghatta.
The Forest Department has arranged for mini
buses and vans to take visitors around the
lion safari
Comfortable Stay
-
To take on the rough side
there are furnished twin bed tents, with
attached modern toilet facilities, lit by
hurricane lamps.
-
Furnished ethnic huts on
stilts, with attached modern toilet
facilities, lit by hurricane lamps.
-
Furnished rooms at the
Maharaja's Bungalow with electricity.
Time management
Professional angling.
- Amateur fishing.
- Coracle boat rides.
- Bird watching.
- River rafting.
- Trekking.
- Outdoor camping
The beautiful Suvarnamukhi
stream running through the park, originates in
the Suvarnamukhi hills. These hills spread out
to a huge rock, about a kilometre long. At the
foot of the rock is the famous Champaka Dhama
Swamy temple, built in the Dravidian style of
architecture, belonging to the Hoysala age.
The temple enshrines an image of Vishnu with
his consorts Sridevi and Bhudevi. The
Suvarnamukhi hill also houses a small shrine
dedicated to Narasimha, and two kms away is
the Suvarnamukhi pond, the waters of which are
believed to have curative powers.
On the prowl
Open jeep safaris, elephant rides and
savoring the place on foot.
Food fun
Delicious Indian cuisine
Vegetarian and non-vegetarian
Served at Gazebo, locally known as Gol Ghar
When to go
The place is open throughout the year.
Best time to sight wild : November - June.
When forests are lush green : July - October.
Contact
ACF, Bannerghatta National Park, Bangalore-83
