The Nagarhole National Park shares its huge boundary with the famous Bandipur National Park in Karanataka including the Mudumalai Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu and the Wayanad Reserve in Kerala; making it one of the largest wildlife sanctuaries in India. The gushing Kabini river creates a natural barrier between the two wildlife sanctuaries - Bandipur and Nagarhole - in Karnataka. Home to the jungle king, the Tiger and around 250 exclusive bird species, the Nagarhole National Park in Kerala covers about 643 kms of area.
The Nagarhole national park is the sole habitat of several endangered wildlife species. The root word of Nagarhole is the word `Naga', a Kannada word, which means `snake' and `Hole' that means `streams'. The term indicates towards the natural streams criss crossing the rich tropical forests of Nagarhole similar to a snake. The other three important rivers that drain the Nagarhole National Park include Lakshmana, Teentha and Nagarhole.
The Nagarhole National Park bordering the state of Kerala was designated as a game sanctuary in 1955. In 1974, it was merged with the Mysore forests within the Nagarhole Wildlife Sanctuary. The deep valleys and the picturesque landscapes make it a picture perfect tourist destination. The most distinguishing feature of this National Park is the numerous open grassy swamps called 'hadlus' in the local language. The dry as well as the moist deciduous forests mainly having teak and eucalyptus trees cover the whole of the wildlife sanctuary.
The wildlife species commonly seen in the national park include: tiger, leopard, elephant, sambhar, chital, panther, sloth bear, gaur and other mammals like giant squirrel, slender loris, langurs, wild boar, muntjac, the tiny mouse deer, pangolin and macaques. The easily visible birds out of the 250 bird species include the Indian Pitta, Green Imperial Pigeon, the Malabar pied hornbill, Malabar Trogan and the great black woodpecker. The jungle cat, leopard cat and rusty spotted cat are also the other wildlife species found within the national park.
The tourists can also enjoy the jeep safari or wildlife safari in the vans operated by the forest department within the Nagarhole National Park. The veteran guides have to accompany the visitors compulsorily while their park tour. One can also have a close view of the wildlife from the observation towers in the park. The best time to visit the national park is from October to April.
How To Reach Nagarhole National Park
By Air: The nearest airports from the national park are Mysore and Bangalore. The tourists can board a flight to their desired destination from these airports.
By Road: Nagarhole National Park is well connected with the major towns like Madikeri (93 km), Mysore (96 km) and Bangalore (236 km) by road. The tourists can board a flight or a train from any of these towns and cities.
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