Bandipur, located in Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka state, is a popular place for its Bandipur National Park. Some 80 kilometres away from Mysore, the Bandipur National Park was- set up in 1973 as a tiger reserve under Project Tiger- attracts nature lovers for its wide variety of flora and fauna.
Apart from sheltering many species of India's endangered wildlife, Bandipur National Park is adjoined by Nagarhole National Park (643 km2 ), Mudumalai National Park (320 km2 ) and Wynad Wildlife Sanctuary (344 km2 ) to make the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve- south India's largest protected area.
The Bandipur Forest Reserve attracts nature enthusiasts for being the biggest Indian tiger reserves with a tiger population of 70. Spread roughly over 900 square kilometres and situated on the banks of the Kabini River, the Bandipur forest area houses a wide variety of wild animals like the panther, deer, bison, jackal, wild elephants, wild boar etc.
Bird lovers enjoy their stay by staring at rare birds here that include robins, jungle fowl, partridges, peacocks, peahens, and pigeons etc. The area is full of different variety of reptiles, lizards and chameleons, major of them include King Cobras, Vipers, Adders, and Rat Snakes. Enjoying an early-morning or dusk safari in the forest and visiting the Gopalaswamy Beta temple and the Kabini dam are some other activities in Bandipur.
Bangalore or Bengaluru International Airport is the nearest airport at a distance of 215 km which connects Bandipur to rest of India and world.
By Rail
Mysore is the nearest railway station at a distance of 80 km to reach Bandipur National Park.
By Road
Bandipur is well connected by road to many major cities and towns of Karnataka.