Travelogue - Bandipur

Introduction – Bandipur National Park is 80 kms south of Mysore, near the Karnataka border with Tamil Nadu. It is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve stretching across the three states of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The park has an area of 872 sq km and was one of the original Tiger Reserves designated in 1972 under the aegis of the Project Tiger. It was also infamously inhabited by Veerappan during the 90’s.

Why go there?
Bandipur is a forest area inhabited by teeming numbers of spotted deer, bison, tigers, leopards, elephants, jackals, Indian wild dogs, sloth bears and birds like peacocks, serpent eagles. It is one of the better managed national parks in the country with a healthy population of tigers (about 80). The government and private resorts organize jeep and bus safaris into the heart of the jungles. They drive on mud tracks meandering across an area of 40 sq km. That’s just about the one and only reason for wishing to visit Bandipur.

When to go there?
My visit was in August when there were sporadic rains. Given my smattering knowledge about wildlife, I believe, the best time to visit would be the dry season when sightings would be relatively easy. Having said that, it really is an all year round destination.

How to go there?
This was my first ever road trip, so that way it’s special. The best way to reach Bandipur is a self drive or hired cab option. There are state government buses which got to Bandipur, so if you cannot afford the car on the road option then these buses are definitely feasible. The route from Bangalore is as follows –
Bangalore-Bidadi-Ramnagaram-Channapatna-Mandya-Srirangapatna-Mysore-Nanjangud-Gundulpet-Bandipur. There is an alternate route to reach Mysore which goes through Kanakapura. The distance from Bangalore to Bandipur is about 220 kms. Mysore is the midway point, where one can take a break. If you are unfamiliar with Mysore, then the safest option is to drive through straight and you would get out. Avoid taking the ring road, it’s easily 10-15 kms longer, roundabout route and you might get lost. Cutting straight through the city is easy; just ask for directions to the airport. The Mysore airport is en route to Nanjangud on SH 212, Bangalore Calicut highway. The first town will be Nanjangud. Sail straight through. After you arrive at Gundulpet, keep heading straight and you will arrive at a right turn which goes to Calicut via Wayanad. People wishing to reach Wayanad should take this turn. Now this is important. Both roads cut through the Bandipur forests. So, make sure where your resort is located, i.e. on which road? Ours was not on this Calicut road, so we ignored this right turn and headed straight. The Bandipur National Park entrance gate, from where the forest limits begin, is about 19 kms from Gundulpet. This road cuts right through the forest and offers an amazing chance to see herd of deer, bison and even the occasional pachyderm crossing the road. The road goes to Ooty, and during day time private vehicles are allowed to cross the forests. So people driving to Ooty would love this stretch of road through dense forest, with an almost guarantee of spotting wildlife.

How many days/nights should one plan for?
There is nothing much there to do other than the jungle safaris and morning nature walks. So a 1N/2D or a weekend getaway is perfect. However, if you desire to spot a tiger its best you give yourself a couple of forays into the forest. As a thumb rule, in a week tiger spotting occurs on 2-3 occasions. Accordingly maybe a 2N/3D could be more appropriate. Anything beyond that, to my view, is stretching it a tad too much and not value adding.

What is the ideal budget?
Staying options range from the basic dorm beds cost a couple of hundred to luxurious villas for Rs 10K. Good thing is they offer all inclusive packages – boarding, food, jeep safari, nature walk so there are no extra overheads. Bandipur being 220 kms, petrol expenses would come to ~2K even if you consider a conservative 15 km/liter mileage. All in all, a weekend getaway to Bandipur can be wrapped up in less than 10K. Pretty neat.