Location: Karnataka
Area Covered: 64300 hectares

About the National Park

Nagarhole National Park is a captivating park of 247 square mile, located in Karnataka. Nagarhole National Park’s name has been derived by combining two words of Kannada which are ‘Nagar’ and ‘Hole’. ‘Nagar’ means snake and ‘hole’ means steams. A few streams also called as serpentine streams branch through the park’s rich tropical forests. This national park was established in the year of 1955. But in the year 1975, the area of the park was enlarged to constitute a greater area of the forest reserve. This park, originally being a forest was a hunting ground for the Mysore’s erstwhile maharajas. Recently, the park has been renamed after the late India’s Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi as Rajiv Gandhi National Park.

This national park is amongst the best wildlife parks of India. It has a huge population of bison and elephants. It also houses a diverse range of animal species and also about 250 bird species. On its southern peripheries is located the Bandipur National Park and on its northern boundaries is the river, Kabini. The Kabini River’s dam and its beautiful reservoir separate the two national parks.

The landscape of this national park consists of shallow valleys and gentle slopes. Dry deciduous trees in the forest do not have any leaves in summers instead of winters. There are grassy swamplands which have clayey soil which is perennially moist and also supports a lush growth of grass all the year around.

Fauna

The national park is abundant with plenty of wildlife which consists of large mammals like leopard, tiger, wild elephant, gaur (Indian bison) and dhole (Indian wild dog). Other species available comprise of muntjac (barking deer), chital spotted deer, four horned antelope, mouse deer, sloth bear, wild boar, mongoose, hyena, otter, civet and many more.

Best Time to Visit
October to May particularly from April to May.

How to Reach

Air: The nearest international airport is located at Bangalore which is at a distance of 220 km.
Rail: The nearest railway junction which is quite well connected is at Mysore.
Road: The national Park is linked to the Karnataka’s adjoining areas and also with other parts of the country.

Accommodation
There are two rest houses offered by the forest department. There are other facilities for accommodation available as well.
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