Bannerghatta National Park

Location :Bangalore, Karnataka
Coverage area : 25,000 acres
Main attraction : elephants, Asiatic Lion, Royal Bengal Tiger
Best time to visit :September to January
Nearby excursions : Uddigebande, Hajjamana Kallu, Mirza Hill
Nearby cities :Bengaluru

Bannerghatta National Park is located in the Bengaluru district of the state of Karnataka. If you are one of those people who loves animals in their natural habitat, this place is definitely one of the finest holiday destinations. The park has a hilly terrain of granite sheets covered under the moist deciduous forest valleys which was opened to highlight the conservation of wildlife and promotion of wildlife tourism even within the urban population of Bangalore.

Located at a distance of 22 km south of Bangalore, the Park is spread over 25,000 acres. Established in 1971, today it is hailed as one of the most famous and prominent of all national parks in India. This man-made park is now the growing habitat to several

species of birds and animals and it attracts children and adults alike who enjoys a dayout with the varied wildlife.

Boasting of an exquisite variety of flora and fauna, the park encompasses ten reserve forests of the Anekal Range under the Bangalore Forest Division.The biggest of its kind, this National Park has openedup scopes for India?s first Lion and Tiger Safari. It also houses a zoo, conservatories, and a museum.

Bannerghatta National Park is getting all the way popular as it provides a serene retreat to nature and helps us relive the callous lifestyles. The Bannerghatta Wildlife Nature Camp has even got facilities for off-sites, meetings and seminars where it can accommodate 30 people in the conference hall.

Climatic conditions

The weather is moderate all the year round. The temperature is between 20-32?C. There is hardly any extreme weather condition and it's best to wear cotton clothes for a comfortable day out. The average rainfall is recorded to be about 700mm annually.

Best time to visitBannerghatta National Park

The climate in Karnataka is reasonably good almost all through the year. But the heavy monsoons can create havoc of your trip if you visit during the months of July- August. September to January is slotted as the ideal time to plan a visit the Bannerghatta Biological Park. For those who love the outdoors and the thrills, the best time to visit the Park is in the first week of October which is the Wildlife Week. During this time, Karnataka state forest department organizes wonderful nature programs in tandem with nature clubs and organizations.

The morning hours, that is by nine-ish, when the park opens is the best time to reach here to avoid the long queues and also gives you the perfect time to spend a comfortable 4-5 hours.

Animals that inhabit the sanctuary

The assorted collection of wildlife here includes elephants, Asiatic Lion, Royal Bengal Tiger, wild boar, sloth bear, leopards, jackal, fox, India gazelle, spotted deer, porcupine, monitor lizard and cobras. The park authorities have divided the park into separate sections for the carnivores and the herbivores. The national park is an important corridor for elephants which migrate between the Western and the Eastern Ghats.

Variety of birds like cormorants, grey heron, paradise flycatcher, white ibis, little green heron,Tickell's Blue Flycatcher, Common Grey Hornbill, Spotted Owlet, Collared Scop's owl, White bellied Drong, Mottled Wood Owl, Eurasian Eagle owl and Brown Fish owl can be spotted in the Park.

The flora

Mainly three different types of vegetation is observed in the park - Southern Tropical dry deciduous forests, dry deciduous scrub forest and Southern tropical moist mixed forests. The main evergreen trees include eucalyptus, sandalwood, tamarind, neem, bamboo and more.

Distance of Bannerghatta National Park from major cities:

Delhi, 2224 km
Mumbai, 1003.9 km
Kolkata, 1906.7 km
Chennai, 346 km
Hyderabad, 611.3 km

How to reach the National park ?

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Airways

The nearest airport is in Bangalore which is about 22 kms away from the place.

Railways

Bangalore railway station is the closest to the National Park. It can be then reached by taxis or buses.

Roadways

The Kempegowda BMTC bus (bus no.365 or 365J) directly goes to the Bannerghatta national park.About 22 km from Bengaluru, the park can be reached by other means of road transport easily. The travel time is nearly an hour.

Accommodation facilities

Being one of the most loved travel destinations as a weekend getaway, there are a number of resorts and hotels are available near the Bannerghatta Park. Some of these include Radiant Resort, Bannerghatta Nature Camp, Jungle Lodges, Tulips Resort, Quality Inn, and Resorts and Sri Sai suites. They have the basic amenities and offer a serene stay. These days there are facilities to book for Airbnb stays as well.

Things to do

The Park is open on all days except Tuesdays from 930 am to 5pm.

Divided into different non-conflicting animal territories, the National Park has an exciting Safari that gives a true feel of the nature. The following are the types of safaris available:

Herbivore Safari: as the name suggests, it houses herbivorous animals like Elephants, Deer, Sambar, Neelgai Black Buck etc.
Bear Safari: in this, the tourists can experience many big bears passing by the vehicle.
Lion Safari: undoubtedly the most loved safari of the place, this is where you will experience the king of the jungle roaming freely and passing just a few feet away from the vehicle you are in.
Tiger Safari: the safari includes the chance where apart from the big agile Tigers; you will also see the rare 'White Tigers'

Butterfly park situated within Bannerghatta Biological Park is reckoned as a must visit. On the 25th of November, 2006, India's first butterfly enclosure was inaugurated which covers an area of 7.5 acres. It also has a museum, conservatory and an audiovisual room. The conservatory is so made that it can house about twenty species of butterflies and is equipped with its own artificial ecosystem which provides the perfect conditions for these winged insects to thrive and flourish.

The park also has a dedicated elephant sanctuary. Ideated and designed by elephant expert Carol Buckley, it comes with a fenced enclosure where elephants roam about freely without any restrictions. It is sprawled over an area of 122 acres where visitors can interact with them without causing any harm.

All adrenaline junkies find Bannerghatta National Park is the perfect destination for weekend fix. For all the trekkers, the main attraction are the beautiful trails that crosses the place. Uddigebande which is located at a distance 3.5 km, a natural rock formation called HajjamanaKallu which is 3 km away and Mirza Hill about 1.5 km away makes the entire trek a fun thing to pursue.

Apart from the enthralling experience with the flora and fauna, you can admire the rocks, the hillocks, the waterfalls, along with the lush green trees and the fact that the animals roaming around freely adds to the char of the trip.