India Wildlife: Nagarhole Tiger Reserve

Also known as the Rajiv Gandhi National Park, the Nagarhole Wildlife Sanctaury and National Park, located in Coorg, about a hundred kilometres from Mysore, is home to a variety of wildlife - the highly endangered Bengal Tiger and Asiatic Elephant, wild dog or dhole, leopard, sloth bear, spotted deer or chital, sambar, wild boar and more, as well as a rich and varied bird life.

Nagarhole : The Snake River

Covering an area of around 650 square kilometres of primarily moist and dry deciduous forests as well as teak and rosewood, the sanctuary gets its name from the winding river that courses through the sanctuary.

Healthy Predator Prey Ratio

According to wildlife biologist and author Ullas Karanth of the Wildlife Conservation Society, Nagarhole has one of the healthiest populations of prey to predators, and it is not uncommon for a visitor to hear that a tiger had sauntered across the road near the reception late in the night. Lucky visitors to the sanctuary sometimes see tiger on the early morning or evening van ride around the sanctuary.

High Visibility of Endangered Wildlife

With wide clearings along the sides of the roads and periodic fire-lanes, a major attraction of Nagarhole is that even a casual day visitor is able to see a fair variety of wildlife; wild boar, chital or spotted deer, barking deer, sambar, gaur, peacock, jungle fowl and other bird life.

Wildlife Watching in the Forest

The best way to see as much wildlife as possible, quickly, is to take the forest van ride that is offered to visitors every morning and evening. Serious wildlifers should make sure they are on the first ride, since people on the first vehicle into the forest have better chances of seeing the shyer creatures. Vehicles from resorts nearby also take visitors into the forest in jeeps. Trekking is allowed along certain routes, with a forest guide and with prior permission from the Wildlife Department.

Accommodation at Nagarhole

If experiencing wildlife is a higher priority than creature comfort, then the best option would be to stay in the Karnataka Tourism Forest Department cottages at Nagarhole. These are located at the entrance to the sanctuary and are great for wildlife viewing. There are also private resorts a little further away that take visitors into the jungle.

Duration of Stay

For a serious visitor, it would need at least two or three days to be able to see even some of what Nagarhole has to offer, in terms of flora and fauna. Visitors from Mysore would be advised to spend at least a night in the sanctuary, as the road is rough and travel takes time. Of course, there are also some who stay for weeks.

Nagarhole National Park

Waterhole at National Park

Camp Elephant at Nagarhole

Chittal or Spotted Deer

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