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Bandipur National Park

Karnataka

Bandipur National Park, designated as a tiger reserve in 1974 under Project Tiger, is located in the Indian state of Karnataka, which holds the second-largest population of tigers in the country. These forests are contiguous with Nagarhole, Wayanad, and Mudumalai Tiger Reserves, collectively offering a secure habitat for numerous species—most notably the Indian Elephant and the Royal Bengal Tiger.

Once the private hunting grounds of the Maharajas of Mysore, this landscape now forms part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve—one of India’s notable conservation achievements.

Bandipur features a range of biomes, including dry deciduous forests, moist deciduous forests, and shrublands. This ecological variety sustains a rich diversity of wildlife. The park is bordered by the Kabini River to the north and the Moyar River to the south.

Best Time to Go

October – April

Flights

Bangalore (BLR)

Avg. Climate

11°C – 30°C

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About Bandipur national Park

The openness of Bandipur National Park allows for large herds of Elephants and remains one of the final refuges of the Indian Wild Dog—highly intelligent pack hunters of the Indian forest. Though the Kabini River separates Bandipur from Nagarhole, wildlife is able to move freely between the two parks when water levels drop.

The elusive Black (melanistic) Leopard has been sighted in Bandipur on several occasions, with experts believing that multiple individuals inhabit the park. It is, therefore, fair to say that no tiger safari in India is truly complete without experiencing the wonders of Bandipur National Park.

Geographical Details

Altitude: 680m to 1454m above mean sea level

Vegetation: Dry deciduous

Water Resources: Kabini (north), Moyar (south), Nugu (through the park)

Core Area: 872.24 sq km

Buffer Area: 118.279 sq.km

Coordinates: 110 35’ 34” to 110 760 12’ 17” and 760 51’ 32”

Rainfall: 2439 mm

Temperature: Min: 11 C ; Max: 30 C

Bandipur Tiger Reserve Tours

Special Interest Tours

Rated 5 out of 5
06 Nights/07 Days

Birding Tours

Rated 5 out of 5
13 Nights/14 Days

Special Interest Tours

Rated 5 out of 5
23 Nights/24 Days

Popular Fauna at Bandipur National Park

Tiger - Bandipur Species
Royal Bengal Tiger

His majesty, the national animal of India. The Royal Bengal Tiger is considered by many naturalists as one of the most powerful apex predators. You catch a glimpse of this big cat in action at the Bandipur National Park.

Black leopard - Bandipur Species
Black Leopard

A black panther is the melanistic colour variant of the leopard (Panthera pardus) and the jaguar (Panthera onca). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical rosettes are also present.

Elephant - Bandipur Species
Asian Elephant

It is the largest land mammal on the Asian continent. They inhabit dry to wet forest and grassland habitats in 13 range countries spanning Southeast Asia. Asian elephants have adapted to surviving on resources that vary based on the area.

Safaris at Bandipur National Park

Jeep Safari: A jeep safari offers a personalised and immersive wildlife experience, allowing visitors to explore the park’s diverse terrain and spot tigers, elephants, and other wildlife. Conducted twice daily — in the morning and evening — jeep safaris are ideal for photographers and wildlife enthusiasts seeking close encounters.

Canter Safari: A canter safari offers a comfortable and semi-open vehicle experience, ideal for groups looking for a more spacious and relaxed safari. It covers popular zones of the park, enhancing the chances of spotting diverse wildlife.

Elephant Safari: A unique and traditional safari, the elephant safari offers a closer view of wildlife from an elevated vantage point. It allows visitors to traverse areas that are inaccessible to vehicles, providing an unparalleled experience of Bandipur’s wilderness.

Accommodations at Bandipur

red earth resort cottage
Red Earth Kabini
pool reserve private
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Guest Testimonials

Our efforts have time and again been recognized by all our guests on TripAdvisor. With reviews that are 100% genuine, you can read them here or head on to our official TripAdvisor page to browse through in detail.

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Manique G
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Seamless Experience Nature Safari India arranged our safari to Kanha and Pench Tiger Parks in April 2026. My husband and I did not have to worry about anything everything was seamless and professional. Abishek was contactable and responded to queries promplty. Choice of accommodation was very good. Special mention of our naturalist in Kanha Mahesh who ensured that we had the best views of the sightings but equally considerate of others which we liked. His knowledge of the wildlife made the safaris interesting. Nature Safari was also able to arrange an additional safari for me at short notice. I have used Nature Safari before and will certainly use them again.
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Erin K
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Amazing experience! We were amazed how many puzzle pieces it takes for this adventure to come together. Everyone we interacted with from Nature Safari helped make our trip memorable. From Pritam who greeted us to Alam, one of our guides, to Gulab who helped complete our journey. Everyone was friendly and super knowledgeable. The travel from one park to another is an experience unto itself and we felt completely safe with every driver! They even handled a flight change that happened while we were travelling and it did not affect our vacation at all!!! This is vacation for anyone; from children to grandparents, I guarantee everyone will be impressed!
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Toh JC
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The leader in tiger Safari Did the Just tigers and Golden Triangle tour with Nature Safari India (NSI) in april What a wonderful experience this had been. Pre trip, booking & communication with Ishana was excellent. All my queries were answered fast. The itinerary she put together for me was perfect. Airport transfer were seamless. Thank you pratim. For the golden triangle tour, the 3 stars accomodation option totally exceeded my expectations. The heritage hotel in Delhi and Jaipur add to the cultural experience. The Guides were great. Mr Ram, my private driver is hard working and diligent. Always on time, he navigate the insane traffic of India with ease, getting me from point to point safely. Thank you Mr Ram. Did 4 national parks (Corbett, Pench, Kanha and Bandhavgarh) and in total I got 30 tiger sightings over 22 Safari drives!!! A job well done to all the Naturalists and guides. The vehicles are kept clean, they know the forest inside out, and all have keen eyes to spot tigers hidden in the thick vegetation. Their professionalism and ethics are exemplified by the fact that they follow parks rules (No phones/no speeding) while others are not. You can tell that they enjoy working with NSI. Special mention to Ajwet and JP from Bandhavgarh. Their teamwork, chemistry and experience together got me 17 sightings in 2 days. Their ability to predict the tigers movement and behaviour ( close to 99% accuracy) astounded me. Got many exclusive quality sightings of tiger crossing my path. In a particular incident where we were enjoying a quiet moment with a lone male tigers on a narrow path in tala zone with 2 other vehicles, words got out and soon, things turned pretty ugly. 20 vehicles came speeding, front and back, surrounding us and the tiger. Drivers behind were shouting at us to get out of the way. Guides were cat calling to get the tiger attention to look in their direction. Other tourists were using their phones for photography. The tiger was just metres away and started growling. I felt uncomfortable with the situation. I requested Ajwet to forgo the sighting and get me out asap. We managed to get out safely and fast amidst the chaos. Other than the safari drive in Bandhavgarh, we visited other point of interest in the park like the fort. One particular site call "charger point" stood out. Ajwet shared stories of the tigers who had roam the park at "charger point" and it was a joy listening to them. It adds depth to the safari experience. Thank you Ajwet and JP In Corbett, I stayed in Gairal rest house. Facilities are basic and all amenities are provided by NSI. For the other safaris, 3 stars accomodation are good (jungle camp pench, jungle camp Kanha, tiger dens) and I could not find any fault with them. For any future safari trip in India, I will definitely use NSI services again. NSI is without the doubt the leader in tiger safari in India. I hope the safari ethics in India will improve with time, benefitting both animals and tourism.
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Phil and Janet O
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Excellent and memorable safaris across 3 National Parks. Love those tigers! My wife and I booked with Nature Safari India on the recommendation of friends. Over a couple of weeks we had 9 days (18 safaris) 3 days each at Pench, Kanha, and Bandhavgarh National Parks. The tigers (our main focus) are wild animals, free to roam; they do not turn up to order. Nevertheless, we had some amazing encounters / sightings across all three National Parks. We saw tigers crossing and walking along the road, a tigress lounging in the middle of the road, and a tiger sleeping off a meal, the remains of the kill nearby. One tigress passed within 5 metres of our car, untroubled by us and intent on walking her territory. In addition to tigers, we lucky enough to have two leopard sightings in Pench where we also saw wild dogs. There were numerous deer and antelope, monkeys, and a myriad assortment of birds. We had knowledgeable guides and brilliant drivers at each park who helped us identify different species. Our accommodation was always of a high quality. Our whole trip was expertly planned and put together by Ishana. Ishana is an excellent communicator. We had an amazing experience and thoroughly recommend the services of this long established business.
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894elked
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Wonderfull It was a pleasure traveling with Nature Safari. There were no worries throughout the entire trip, and you truly feel welcome—they listen to your wishes and do everything to ensure you have a pleasant journey. Before the trip, there was a lot of communication via WhatsApp to tailor everything to our preferences, and they were always available to answer any questions. During the trip, we also had the pleasure of having a fantastic driver who told us so much about the country, its culture, its customs, and even things you won’t find in a travel guide. The local guides also did their best to provide as much information as possible about the culture. We did find some to be better than others, but that’s not something Nature Safari can control. We were also lucky—thanks in part to their efforts—to spot two tigers, which made the experience even more special. If you’re planning a trip to India, I can truly recommend traveling with them.
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SydneyAdi
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Another great wildlife safari Three years after our last trip we ventured to India once more to indulge in Wildlife - this time Lions of Gir, tigers of Corbett, Rhino’s etc of Kaziranga. We saw focus animals on each drive and none of them disappointed. Excellent naturalist guides in all three parks. The lions were fabulous, even saw young cubs, and thanks to a sharp eyed guide, a leopard (our first and only over two trips to India) in first half hour whilst it was still dark! Corbett was to also include some focus on Jim Corbett (his houses, Nainital) as well as tigers. We had the same guide as in 2023, who again was excellent. One hiccup was missing out on one safari because of a mismatch for the opening hours for the Jim Corbett museum and Nainital. Instead we were taken down to river for a birding walk, with an amount refunded. Nainital is a beautiful hill town, and very glad to have done that as we had not included any additional sightseeing to our itinerary. The Corbett museum was good though tired but could be a whole lot better - think museum studies uni students etc becoming involved. Jim Corbett national park and Dhikala lodge were excellent. Tiger sightings on each drive- including a tiger swimming/walking across the river and also a tiger drinking from a water source on the road in front of us. Those guides just know where the tigers will come out of the forest or grassland. In Kaziranga we saw sooo many rhino’s, and maybe 2 days would be sufficient, but we went to different locations and over the three days saw rhinos elephants, deer, monkeys, many birds, and even lucky to see “the golden tiger”. Our hotel was wonderful, food was delicious and we even organised a couple of massages in our room. All in all another successful trip organised by Nature Safari India.
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Gary B
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Tiger safari and tours of major cities. Absolutely perfect. Everything was planned and arranged with precision and care. We first toured Kanha National Park and saw tigers - lots and lots of tiger sightings - while never guaranteed, our success rate was high. We then explored Bandhavgarh National Park with our guide Ragu (32 years of experience in the Park) and our tiger sightings and wildlife viewing was even better. Finally, we toured Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. All accommodations were incredible as were the transfers between all locations. If you are considering a wildlife/tiger safari to India or touring the major cities/attractions, you should use Nature Safari of India, without a doubt.
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Navigate34004106819
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Trip of a lifetime Our trip to India was amazing, truly unforgettable. Nature Safari India took care of everything, and Ishana made the whole process smooth and stress-free. We loved the mix of city life, culture, and wildlife: Mumbai with its stunning views, safaris in Pench, Kanha, and Bandhavgarh (saw incredible wildlife), and the Golden Triangle with Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur. Every hotel was comfortable and welcoming, and the guides and drivers were not only professional but genuinely kind. India itself completely stole our hearts, the energy, the chaos, the colors, and especially the warmth of the people. We came home with memories we’ll treasure forever. Big thanks to Ishana and the team. We’ll definitely be back!
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MElliott_51
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Memorable time in India. This compnay did an amazing job of making our trip memorable. The organised everything to suit our requests. We had exceptional accommodation and service. Our safaris were successful with wildlife sightings. I would recommend them with our hesitation.
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Alessandro Paolucci
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Fantastic Tiger Safari We had a great time in India across three different National Parks (Pench, Kanha, and Bandhavgarh). Ishana at Nature Safari India organised a great trip, was very responsive and helpful throughout the booking process as well as when we were in India, and went above and beyond in helping us deal with some last minute changes after everything was already booked. Truly a great service. In every National Park we had an experience guide and a driver who knew a lot about the local wildlife and helped us see and identify a lot of animals and birds. Overall we saw nine different tigers, including some very close encounters. The hotels recommended were incredible: the Pench Jungle Camp had a great jungle vibes, the Meru Vann in Kanha is run directly by Nature India Safari and has the most amazing staff (shout outs to the manager Okmar and our guide Mahesh), and Untamed Bandhavgarh is truly an immersive experience being really at the border of the safari area. All staff was super helpful and the food was great. Would definitely go back and book again with Nature India Safari.
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