TIGER RESERVE · KARNATAKA
Bandipur National Park is one of India's premier tiger reserves, spread across 874 sq km of dry deciduous forest on the Karnataka–Tamil Nadu border. Part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, it forms a contiguous wildlife corridor with Mudumalai (Tamil Nadu), Wayanad (Kerala), and Nagarhole (Karnataka), creating one of the largest protected forest areas in South Asia. The park is home to Bengal tigers, Indian elephants, leopards, gaur, and over 200 bird species. Originally the private hunting ground of the Maharaja of Mysore, it became a tiger reserve in 1973. Bandipur is 235km from Cochin.
October to March for dry weather and the best wildlife sightings as animals gather around waterholes. April–May is hot but excellent for spotting tigers near water sources. Park is closed during monsoon evenings (June–September); morning safaris run year-round.
Nearest airport: Mysore (80km, 2hr) or Coimbatore (155km, 3.5hr). Nearest railway: Mysore (80km) or Nanjangud (55km). Drive from Cochin takes about 5 hours via Coimbatore and the Bandipur forest road.
