Nagarhole Tourism

Nagarhole National park derives its name from the combination of two Kannada words-'Nagar,' meaning snake, and 'hole,' meaning streams. True to its name, quite a few serpentine streams fork through the rich tropical forests of the park. Nagarhole Park was set up in 1955. In 1975, its area was increased to include a greater expanse of forest reserve. The original forest was once an exclusive hunting ground for the erstwhile Maharajas of Mysore.The park has been recently renamed as Rajiv Gandhi National Park after the late Prime Minister of India.

The park derived its name Nagarhole National park from the combination of two Kannada words- Nagar and hole. The word 'Nagar’ means snake and 'hole’ means streams depicting quite a few serpentine streams present in the rich tropical forests of the park.

Flora:The park has many lush grassy swamps which are called as 'hadlus' in the local language. This is because of the heavy rainfall in the region. Most of the area of the park is covered by dry as well as the moist deciduous forests consisting floral species like teak and eucalyptus.

Fauna:The park has varied animal species living inside it. Some of the animals found commonly in the park are tiger, leopard, wild elephant, dhole (Indian wild dog), and gaur (Indian bison). chital spotted deer, muntjac (barking deer), mouse deer, four-horned antelope, wild boar, sloth bear, hyena, mongoose, civet, otter and many others.

The park has over 250 species of birds making itself a perfect destination of bird watchers as well. blue-bearded bee-eater, scarlet minivet and Malabar whistling thrush, ospreys, herons and ducks along with wide variety of woodland birds and huge congregations of water fowl in the Kabini river, are few of the birds found in the Nagarhole National park

The marsh crocodile, monitor lizard and rock python are few of the reptiles present in the park. Some other beautiful creatures adorning this exotic jungle of Soutern India are aquatic and terrestrial tortoises, frogs, toads, tree frogs and a myriad insects along with colourful butterflies. For trip inside the park, tourists have two safari slots to choose from. These are-one in the morning ( 06:00 – 09:00) and another in the evening (15:00 – 17:00 Hrs ). During period, one is more likely to spot animals. The frequency of these trips depend on the number of visitors.

Tourists are required to park their vehicle near the guesthouse area and board the forest department’s safari van which is a 16 – 20 seater. Private vehicle are usually discouraged inside the forest. However, if you manage to get special permission, you can take your vehicle by paying a fee and fulfilling other formalities. A guide will accompany you for the tour.