Nagarhole National Park is also called as Rajiv Gandhi National Park and is located in the Mysore and Kodagu districts of the Indian state of Karnataka. The park is named after the River Nagarhole that flows eastwards towards the centre. The sanctuary was constituted in the year 1955 and is spread over an area of 258 Square Kilometres. Over years the sanctuary gradually extended to cover an area of nearly 644 Square Kilometres and in 1983 it was granted a status of national park. The Nagarhole National Park has an astounding abundance of wildlife animals that includes large mammals like leopard, tigers, wild elephant, gaur (Indian Bison) and dhole (Indian wild dog) to name a few. Tourists from all over the world visit the park for a unique wildlife viewing experience.
Nagarhole's summers (March-May) do not cross the temperature more than 33°C. Although, winters are brief to last from November to January, has got the temperature plummeting to 14°C. Monsoons are simply erratic, but it generally rains from June to September. By receiving the annual rainfall of 1,440 millimeters, the area of Nagarhole bring plush environment around the locality with the availability of great water resources like Lakshmmantirtha river, Sarati Hole, Nagar Hole, BalleHalla, Kabini River, four perennial streams, 47 seasonal streams, four small perennial lakes, 41 artificial tanks, several swamps, Taraka Dam and the Kabini reservoir.
Flora The predominant vegetation in the Nagarhole National Park is of southern tropical, moist, mixed deciduous type with a substantial eastern portion intergrading into dry deciduous type. The upper tree canpy is dominated by Terminaliatomentosa is association with Tectoniagrandis, Dalbergialatifolia, Pterocarpusmarsupium, Lagerstroemia lanceolata, Anogeissuslatifolia, Adina cordifolia, Boambaxmalabaricum, Schleicheratrijuga, Ficus sp. and others. The lower canopy has Kydiacalycina, Emblicaofficinalis, Gmelinaarborea etc. Several shrubs belonging to Solanum, Desmodium and Helicteres sp. etc. are abundantly found but weedy shrubs like Eupatorium and Lantana now dominate.
The Nagarhole National Park is recognised for abundance in the flora and fauna. There are several attractions inside the park to give visitors the best of experience in wildlife viewing.
Nagarhole Tourism Zone, banks of River Kabini and the Mule-Hole River are superb spots for sighting wild elephants in abundance during the summers.
The Nagaraja Game road is mysterious and dark and excellent spot for viewing muntjac. If you drive out from here towards Karapura, there are high chances of spotting the leopards that are after their favourite prey, the langurs. On reaching Karapura you must also visit the old khedda site, with khedda being an ancient method of capturing elephants, located at the Mastigudi.
The Nagarhole National Park has observation towers located at different place throughout the park. Enquire the locals and forest officers to find out the towers that offer the best wildlife viewing experiences.
The Kabini Lodge also offers coracle that is country made circular boats, rides on the river. Moreover you can also enjoy boating at the lake in Karapura. The experience is both splendid and scenic.
Nagarhole National Park is also renowned for a unique trekking experience. However, trekking is allowed inside the park only during the presence of forest guide along.
The Park boasts of a huge elephant population. Some of the other wildlife found here are
tigers, leopards, wild dogs, and sloth bears, gaur, sambar deer, chital (spotted deer), common muntjac, four-horned antelope, mouse deer and wild boar. Gray langurs, lion-tailed macaques and bonnet macaques are also found in the park. On the surrounding hills outside the park Nilgiri tahrs and Nilgiri langurs are spotted.
The Parks boasts of more than 250 species of birds. The commonly found birds are Malabar trogan, green imperial pigeon, the Indian Pitta, the Malabar pied hornbill and the great black woodpecker.
The Nagarhole National Park has incredible diversity of animals and the population of tigers here is one of the best in the world. The safari rides are the best options to discover the jungles and sight the wild animals in their natural habitat. The forest department at Nagarhole National Park does not offer jeep safaris. Tourists are however allowed private jeep safaris arranged by their hotels or even book the jeeps on their own. Private jeep safaris require permission from the forest officers and a department guide accompanies all jeep safaris.
