In the serene parks of Karnataka, tiger, leopard, Asian elephant and Asian wild dog are regularly seen, alongside Malabar parakeet, southern hill myna and a host of other South Indian specialities.
With strict limits on vehicles, but the whole range of India’s most charismatic wildlife readily seen, Bandipur and Nagarhole National Parks are at once thrilling and unspoiled. Between these two superb parks – where sightings of tiger, leopard, Asian wild dog and Indian giant squirrel occur daily – we visit Fringe Ford, on the edge of Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, where southern birds and mammals such as brown palm-civet, Nilgiri langur, Malabar trogon and Malabar pied hornbill are all found.
Typical Itinerary
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Day 1:
Depart UK
Depart the UK on an overnight flight to Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore).
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Day 2:
Arrive Bengaluru & transfer to Bandipur National Park
On arrival at Bengaluru International Airport we are met and we stop for breakfast at a nearby hotel. We then make the journey of around five hours to Bandipur National Park where, in the late afternoon, we take our first drive.
Accommodation: Bandipur Safari Lodge, 3-nights
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Days 3-4
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Bandipur National Park
We devote two full days to this beautiful, biodiverse park, following a programme of morning and evening drives. Drives usually last three to four hours, allowing plenty of time in the heat of the day for relaxation.
In addition to its regularly-seen tigers, leopards, Asian wild dogs and Asian wild elephants, this is a fine park in which to see stripe-necked mongoose, Indian giant squirrel, gaur, grey langur, bonnet macaque and a huge range of birds.
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Day 5:
Transfer to Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary
Following our final drive in Bandipur and breakfast, we make the journey of around three hours to Fringe Ford, an exceptional private reserve in Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, which lies on the southern edge of Bandipur.
In the afternoon we take our first walk in the forested foothills of this beautiful reserve, before taking dinner by firelight beside a spring-fed stream.
Accommodation: Fringe Ford, 2-nights
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Day 6:
Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary
We have a full day to explore the lovely humid forest and hills of Fringe Ford on foot. In addition to gaur and Asian elephant, the forest here is home to many South Indian endemics and specialities including Malabar pied hornbill, Malabar grey hornbill, vernal hanging parrot, Malabar parakeet, Malabar trogon and brown palm-civet.
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Day 7:
Transfer to Nagarhole National Park
Following our final walk in Fringe Ford and breakfast, we make the journey of around three hours to Nagarhole National Park. In the evening we take our first drive here, in search of the park’s large herds of chital, its magnificent elephant tuskers, its noisy Indian giant squirrels, its many birds and, with luck, its large carnivores.
Accommodation: Kabini River Lodge, 3-nights full board basis
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Days 8-9
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Nagarhole National Park
Like Bandipur, Nagarhole is a superb national park where very regular sightings of tiger, leopard and wild dog are kept uncrowded because of a strict limit on vehicles. Over 200 species of bird have been recorded here and many common species, including grey junglefowl, Indian peafowl, plum-headed parakeet and yellow-footed green-pigeon, are of dazzling beauty.
At least once we will replace a drive with a boat safari on the Kabini River. This is an outstanding experience. Not only does it allow close approach to river terns, small pratincoles and winter waders on islands in the dam, and ospreys and grey-headed fish-eagles in the trees. It also offers the chance to watch the behaviour of the many Asian elephants which gather along the lakeshore, especially in the afternoon, in spring and summer.
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Day 10:
Transfer to Bengaluru
Following our final drive in Nagarhole, today we make the journey of around five hours back to Bengaluru. Here we spend the night in a hotel close to the International Airport.
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Day 11:
Fly back to the UK
We take an early morning flight from Bengaluru, arriving back in the UK in the afternoon.
