Photo credits: Ramesh Kidangoor

Bandipur National Park is one of the most famous wildlife national parks in South India, and is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. Covering an area of 880 sq km, it was once one of the private wildlife reserves of the Mysore Maharaja. Today, Bandipur National Park is a protected zone for over 100 species of mammals, including elephants, tigers, leopards, gaur, chital and sambar deer, langur monkeys, and sloth bears. The park is also famous for its 350 species of birds; it is very close to Mysore and has a border with Kerala to the south.