This national park is situated very close to Bangalore, one of the developed cities of Karnataka, South India. The Bannerghatta National Park was termed as a national park in 1974. It was then in 2002 when a chunk of this park was declared as a biological reserve. This famous hotspot has a pet corner, a zoo, a snake park, a butterfly enclosure, animal rescue centre and the exciting safari park. This location is also an apt location for trekking and houses many ancient temples. The Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment (ATREE), the Zoo Authority of Karnataka and the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore are the agencies that collaborated. One can also find six rural villages inside this national park with very huge cattle and sheep enclosures for farming.

History

This park has many aims. It has everything that is needed for the children of Bangalore Metropolitan City to have a Biological Recreation Center very close to the city that lies in the middle of the forest. It lies in the famous Champakadhama hills that come under the Bannerghatta National Park. A mini zoo was made in 1974 with this aim but to take this project on a larger scale, this biological park was made.

Geography

It is located on the south of Bangalore about 22 kms in the Anekal range and stands on an elevation of 1245 - 1634m. It is spread over 25000 acre land. The terrain of this national park is hilly. One can find moist deciduous forest valleys and the scrublands for the higher areas. At the border of the park, there are some 16 villages. It is also a corridor for wildlife for the elephants and it connects the Sathyamangalam forest and the BR Hills.

Wildlife

Flora

The flora of this park includes Schleichera oleosa, Narcissus latifolia, Terminalia tomentosa, Grewia tilaefolia, Santalum album, T Arjuna, Sandalwood, neem, bamboo, tamarind, Samanea saman, Peltphorum p, Bauhinia purpurea, Eucalyptus

Fauna

One can find animals like leapord, gaur, elephants, jackal, fox, wild boar, sloth bear, chital, sambar, barking deer, spotted deer, bonnet macaque, common langur, wild boar, hare, porcupine, pangolin, monitor lizard, cobras, python, krait, Russell's viper and slender loris.

Best Time to Visit

The best time to visit this national park is after the summer season and just before the onset of rains.

Visitor Information

You can enjoy the many options available inside this national park like:

• The safari
• Zoo
• Butterfly park which showcases diverse type of butterflies and their types

The butterfly enclosure was started by the Union Minister of Science and Technology Kapil Sibal in 2006 on November 25th. The butterfly enclosure is spread over 7.5 acres of land. It is an enclosure that is circular with a 10,000 sq ft poly-carbonated roof.

Address: Bannerghatta Road, Bannerghatta, Bangalore, Karnataka 560083
Area: 104.3 km²
Phone: 091 64 950086

How to Reach

Bengaluru is well connected to other cities in India as countries as well. One can also go for the private taxis or the BMTC buses that ply at very regular intervals to reach this national park.