Nagarhole National Park, also a tiger reserve soon to be designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in India (under consideration), is located in the two districts of Karnataka, namely Mysuru & Kodagu. This national park is also known as the Rajiv Gandhi National Park, covering the forest area of approx. 645 sq. km. This wildlife reserve is the part of the Nilgiri Biosphere reserve and ranges the foothill of Western Ghat, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and spreading down the Brahmagiri Mountains and south towards the Indian state of Kerala. The river Kabini revolves around the reserve and separates Nagarhole from Bandipur National park. Nagarhole is not only the home to Bengal Tigers and Asiatic Elephant but also to Sloth Bear, Leopards, Black Panther, Wild Dogs, Four Horned Antelope, and over 250 species of birds like Woodland birds, Blue Bearded bee-eater, Scarlet Minivet, Malabar Whistling Thrush to more common Kingfisher, ducks, and herons.
Kabini Wildlife Sanctuary: Nestled on the edge of the Kabini River, this wildlife Sanctuary nurtures rare and endangered species of fauna and offers wonderful opportunities to sight Leopard, Black Panther, Asiatic Elephant, Spotted Deer, Sambhar, and many bird species.
While situating inside the territory of Nagarhole National Park, this sanctuary covers over 55 acres of forest area. Evening jeep safari near the sanctuary could get us the best opportunity to sight a leopard and sometimes a Black Panther. Other than jeep safaris, we have the option for a motorboat ride on the lake that offers a different and unique experience. You might see some freshwater crocodiles (mugger) and over 300 species of birds in the morning time.

Bandipur National Park: Earlier, the hunting reserve for the Maharaja of Mysore state, now located in the Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka. Bandipur National park has a covering of 875 sq. Kms. of forest area in total. This park is a part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and is sharing its boundaries with three other national parks, namely Nagarhole, Mudumalai (Tamil Nadu), Wayanad Sanctuary (Kerala), makes it the largest protected area and habitat for Wild Asiatic Elephant in the world. The tiger reserve is home to Bengal Tigers, Wild Elephant, Gaur, Bison, Sloth Bear, Dhole, Four Horned Antelope, Indian Giant Squirrel, and more than 200 species of birds like the Red-headed Vulture, Honey Buzzards, Drongos, Flowerpeckers, Crested Serpent Eagle, Ospreys, etc. There is a total of 05 safari zones inside the park, East zone, Central zone, North zone, northwest zone, South zone. And the vehicle used for the safaris is of 03 types – Jeep safari, Canter safari, and Elephant safari.