Daaku and Chhavi (Mrs. Daaku) our intrepid travel bloggers decided to visit one of the most natural places in Karnataka – Nagarhole National Park. They drove down on the weekend to explore and experience the beauty of nature, relax on the side and lookout for the magnificent fauna. Here they are again, sharing their experience with you.
If you are a nature lover, going to a national park needs no contemplation, right? They are best to relax and enjoy the magnificence of nature. Not only do you get to spot the variety of flora and fauna, but you also learn about the ecosystems (which, if you pay attention, are wonderful!).
So, Daaku and I, decided to visit Nagarhole National Park or the Rajiv Gandhi National Park – a part of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
Naga means snake and hole refers to stream. The park is full of spiral (snake-like) streams and hence the name. Nagarhole National Park has more than 30 streams, artificial tanks, 4 perennial streams, a dam and a reservoir.
It is one of the most beautiful national parks and is definitely worth a visit. You can plan a trip on the weekend, however, I recommend you go on the weekdays. Weekends are crazily busy for safaris and you may not be able to enjoy it fully!
How to reach:
The closest railway station to reach Nagarhole is Mysore. Although, you will also have to travel 4 hours by road from the station.
If you want to fly, you will have to go to Bangalore which is 6 hours away.
When to visit:
There is one thing that I have learned by travelling so much. If you want to spot predators and other gigantic animals, visit during the summer (March and April, especially). The small water holes are dry and the animals are forced to visit the lake.
But, if you want to enjoy nature and are not keen on watching the animals, visit when the weather is pleasant (i.e. November to February).
How to go around:
There is one unique feature to this national park. There is a public road that passes from between the park and is open from 6 AM to 6 PM. You are free to drive in your own car for free. However, you are not allowed to step out of your car or be in the park for more than specific hours. If you do, fines apply.
I do not recommend taking your own car. To explore the park deeper and stop by for animal watching, you will need to take a safari.
You have two options in this regard:
First, you can take the minibus which runs twice a day and charges approx. Rs. 250-300 per person.
Second, and my favourite is to take the jungle jeep safari. It can be booked through hotels and is operated by Jungle Lodges and Resort. It costs approx. Rs. 1500 per person and your hotel should be able to get you a place on the safari. Depending on the number of people, each safari jeep has about 7-8 people.
Remember the park has two safari zones – Zone A is jungle area and Zone B is Kabini backwaters. While the minibus is allowed to cover both the zones, the jeep safari will cover only one of the zones at a time. That said, I would still recommend the jeep.
The safari will take you deeper into the jungles and will also stop by the rivers. You can spot deer, sambhar, elephant, peacock, turtles, etc.
So, when are you planning to visit Nagarhole National Park and enjoy the gifts of nature?
A traveler at heart, Chhavi (or @Mrs_Daaku) along with Amit Khare (or @daaku) loves to travel across India and document their experiences on Mrs. Daaku Studio (mrsdaakustudio.com). Apart from this, she is a freelance tech and marketing writer/blogger and co-founder at Content Writer Guru. You can reach out to her at remotecopywriter@gmail.com
