Located in Kodagu and Mysore districts, deriving it's name from Kannada, 'Naga' meaning snake and 'hole’ meaning streams,Nagarhole is truly a delightful spot, bubbling with the activity of some of the most magnificent animals and trees. Once the Maharaja's reserved forest, Nagarhole became a National Park in 1955. The park has been recently renamed as Rajiv Gandhi National Park after the late Prime Minister of India. A dam on the Kabini River and its scenic reservoir demarcates the two parks. Covering gentle hills bordering Kerala, the park includes swampland, stream, moist deciduous forest stands of bamboo, and valuable timber in teak and rosewood trees. The old capital city Mysore is the gateway to this park.

There are fine facilities for some good wildlife watching and sizeable groups of gaur, elephants, sambar, chital and even the occasional tiger or leopard. The other inhabitants of the Park are the muntjac (barking deer), the tiny mouse deer, giant squirrel, wild boar, langurs and macaques. It also has a wide variety of bird life like the Malabar pied hornbill, the great black woodpecker, the Indian pitta and the green imperial pigeon. The jungle cat, leopard cat and the rusty spotted cat are the residents of the Park. The National Park boasts of a large elephant and bison congregation. The rich lush green bamboo, succulent grass and other shrubs offer ideal conditions for the beasts. Among the 250 species, Babbler, Bee-eater, Bulbul, Lorikeet, Minuet, Parakeet, Peacock and Alexandrine are some of the beautiful birds that have sought abode in Nagarahole. Trekking through the Nagarhole gives great satisfaction and a sense of being one with nature.

The best time to visit is April to May but the winter months November to February are much more pleasant.

Recognised as one of the best wildlife conservations in India, this National Park is 95 kms from both Mysore and Mercara. It takes about 2 hours journey from Mysore or Madikeri.

How to get there:
95 kms by road either from Mysore or Madikeri
Nearest Railway station is Mysore
Nearest Airport is