The national parks of Nagarhole, and Mudumalai are contiguous and share very similar characteristics. four-thnational park, Waned, also adjoins them. Together they form the largest protected area for the Indian Elephant, Gaur, Tiger and Leopard in South India. Other large mallams include Liontail Macaque, Wild Boar and Sambar. The parks occupy a NW-SE alignment, with Nagarhole national park at the top, Mudumalai at the bottom. The forests are tropical mixed deciduous. In the northern and western parts of Nagarhole national park, which receive more rainfall, the forests are denser and taller, with hardwood trees like Rosewood, Teak and Mathi . Sandalwood trees also grow here. Elsewhere in Nagarhole national park, and Mudumalai national park, which lie in the rain shadow of the Western Ghats, the forests are more open with more grasslands, and the trees are stunted (hence mammal sightings are less difficult).

During the dry months of March-May, Indian Elephants stay close to rivers and lakes. At this time of year, Indian Elephant sightings are unsurpassed in Nagarhole National Park, especially if you are staying at the Kabini River Lodge in Karapur. Nearby, at Mastigudi large gatherings of 100 or so Indian Elephants on the banks of the Kabini Lake are known, a sight unrivalled anywhere. The Indian Giant Squirrel can be seen at Mudumalai, lying curled in trees holes or crooks of branches during the day.

Nagarhole National park, 643.39 so. Km. in area, to the north of the Kabini River, has tall and dense forests. A dam on the Kabini and its picturesque reservoir separate the two parks. In the dense moist deciduous forests of this area the upper canopy reaches heights of 30m and valuable hardwoods like teak and rosewood are also to be found here.

At Nagarhole national park, too, there are excellent facilities for viewing wildlife and large groups of gaur, elephant, sambar, chital and even the occasional tiger or leopards are seen. Among other mammals are the muntjac, the tiny mouse deer, wild boar, pangolin, giant squirrel, slender loris, langurs and macaques. The Park has about 250 species of birds and the Malabar trogan, the Malabar Herd of elephants pied hornbill, the great black woodpecker, the Indian pitta and the green imperial pigeon are part of its avian variety. Lesser cats like the jungle cat, leopard cat and rusty spotted cat are also resident species.

KEY SPECIES
MAMMALS Asian Elephant (above), Gaur (Indian Bison), Tiger, Leopard, Wild Dog (Dhole), Striped Hyena, Leopard-cat, Rusty Spotted Cat, Small Indian Civet, Striped-necked Mongoose, Ruddy Mongoose, Sloth Bear, Indian Giant Squirrel, Sanibar, Spotted Deer (Chital), Barking Deer, Mouse Deer, Chowsingha (Four-horned Antelope.), Indian Pangolin BIRDS RAPTORSChangeable Hawk Eagle, Black Eagle, Oriental Honey-buzzard, Jerdon's Baza, Bonelli's Eagle, Crested Goshawk, Besra, Mottled Wood Owl, Brown Hawk Owl

WOODLAND/SCRUB Grey Junglefowl, Red Spurfowl, Grey Francolin, Painted Spurfowl, Painted Bush Quail, Whitebellied Woodpecker, Lesser Yellownape, Greater Flameback, Streak-throated Woodpecker, Chestnut-headed Bee-eater, Emerald Dove, Green Imperial Pigeon, Pompadour Green Pigeon, Grey-bellied Cuckoo, Indian Cuckoo, Alpine Swift, Black-hooded Oriole, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Black-headed Cuckooshrike, Grey-headed Bulbul, Forest Wagtail, Crimson-backed Sunbird, Loten's Sunbird.
Best Season: February to May and September to October

How to Reach
Air : The nearest airport is at Coimbatore, 160-km away, which has direct flights to Bangalore, Mumbai, Kochi, Chennai and New Delhi. Calicut in Kerala has an international airpo
Train : The sanctuary is located at a distance of 65-km from Udhagamandalam railway station and 95-km from Mysore station.

By Road :The Mysore - Ooty highway runs through the thick jungles of the park. Gudalur (16-km) the nearest town to the sanctuary is situated along the highway. There are regular bus service, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu state transport buses as well as private buses from Udhagamandalam (64km), Mysore (95 km) and the neighbouring towns to the sanctuary.