Located at 204 kms from the capital of the state, Bangalore, Bandipur is a beautiful sanctuary situated in the deccan plateau. This beautiful forest reserve was created in the 1930s from the local Maharaja Voodiyar's hunting lands. Later the Sanctuary was expanded with adjoining Nagarhole National Park, and Wynad and Madumulai Sanctuaries. Today it is India's most vast protected forest and had been designated as the Tiger reserve in 1973.
Situated in the western Ghats, Bandipur is full of evergreen forests and grasslands. The Moyar river flows through the forests thus making it one of the finest and most accessible habitats of the Asiatic elephant. Its vast open spaces make it a pleasant and convenient outing for visitors to see the elephant in its natural surroundings. Apart from elephants, Tigers also are the prominent inhabitants of the Bandipur forest reserve.