Bannerghatta National Park - History, Timings & Entry Fee

At a distance of 23 km from Bangalore City Railway Station, Bannerghatta National Park is a wildlife park spread in reserve forests of Anekal Range in Karnataka. At an altitude of 1245 - 1634 m, this one of the most famous wildlife parks in Karnataka and among the top tourist places in Bangalore. This park is part of a wildlife corridor for elephants which connects the BR Hills and the Sathyamangalam forest. Bannerghatta is one of the popular national parks in India and among the must include place in Bangalore packages.

Bannerghatta National Park was founded in 1971 and declared as a national park in 1974. Spread over an area of 25,000 acre and a portion of the park became a biological reserve called the Bannerghatta Biological Park in 2002. The park consists of the main Nature Reserve, a zoo, a children's park, an aquarium, a crocodile park, a museum, a butterfly park, a snake park and a safari park. The forest consists of deciduous trees and thorny scrubs.

This is a very prominent destination that attracts people from different parts of the country. The park is home to tigers, lions, leopards, bison, deer, bears, birds and butterflies. One of the main attractions of this park is lion and tiger safari or Grand Safari. The one-hour long safari provides an opportunity to spot leopards, white tigers, Bengal tigers and lions. Elephant safari is also offered in the park. The park also houses several varieties of birds.

There is a Butterfly Park set up by Zoo Authority of Karnataka, University of Agricultural Sciences and the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment in 2006. The Butterfly Park spreads over 7.5 acres and the conservatory here has a tropical environment with plants that are attractive to butterflies. Housing 20 species of butterflies and the park is covered by a polycarbonate roof for creating tropical, humid and artificial climate.

The Swarnamukhi stream runs through the park making the locality a favorite spot for nature lovers. The Champaka Dhama Swamy temple, which is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and his consorts Sri Devi and Bhudevi, is located inside the park.

Entry Fee: Adults - Rs. 80, Children - Rs. 40, Sr. Citizens - Rs. 40; Bus Safari - Rs. 200 Per Person (Non AC Bus); Rs. 500 (AC Bus), Jeep Safari: Rs. 2500/trip (Maximum 4 members) and Boating: Rs.60 per head.

Grand Safari Timings: 10 AM - 4:30 PM. Entry Fee: Rs.260 for Adults and Rs.130 for Children and Rs.400 for foreigners.

Timings: 9 AM - 5 PM. Closed on Tuesdays.