Among numerous national parks that are found here, Nagarhole National Park deserves special mentioning. It is most well organized national park in India, lying in the dense wild tracts of Western Ghats and Nilgiri hills. The Nagarhole National Park lies in the picturesque Coorg region of southern Karnataka, endowed with multitudes of meandering streams and rivers.

There are some well-known rivers that flow through the core of the park. These are namely the Nagarhole or Cobra, the Kabini, the Taraka, the Lakshmanatecrtha and the Sarathi. The Nagarhole area falls just northwestern part of Bandipur, and is comparatively less rugged. Masalbetta at 957 m is its highest point.

A nice story follows. This region, specially the forests of Kakkankote in its south, was the private hunting ground of the wealthy princely state of Mysore. The tall, lush forests are a mixture of moist deciduous and tropical semi-evergreen, along with some tinges of scrub and grassy marshlands, popularly known as hadlus. These are favourite sites of animals, especially elephant and gaur. There are also huge numbers of deer.

Nagarhole is the first site in India to achieve success with arresting tigers with the help of radio waves, a significant tool for ecological studies. On the banks of the reservoir, at Mastigudi, are the remnants of a successful operation of capturing elephants. The famous Mysore king Hyder Ali, Mysore, established it in the era of eighteenth century. He was reported to become unsuccessful in the venture. However much later, the same khedda or the stockade technique of capturing elephants was implemented and this time with good result. In a little less than a century from the year 1873, more than thousand and five hundred wild elephants were trapped down while several hundreds were killed and wounded. In recent times, khedda was applied in the beginning of 1970s.

In the middle of 1800s, huge variety of teal plantations grew in some areas of the national park. A 285 sq km territory was confirmed as a wildlife sanctuary in the year 1955.Then in the year 1988 a huge area was promoted to the status of national park. Some of the landscape was changed in the year 1974 when an irrigation dam on the Kabini River formed a vast pool that now forms the boundary between Bandipur and Nagarhole.

The wonderful, panoramic expanse of the waters, Nagarhole National Park is scattered with wild elephants, sometimes a couple of hundred of them, followed by Gaur, Sambar, Spotted Deer and otters, and perhaps a few crocodiles at the water`s edge. Thousand of dense forest birds, include hornbills, woodpeckers, drongos call in flawless symphony. Karapura, Mastigudi and Nagarhole divisions of the park are favored for wildlife viewing and remain cherished memories.

The tourists favor the park in great numbers. Driving in the jeep rides or open vans are the most excellent way to see the wildlife of Nagarhole National Park, and also small boat rides leave hovering effects. Casting idly down the waters in the circular bamboo boat, the visitor can get very close views of the seabirds and `darters`, found resting on the drowned tree branches of the reservoir, and at times also on the banks of the grand elephants.

Other mammalian species include Asian Elephant, Gaur (Indian Bison), Tiger, Leopard, Wild Dot- (Dhole), Leopard-cat, Rusty Spotted Cat, Small Indian Civet, Striped-necked Mongoose, Ruddy Mongoose, and Sloth Bear. Also Indian Giant Squirrel, Sambar, Spotted Deer (Chital), Barking Deer, Mouse Deer, Chowsingha (Four-horned Antelope), Indian Pangolin etc are found in abundance.

The howling of hunting birds like Changeable Hawk Eagle, Besra, Crested Goshawk, Crested Serpent Eagle, Jerdon`s Baza, Obprey, Brown Fish Owl. Mottled Wood Owl is worth to note.

Multitude of bird species throngs every hook and nook of the park. In the woodlands and amidst the scrubs, one can catch hold of beautiful birds like Grey JunglefowL Indian Peafowl, Red Spurfowl, Painted Spurfowl and Painted Bush Quail. Great Hornbill, Malabar Pied Hornbill, White-bellied Woodpecker, Greater Flameback, Malabar Parakeet, Green Imperial Pigeon, Malabar Trogon, Chestnut-headed Bee-eater, Spangled Drongo, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Asian Fairy Bluebird, Hill Myna, Crimson-backed Sunbird

Great Cormorant, Asian Openbill, Painted Stork, Lesser Whistling-duck, Stork-billed Kingfisher are found near the banks of lakes and rivers.