Bannerghatta National Park is a wildlife destination in Bengaluru, notified in 1974. Its biological park began as a small zoo and picnic corner, with forest officer Y.M.L. Sharma credited with helping establish both.
Today, the biological park brings together a zoo, safari units, a butterfly park and a rescue centre across 731.88 hectares. Plan the visit around the safari, then leave time for the other areas. Hotel Pearl Inn, a three-star hotel in Bangalore, is one starting point for planning your outing.
- Best for: A day focused on wildlife, conservation and visitor education
- Start with: The safari, which uses protected, closed buses and jeeps
- Then explore: The zoo and butterfly park
What is included in a Bannerghatta visit?
Bannerghatta Biological Park is an independent establishment within the Bannerghatta area. It separated from Bannerghatta National Park in 2002 and came under the Zoo Authority of Karnataka from 1 April that year.
Its 731.88 hectares include a zoo, safari units, a butterfly park and a rescue centre. The national park was notified in 1974; the biological park’s history began with a small zoo and picnic corner.
For a first visit, make the safari your priority. It combines separate wildlife sections, visited in protected, closed buses and jeeps supplied by the zoo in partnership with the Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation.
The landscape is designed to represent the adjoining national park’s dry and moist deciduous forests, and the exhibits provide naturalistic environments for viewing animals from the vehicles.
The herbivore safari covers 68 hectares. Developed before the 1970s and opened to the public in 2002, it includes spotted deer, sambar deer, nilgai, gaur and blackbuck. The bear safari covers 20 hectares and houses rescued sloth bears. Some were previously exploited as dancing bears; others were rescued from human-wildlife conflict or found as abandoned cubs.
After the safari, visit the zoo and butterfly park. The rescue centre is another part of the biological park’s conservation work: it provides lifetime care for rescued animals, including tigers, lions and bears formerly used in circuses or other illegal performances.
It can also temporarily care for injured or abandoned urban wildlife. The park’s wider work includes conservation breeding, research, rescue and rehabilitation, as well as visitor education and animal care.
The biological park was carved out of Bannerghatta National Park by a notification dated 5 March 2004 and placed under the Zoo Authority of Karnataka’s administrative jurisdiction. These distinct histories explain why the biological park and national park are related but not the same establishment.
How do you get from south Bengaluru to Bannerghatta National Park?
Within the biological park, the safari is a vehicle-based experience: visitors travel through separate wildlife sections in protected, closed buses and jeeps. The naturalistic settings are designed for observing animals from the vehicles, rather than approaching them on foot.
Plan the rest of your visit around the zoo and butterfly park. Bengaluru Metro and public transport from the south are covered in a separate guide.
FAQs
Where is Bannerghatta National Park?
Bannerghatta National Park is in Bengaluru. Its biological park is an independent establishment in the Bannerghatta area, under the administrative jurisdiction of the Zoo Authority of Karnataka. It includes a zoo, safari units, a butterfly park and a rescue centre.
Can you visit Bannerghatta National Park as a day trip?
A visit can be planned around the safari, followed by time at the zoo and butterfly park. The safari covers separate wildlife sections in protected, closed buses and jeeps, with naturalistic environments designed for viewing animals from the vehicles.
What can you see on the safari?
The herbivore section includes spotted deer, sambar deer, nilgai, gaur and blackbuck. The bear safari houses rescued sloth bears, including animals formerly exploited as dancing bears and bears rescued from conflict or found as abandoned cubs.