This article lists some of the top Wildlife Sanctuaries for kids near Bangalore where you should take your kids if you have not taken yet and if you have not introduced wildlife yet. These are the best places to introduce wildlife to your kids.

1. Bannergatta National Park

[26 Kms from Bangalore and on Bannergatta road, approx. 1-hr drive]

#1 of all Wildlife Sanctuaries for Kids near Bangalore

When you get to see and live in Bangalore, you will be shocked if I tell you that there is a national forest spread across  115 sq. kms in the vicinity of Bangalore and 26 kms to be precise from Bangalore Railway station!! The way city is growing, one day soon this place will be part of Bangalore!! Hard to believe right?

Guess what, they also have a amazing zoological garden where they have fenced quite a large area allowing animals to roam around freely and the animals include sloth bears, tigers including white tigers, elephants, lions, all kinds of deer, and lot more. There is a safari where you go inside this fenced area either in a Jeep or a bus but get to be among the animals which is extremely nice and highly recommended for  children and I feel is the best way to introduce wildlife to them. (I will promise you will not regret) of course yes, I am talking about Bannergatta National Park and Bannergatta Zoological park.

Some of the Facts about the Park:

Bannergatta National Park is located at a distance of 26 km south of Bangalore. This 25,000 acre zoological park was established in 1971 and is one of the major tourist destinations of Bangalore. Ten reserve forests of Anekal Range of the Bangalore Forest Division come under this national park. One of the main attractions of Bannergatta National Park is lion and tiger safari. The Tiger Reserve of the park has been recognized by the Forest Department of India. The other attractions of this park include its crocodile, snake farm and the Butterfly park.

Area : 115 Sq.km

Distance from Bangalore Central : 26kms

Geo Coordinates: 12.770141, 77.567791

Weekly Closure : Every Tuesday of the week

Safari Details: Zoo, Butterfly Park, Boating from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM and for Safari from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM. The Park is closed on Tuesdays. Safari/Zoo ticket varies from Rs260 until 5000 (for a Private AC Car for 6 seater)

Open : Round the Year

Best Time: Round the Year but expect huge rush during Summer holidays (Apr/May), Dussehra Holidays (October) and year end Holidays (December) and of course during weekends.

Mammals in the national park : Bannerghatta National Park provides shelter to the Mammals like elephant, gaur, leopard, jackal, fox, wild pig, sloth bear, sambar, spotted deer, barking deer, common langur, bonnet macaque, porcupine and the hare.

Birds in the national park: Bannerghatta National Park also houses verity of Birds like cormorants, white ibis, little green heron, grey heron, paradise flycatcher, Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher, Common Grey Hornbill, White bellied Drong, Spotted Owlet, Collared Scop’s owl, Mottled Wood Owl, Eurasian Eagle owl and Brown Fish owl.

Animals in the Safari: Tiger, White Tiger, Lion, Bear, all kinds of Deer, Elephants are the major ones

How to reach there: Take the NICE road, take the Bannerghatta road exit towards Bannerghatta and after approx 4.5 kms. you should hit (to your left)  Bannerghatta police station and there you need to turn slightly right and then left towards the Bannerghatta zoological park. (it is confusing here and it might be a good idea to ask a passerby for the directions for the Zoo). Once you make that turn, another 3kms will take you to the Zoological park.

Want to beat the Rush? Want to do it conveniently? Want to stay in the middle of the park for a day?

If you belong to this league, you have an answer for this.

For those who wants a convenient way of doing things such as those who can afford to either stay a day in the middle of the park or want to do corporate meetings or outings in the middle of the nature, Tourism Department have built a nice 13-cottage resort in the middle of the park for you!! Staying here qualifies for the Safari automatically. 

You can beat the rush, no lines or mad rush, just book a nice cottage (or schools/corporates can book the dormitory which has capacity of 32) either for a day package or one night stay package and they will arrange the complete safari, zoo,  butterfly park, and all meals covered and everything else for you and and don’t have to worry about anything. They even have camp fire in the night, Nature Walk, Wildlife movie and lot of indoor and outdoor activities (volleyball, carom, chess, shuttle, TT, Cricket, Rings, children activity area and lot more).

[Any further questions or want to know how to book, drop us an or email to [email protected] OR call us any time on +918030178142 or WhatsApp us @ +919901175444. Also please do install WildTrails India App or read the below related blogs.]

2. Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary

[136 Kms south of Bangalore and on Mysore road;  approx. 4-hr drive]

#2 of all Wildlife Sanctuaries for Kids near Bangalore (the best bird sanctuary to take kids to)

Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary also known as Pakshi Kashi of Karnataka is a bird sanctuary in the Mandya District of the state of Karnataka in India. It is the largest bird sanctuary in the state, only 0.67 sq. kms in area, which is about 40 acres and comprises six islets on the banks of the Kaveri river. Ranganathittu is located three kilometers away from the historic town of Srirangapatna and 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) north of Mysore. The sanctuary attracted about 2.90 lakh visitors during 2011-12, which shows its notability as important bird sanctuary of India.

This is one of the best place to introduce kids to birds and nature and make them understand the reason why they migrate, their migratory paths and why they migrate etc – will go a long way in excelling in their geography, environent and biology topics for sure.

Distance from Bangalore: 136 Kms – approx. 2 hr 30 minutes

How to get there: Take the Bangalore Mysore Highway, cross Bidadi, Ramanagaram, Channapatna, Maddur, Mandya, Srirangapatna and right after Srirangapatna (within next 3 to 5 kms) you should see a sign board for Ranganathittu – take that exit to right and you should reach the destination in the next 3 to 4 kms.

(Google Map Coordinates:  12.425325, 76.653555)

What to do there?  Ranger-guided boat tours of the isles are available throughout the day, and are a good way to watch birds, crocodiles, otters and bats

Wildlife: Birds: Roughly 170 bird species have been recorded here. Of these, the painted stork, Asian openbill stork, common spoonbill, woolly-necked stork, black-headed ibis, lesser whistling duck, Indian shag, stork-billed kingfisher, egret, cormorant, Oriental darter, and heron breed here regularly. The great stone plover, and river tern also nest here. The park is home to a large flock of streak-throated swallows. During the months of January and February, more than 30 species of birds are found and the season of the sanctuary is from November to June. About 50 pelicans have made Ranganathittu as their permanent home. During winter months starting from mid-December, at certain seasons, as many as 40,000 birds congregate in this bird sanctuary and some birds come from Siberia, Latin America and parts of north India. Ranganathittu is a popular nesting site for the birds and about 8,000 nestlings were sighted during June 2011.

Mammals/Reptiles: The islands are host to numerous small mammals, including bonnet macaque, colonies of flying fox and common small mammals like common palm civet and Indian gray mongoose and the monitor lizard. The mugger crocodile or marsh crocodile is a common inhabitant of the riverine reed beds and Ranganathittu has largest freshwater crocodile population in Karnataka state.

Timings:  8.30 am to 6.00 pm.

Fee: Entrance: Rs.50 for Indians, Rs. 300 for Foreigners (Keeps varying; please check once at the entrance)

Best Time to Visit: November to June

Where to Stay?: You can wrap this up easily in a day from Bangalore but if you wish to stay overnight, unfortunately there are no lodging at this tiny sanctuary, and you have to stay over at Mysore or Srirangapatna.

[Any further questions or want to know how to book a dedicated boat or want to do  photo shoot and need early morning access, drop us an or email to [email protected] OR call us any time on +918030178142 or WhatsApp us @ +919901175444. Also please do install WildTrails India App or read the below related blogs.]

3. Dubare Wildlife Sanctuary

240 kms south west of Bangalore – 4.75 Hrs Drive

#3 of all Wildlife Sanctuaries for Kids near Bangalore

Dubare is known for its elephant camp, a forest camp on the banks of the river Kaveri in the district of Kodagu, Karnataka. It is an important base for the Karnataka Forest Department’s elephants.

The elephants for the Mysore Dussehra were trained at Dubare elephant camp[citation needed]. At present, after logging operations have ceased, the elephants have been practically retired except for giving some rides to tourists.

In addition to the elephant training camp, Nisargadhama and Veerabhoomi are the other main attractions of the forest area.

There are opportunities for trekking, elephant rides, fishing, and river rafting. These activities are hosted by tourism department. The Forest Department also conducts some treks along well-defined routes. The moist deciduous forests of Dubare are home to many wild animals and birds. Sightings of wild Asiatic elephants are regular and so is spotting the sambhar, the spotted deer, tigers, leopards, wild dogs, and gaur. Bears are also seen in these forests. Crocodiles can be seen in the river. The forests are also home to many reptiles and non-venomous snakes. Birdlife in Dubare has peacocks, partridges, kingfishers and woodpeckers topping the list.

The three-hour elephant interaction is destined to be the most unforgettable experience at Dubare camp, especially for kids. It kicks off with a 45 minute bath in the Cauvery, where you scrub an elephant and groom with oil from close proximity. You can also participate in feeding the elephants with ragi, jaggery, sugarcane, banana and coconuts. And finally, take a 45 minute elephant ride into the jungle. Rides around the camp can be arranged between 10 AM and 12 noon and between 4PM to 5 PM.

There are tourism department’s lodges where one can stay and they will organize all of it and is part of the package.

[Any further questions or want to know how to book a dedicated boat or want to do  photo shoot and need early morning access, drop us an or email to [email protected] OR call us any time on +918030178142 or WhatsApp us @ +919901175444. Also please do install WildTrails India App or read the below related blogs.]

Further Info:

If you need further info on Safari at Kabini without a Stay, or plan a visit to Kabini, and need further info or you want us to help you book safaris with a stay but at budget locations, contact us any time via an email to email to [email protected] OR call us any time on +918030178142 or WhatsApp us @ +919901175444. Also please do install WildTrails India App or read the below related blogs.

Related Useful Blogs to Top 10 Elephant Reserves Near Bangalore:

Top 10 Elephant Reserves Near Bangalore

Top 5 Tiger Reserves near Bangalore

The Unsung the Unknown but a Must Visit Tiger Reserve near Bangalore

The “Wildlife” jewel in the crown of Bangalore

TOP 10 One Day Wildlife Getaways from Bangalore  – last two (9th & 10th)

TOP 10 One Day Wildlife Getaways from Bangalore (PART 3 – 7th & 8th)

Top 10 one-day Wildlife Getaways from Bangalore (Part 2: The Next Three 4,5,6)

Top 10 one-day Wildlife Getaways from Bangalore (Part 1: The First Three)

Top 5 Long Weekend Wildlife Getaways from Bangalore!

Top 5 Wildlife Weekend getaways from Bangalore!

How to plan an Inexpensive Kabini Stay n Safari

The Enchanting Nagarhole!!

Its Raining Tigers at Nagarhole Kabini. The Data Speaks…

Top 5 India’s Tiger Reserves

Kabini Nagarhole Safari Timings

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Procedure to Book Bandipur Forest Department Lodges

Everything you want to know about Bandipur National Park including Safari Details

WildTrails ^(Tm) India App – “Discover Indian Wildlife Like Never Before“

PS: Please be a responsible wildlife tourist; No littering, No sounds, No feeding, no getting down from the safari jeep (when on safari), No phone calls. Remember that we are visiting their home and when we are there, let’s follow their rules.

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