Geographically coming under the Nilgiri mountain range, Nagarhole National Park is spread across Coorg and Mysore districts of Karnataka. The name is the combination of two Kannada words, 'Naga,' meaning snake and 'hole,' meaning streams. True to its name, quite a few serpentine streams pass through this rich tropical forest and shallow valleys. There are grassy swamps where the soil is clayey, perennially moist which support a luxuriant growth of greenery all year. Nagarhole is still home to tribal folk called the Kurumbas. In the past, the park was an exclusive hunting reserve of the kings of Mysore. It was set up in 1955 as a wildlife sanctuary, upgraded into a national park in 1983 and declared as a tiger reserve in 1999.
The predominant vegetation in the Nagarhole National Park is of southern tropical, moist, mixed deciduous type with a substantial eastern portion integrating into dry deciduous type. Nagarhole is flourished with important predators and carnivores to bring the most wildering effects on the wildlife lovers where they can witness tremendous counts of tiger, leopard, wild dog, sloth bear and the hyena. Even the girded area is also adhered with many herbivores like spotted deer, sambar, barking deer, four-horned antelope, gaur, wild boar and elephant. The total elephant population in South India is about 6500, nearly all living in the area where Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala adjoin in the shadow of the Western Ghats.
Other mammalian miscellany includes the, Bonnet macaque, jungle cat, slender Loris, common langur, civet cat, leopard-cat, mongoose, common otter, giant flying squirrel, giant squirrel, porcupine, jackal, mouse-deer, hare and pangolin. Over 250 species of avians can also be traced in the Nagarhole vicinity where the enormous variety of woodland birds can be explicitly found. The most commonly found reptiles are the marsh crocodile, monitor lizard, rock python and several other species can be represented in the area. Aquatic and terrestrial tortoises, frogs, toads and tree frogs and myriad insects, including some very colorful butterflies, adorn this lovely southern jungle of India. The dry months (February to June) are the best time to spot the wildlife here, especially on the banks of the river, in the area next to and around the reservoir, and in the hadlus (grassy marshlands) – though the heat from April onwards does tend to get uncomfortable.
Herds of elephants are a common sight on the Kabini riverbanks. The rainy season, between July and October, is best avoided, since much of the terrain is slushy. The forest department provides many types of safari experience. Jeep safari is the best for spotting large herbivores like leopard, elephant, tiger and others. Boat safari is available on the river Kabini. This safari is the best to spot aquatic wildlife like water birds, crocodiles and others. Coracle rides are also available in the river. Coracle is an Indian round boat that is best for slow drifting. The change in terrain throughout the park is refreshing and the river system provides a unique wildlife viewing experience.