Safari resumes at Bandipur tiger reserve after three months

After about three months, Joseph, the driver of a Safari vehicle was elated to take tourists for Safari trip at Bandipur Tiger reserve in Gundlupet taluk of Chamarajanagar district on Sunday.

Followed by formal Government order, the Safari trips resumed at Bandipur on Sunday. At Nagarahole Tiger Reserve, JLR vehicles resumed Safari trips on Sunday, Government vehicles will begin trips on Monday.

Followed by a report of a technical committee to assess eco tourism carrying capacity, Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment Eshwar B Khandre announced the decision on Wednesday to lift the ban, phase wise, by restricting timings and trips with various conditions. The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden Kumar Pushkar passed the order after the State Government's formal approval on Saturday.

In Bandipur Tiger Reserve ecotourism range, the department has permitted 31 trips including 19 by the Forest department and 12 by Jungle Lodges and Resorts; for a period of 2.5 hour per trip; and for only five hours per day from 6.30am to 9am and 3.30pm and 6pm.

In Nagarahole Tiger Reserve, at Sunkadakatte ecotourism range, department has permitted 36 trips including 13 by forest department and 23 by JLR, for a period of three hour for per trip; and for six hours per day from 6.30am to 9.30pm and 3pm to 6pm.

In NTR, at Nagarahole (near Veeranahosahalli) ecotourism range, they have permitted 14 trips including six by forest department and eight by JLR for a period of two hours per trip; for four hours per day from 7am to 9am and 3pm to 5pm.

The safaris were banned on November 7, 2025 owing to demands by farmers' leaders, followed by four repeated incidents of human-animal conflicts between October 26 and November 7 on the fringes of BTR in Sargur taluk of Mysuru district, resulting in the death of three farmers and injury of one person.