Nagarholae 11 51' to 12 15' N latitude and 76 00' to 76 17' E longitude, is the closest National Park to Bangalore, South India- just 200 kms from Bangalore and 60 kms South west of Mysore by road. Spread over 645 sq kms of thick forest cover comprising seven forest ranges, this National Park is considered as the one of the best maintained wild life habitats in India. It is a part of the Nilgiri bio-sphere with the Bandipur National Park and the Mudumalai Wild Life Sanctuary to its South and the Wyanad Wild Life Sanctuary in Kerala to it's west.

Nagarholae was declared as a National Park in 1983 and named as the Rajiv Gandhi National Park. The undulating terrain of the Park is crisscrossed by many rivers a prime source of fresh water in the region. The Kabini river, a tributary of the Cauvery, which has been dammed, to create a large irrigation reservoir is the best known.

The vegetation varies according to the elevation and rainfall and therefore the eastern parts of the park support a dry deciduous forest cover. The central and western portions of the park receive more rainfall and here the forests are moist deciduous to semi-evergreen. Masal-betta is the highest point of the park at 959 meters above MSL and the Kabini River the lowest at 701 meters above MSL.

The temperature ranges between 35 C to 10 C with the peak summer months being March and April. To the temperature ranges between 30 C to 10 C with the peak summer months being March and April. This National Park is an all season destination with a dramatic change in the vegetation with the onset of the monsoon rains. Generally the days are warm and dry and the nights are cool.

This National Park is home to a wide range of mammals, birds and reptiles. Amongst herbivores the Asiatic elephant, Gaur, Sambar deer and spotted deer are commonly sighted. Predators like the Tiger, Leopard and Wild Dog are less easily sighted.

There are almost 250 species of birds in these forests.