A place of alluring scenic beauty and a home to the very rare and endangered birds is the Pushpagiri wildlife sanctuary. This sanctuary is not only an amusing area for bird watchers, but also one of the vital bird areas in the world. This sanctuary has the Kadamkkal reserve forest, as a part of it. The Kumaraparvat is a peak within this sanctuary. Kukke Subramanya, a popular and revered temple is also close to the northern part of the sanctuary.

Location

Spread over 102 kms, Pushpagiri wildlife sanctuary is located in the Somwarpet taluk of Kodaka district. Steep terrains and waterfalls are found in abundance in this sanctuary. The northern part of the sanctuary is the Bisle reserve forest and to the west, it is adjoined by the Kukke Subramanya forest range. This sanctuary also many swamps. The altitude varies from 160 to 1712 meters. The highest peak is Pushpagiri.

Flora and Fauna

Flora

The Pushpagiri wildlife sanctuary is one of the areas that have the tropical evergreen forests. The sanctuary has evergreen forest up to 70%. In the higher altitudes shola forests and grasslands can be found. The sanctuary has dense evergreen and semi evergreen forests.

Fauna

Being covered with evergreen forests, the Pushpagiri wildlife sanctuary is a home for only the endangered birds, but also various animals. Some of the mammals found here are, Brown Palm Civet, Asian elephant, gaur, otter species, stripe necked mongoose, Travancore flying, mouse deer, Indian mantjac, Indian giant squirrel, Indian hare, sambar and spotted deer. The monkey species found here are bonnet macaque, lion tailed macaque and langur.

As this is a vital bird sanctuary, the place has myriads of birds nestled. A few of what you can catch a glimpse here are Nilgiri wood pigeon, Nilgiri flycatcher, grey breasted laughing thrush, and black and orange flycatcher, which are near threatened bird species. Other birds found in this sanctuary are blue winged parakeet, grey headed bulbul, white bellied blue flycatcher, small sunbird and the Malabar grey hornbill.

The reptile this sanctuary homes are common cobra, Indian rock python, king cobra, bamboo pit viper and olive keelback.

Best Time to Visit

November to March is the ideal time to visit Pushpagiri wildlife sanctuary.

Accommodation

Accommodation options are not available inside the sanctuary. But, many homestay options and hotels are found too close for the tourists of Karnataka.

Visitor Information

• One can find jeeps for safari for Rs. 1200 to Rs. 1500.
• The forest is surrounded by misty clouds, and reaching to accommodation in the early evening is a safe option.
• It is advised to take a guide.

How to Reach

The nearest city to Pushpagiri wildlife sanctuary is Somwarpet.

Air

There are two airport options. Bangalore airport is 260 KM away from this sanctuary, and Mangalore airport is 135 KM from this sanctuary.

Rail

Mysore is the closest railhead, which is 146 km from here.

Road

Tourists need to travel to Madikeri from Mysore. From here, the sanctuary is 25 Km away.