Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary

Experience all the sights and sounds of the lush forests of Dandeli with a wildlife safari. Travel by jeep with experienced guides who will take you on the adventure of a lifetime, and delve deep into the natural habitat of wild animals, exotic birds and unusual reptiles.

Travel through beautiful wooded trails and appreciate the rich diversity of plant and animal life as the colours, scents and textures of this extraordinary landscape unfold before you.

If there were a ‘Who’s Who’ of exotic creatures then the inhabitants of the Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary would fill it! Elephants, wild pigs, tigers, rare black panthers, wild dogs, monkeys, deer and mongoose are just some of the fascinating mammals you can see while you are there.

Some of the more unusual mammals to look out for in the Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary

Sloth Bears are pretty odd looking creatures, they have no upper incisor teeth but have a very long tongue and they just love termites - love eating them, that is! The long tongue and lack of upper incisors help them to suck as many termites into their mouths as possible.

They have feet which turn inwards and long claws which they use to dig at termite hills. They also eat other insects, birds’ eggs and honey, and they have been spotted shaking trees and climbing them to get fruit.

Barking Deer live quietly in the sanctuary, you would hardly know they are there, apart from their call which sounds like a dog. If you are rowing down the Kali river and think you hear a dog barking - think again! Barking deer are solitary and timid, more usually spotted alone or in a pair than in a group. Be patient (and quiet) if you want to photograph one.

The Indian Pangolin is an amazing ant-eating creature, with overlapping scales which make it look like a Medieval knight in armour! These unusual scales are made up of hundreds of tiny hairs compressed together.

Like the Sloth Bear, the Pangolin likes to snack on termites and ants and has long claws which it uses to dig them up. When it comes to defending itself from tigers and other predators, the Pangolin curls up into a ball, letting it’s scales protect it.

The Malabar Giant Squirrel or Ratufa Indica is roughly the size of a small dog, with it’s tail about the same length as it’s body. It is very shy and, if it senses danger, it will flatten itself on a tree branch and blend in with the foliage. Although predominantly black, colouring can range through mixed red to black and off-white. Keep still and train your eyes on the nearest tree to spot one of these creatures.

Local Flora and Fauna and why Dandeli is a bird spotter’s paradise

The forest here is awash with colour, a mix of deciduous and evergreen trees including bamboo and teak plantations. The many fruit bearing trees provide food for the 196 species of birds in the area, and many of the plants are revered for their healing and medicinal properties. For example, the leaves of the Kydia Clycina are used to relieve muscular aches and pains.

Some of the birds which inhabit the area are the Great Pied Hornbill, Blue-Throated Barbet, Peregrine falcon and the curious-looking Malabar Pied Hornbill. This bird is quite large and has a yellow beak with a hard, helmet-like bump on top, called a ‘casque’.

There are over 200 species of birds in and around Dandeli, including:

1) Grey Jungle fowl 2) Indian Peafowl 3) Bar Headed Geese 4) Rufous Woodpecker 5) White Bellied Woodpecker 6) Brown Capped Pygmy Woodpecker 7) Yellow Crowned Woodpecker 8) Heart Spotted Woodpecker 9) Black Rumped Flameback 10) Greater Falmeback 11) Brown Headed Barbet 12) White Cheeked Barbet 13) Coppersmith Barbet 14) Malabar Grey Hornbill 15) Malabar Pied Hornbill 16) Great Hornbill 17) Malabar Trogon 18) Indian Roller 19) Common Kingfisher 20) White Throated Kingfisher 21) Blue Bearded Bee-eater 22) Green bee-eater 23) Blue Tailed Bee-eater 24) Chestnut Headed Bee-eater 25) Eurasian Cuckoo 26) Greater Coucal 27) Vernal Hanging Parrot 28) Plum Headed Parakeet 29) Malabar Parakeet 30) House Swift 31) Crested Tree Swift 32) Collard Scops Owl – heard 33) Brown Wood Owl – heard 34) Indian Nightjar 35) Blue Rock Pigeon 36) Mountain Imperial Pigeon 37) Spotted Dove 38) Emerald Dove 39) Yellow Footed Green Pigeon 40) Green Sandpiper 41) Common Sandpiper 42) Red Wattled Lapwing 43) Brahminy Kite 44) Grey Headed Fish Eagle 45) Crested Serpent Eagle 46) Black Eagle 47) Shikra 48) Oriental Honey Buzzard 49) Changeable Hawk Eagle 50) Little Cormorant 51) Indian Cormorant 52) Little Egret 53) Great Egret 54) Intermediate Egret 55) Cattle Egret 56) Indian Pond Heron 57) Grey Heron 58) Wooly Necked Stork 59) Asian Fairy Blue Bird 60) Golden Fronted Leafbird 61) Brown Shrike 62) Long Tailed Shrike 63) Pied Flycatcher Shrike 64) Rufous Treepie

65) House Crow 66) Large billed Crow 67) Ashy Wood Swallow 68) Eurasian Golden Oriole 69) Black Hooded Oriole 70) Large Cuckoo Shrike 71) Black Headed Cuckoo Shrike 72) Small Minivet 73) Scarlet MInivet 74) Black Drongo 75) Ashy Drongo 76) White Bellied Drongo 77) Bronzed Drongo 78) Spangled Drongo 79) Greater Racket Tailed Drongo 80) Black Naped Monarch 81) Asian Paradise Flycatcher 82) Common Iora 83) Large Woodshrike 84) Common Woodshrike 85) Blue Capped Rock Thrush 86) Malabar Whistling Thrush 87) Asian Brown Flycatcher 88) Red Throated Flycatcher - heard 89) White Bellied Blue Flycatcher 90) Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher 91) Verditer Flycatcher 92) Oriental Magpie Robin 93) White Rumped Shama 94) Pied Bushchat 95) Chestnust Tailed Starling 96) Common Myna 97) Jungle Myna 98) Chestnust Bellied Nuthatch 99) Velvet Fronted Nuthatch 100) Great Tit 101) Black Lored Tit 102) Wire Tailed Swallow 103) Red Rumped Swallow 104) Yellow Browed Bulbul 105) Black Bulbul – heard 106) Grey Breasted Prinia 107) Oriental White Eye 108) Common Tailor Bird 109) Booted Leaf Warbler 110) Greenish Warbler 111) Dark Fronted Babbler 112) Jungle Babbler 113) Brown Cheeked Fulvetta 114) Thick Billed Flowerpecker 115) Chestnut Shouldered Petronia 116) Tickell’s Flowerpecker 117) Purple Rumped Sunbird 118) Crimson Backed Sunbird 119) Purple Sunbird 120) Little Spiderhunter 121) House Sparrow 122) Forest Wagtail 123) Grey Wagtail 124) White Browed Wagtail 125) White Rumped Munia 126) Black Throated Munia 127) Scaly Breasted Munia

During August and September, Malabar Pied Hornbills flock to the Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary in large numbers to feast on the fruit trees. They create quite a show - not to be missed!

White water rafting, boating and crocodile sighting trips are also on offer

For adults and children who enjoy thrills and adventure, there is white water rafting at the Virnoli Rapids on the Kali river - imagine soaring through the surging water to the sounds of exotic birdsong, with sunlight filtering through the trees. An experience you’ll never forget!

If you want a more gentle way to appreciate the environment then the Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary also offers nature walks, bird watching, boating and fishing, and crocodile spotting trips.

here are many varied walking trails which give plenty of opportunities for photography, and an evening paddling down the Kali river in a coracle or canoe is both relaxing and exciting, as you spot a rare mammal or reptile - even a croc!

More about Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary

The sanctuary covers part of the rich forests of the Uttara Kannada District, on the banks of the river Kali. It was authorised as a sanctuary on 10th May 1956, and has since reduced in size, now incorporating the Anshi National Park. The sanctuary now covers an area of 834.16 square kilometres.

Altitude varies from 100m to 970m, the highest point is the Hegada Temba. Annual rainfall varies between 1250mm and 5000mm, averaging at 2500mm per year. There is easy access by road and rail, and convenient bus services.

The best time to enjoy the Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary is between March and October and the centre is open between 6am and 6pm. The forestry department provides minibus tours to the sanctuary and there are rest houses within its grounds. Camping facilities are at the nearby Kulgi Nature Camp, and large groups on educational visits can be easily accommodated.

There are so many attractions and opportunities on offer at Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary, whether you choose action and adventure with white water rafting or slow the pace down with peaceful birdwatching and wildlife photography. You’ll be spoilt for choice!