BRT Wildlife Sanctuary, BR Hills

BRT Wildlife Sanctuary is the prime attraction of the BR Hills, which is situated in southern region of Karnataka, between the Tungabhadra River and Cauvery River. Otherwise known as Bilgiri Rangaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary, it is spread over an area of 540 sq km and lies at an elevation of 5,091 feet above sea level.

This wildlife sanctuary is a protected site under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. Travellers planning to visit this wildlife sanctuary will get the chance to see different species of flora and fauna.

BRT Wildlife Sanctuary is home to animals like elephants, sambars, endangered tigers and gaurs, to name a few. The sanctuary inhabits about 116 species of butterflies and 22 species of reptiles. There are approximately 225 species of birds in this sanctuary, namely whistling thrush, yellow-throated bulbul, racquet-tailed drongo, crested hawk eagle, crested serpent eagle, hill myna and many others.

As far as floral species are concerned, the BRT Wildlife Sanctuary includes evergreen, dry scrub, grassland vegetation, deciduous and savanna. All these can be explored by visitors via jeep safaris and elephant rides.

Apart from exploring the different flora and fauna species, tourists can undertake adventure activities at this site, such as amateur fishing, coracle boat rides and professional angling, among others. Tourists planning trip to the BRT Wildlife Sanctuary should visit the site from October to May.