No. 2: Bannerghatta National Park and Surrounding Area

Going to the Bangalore Bannerghatta Zoo is an interesting outing. The zoo is located 25 minutes south of Bangalore. Your driver or taxi will know the best route for you.

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If you ask our daughter what she likes best about the zoo, she will quickly skip over the zoo and begin to describe the hikes and the picnic on the big granite hills which surround the Bannerghatta National Park area. I couldn’t agree with her more. The picnic spots we have found have fantastic views… not to mention the tinge of fear that keeps us on our toes, since at any moment a wild elephant might stomp past us.

Other highlights include climbing up the Bannerghatta National Park watch towers where you can experience even more fantastic views. Bring your binoculars, and look for an elephant. If you are a bird watcher, this is a great place to trek through at sunrise or sunset.

How to reach the picnic spot

Drive past the zoo entrance and follow the paved road about 2 kilometers until you reach iron gates that now close off the remaining road. Recently this gate has been locked closed. We park the car/taxi there and hike up or trek with our picnic, blanket and kite till we find the perfect spot. You can see from the photos that it really is beautiful.


Bangalore Zoo is fun. We have seen giant rats eating from the monkey's plate of food!	The elephants are a highlight as they usually have their baby calf with them.

Meeting other tourists at the zoo...


When we visit the zoo, we often meet families from different parts of India who are tourists or visiting their family in Bangalore.	This is the mother of a software engineer who works in Bangalore. She is from Rajasthan. Notice her ethnic jewelry and bangles all the way up her arm.

The picnic and the hike is what we like best...


We pack a picnic lunch and hike up the granite hills till we find the perfect picnic spot.	It is very windy up here... a great place to fly a kite.

Let's go fly a kite!
...... Notice the view.

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Info File:

Zoo website: www.kstdc.nic.com

Bannerghatta National Park Phone: 78-28425

The Zoo also offers what they call a “Safari” to see lions and tigers in large open surroundings. I remember the safari more like a wild roller coaster ride to the gates of the safari park. Sitting in the front seat probably added to that wild ride experience.

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