My Jungle Junction

Biligiri Ranganatha Temple (BRT) Tiger Reserve

Where the Western and Eastern Ghats meet, BRT offers quiet jeep safaris through hill forest with tigers, elephants and gaur, far from the crowds of Karnataka's better-known parks.

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15+ years of travel experience
Hosted by Amit (MJJ)

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Plan Your Safari

Talk to a wildlife specialist.

By submitting, you agree to be contacted by My Jungle Junction.

By submitting, you agree to our Cancellation & Refund Policy and Privacy Policy.

My Jungle Junction's Guide to BRT Tiger Reserve

The BRT Tiger Safari Experience

BRT's safaris are run largely from the K Gudi area, where the forest department and Jungle Lodges and Resorts operate the main tourism set-up. Visitors usually take a morning and an afternoon jeep ride, so two nights is the practical minimum and three lets you slow down and add a walk or a temple visit. We usually suggest arriving the afternoon before your first safari, so you are rested and ready for an early start in the hills.

The reserve began as a wildlife sanctuary around the Biligiri Ranganatha Swamy temple in 1974 and was extended in 1987. Karnataka declared it a tiger reserve in January 2011. The Soliga community, who have lived in these hills for generations, remain part of the story and of the conservation effort.

575

sq. km reserve

1 + 1

Core + Buffer zones

2011

Declared National Park

BRT Safari Packages

My Jungle Junction's Bestselling BRT Safari Packages

We plan BRT itineraries around the way the park actually works, not a generic template. Because only a limited number of safari slots run each day, we confirm accommodation and safari timing together before anything else. Amit and the team book permits and vehicles early, choose lodges for the gate you will use, and can combine BRT with Nagarhole, Bandipur or Kabini so the trip has a sensible rhythm. Tell us your dates and group, and we will build around them.

How Many Safaris Should You Do in BRT?

Two Nights, Two Safaris a Day

BRT is not a park where you need to cram in six rides. Sightings come from patience and variety rather than volume, and the reserve runs on a limited number of jeep slots each day. Most of our guests do one morning and one afternoon safari per night, usually over two or three nights, and spend the gaps on bird walks and the surrounding hills.

Two safaris is a good taste, but it gives you only one day in the forest, so we treat it as a stopover on a longer Karnataka route. It works if you are short on time or already visiting the area.

Three or four safaris over two nights is the sweet spot. You see the forest in morning light and afternoon light, and elephants, gaur and sambar are well within reach.

Five or six rides over three nights give the best odds of a tiger or leopard, and the time to enjoy the hills. BRT suits patient, nature-first travellers and families who like a quiet forest more than a sightings race.

Best Safari Zones

Safari Zones in BRT

BRT Tiger Reserve covers roughly 575 square kilometres, with a core and a buffer, and spreads across Chamarajanagar district. Tourism is concentrated rather than spread across numbered zones: most visitors enter through the K Gudi side, where the forest department and Jungle Lodges and Resorts run jeep safaris on set routes. Other parts of the reserve are not open for general safaris. We confirm the current routes and timings at the time of booking, because they are set by the forest department and can change.

K Gudi (Main Tourism Area)

The principal safari base in BRT. Morning and afternoon jeep safaris run from here along forest-department routes.

Core Area

The reserve's critical habitat of about 359 sq km, where access is controlled and routes are set by the forest department.

Buffer Area

About 216 sq km surrounding the core, with villages, forest and the Soliga settlements.

How to Reach & When to Visit

How to Reach & Best Time to Visit BRT

✈️

By Air

Bengaluru (Kempegowda) is the practical airport. The K Gudi area is roughly 210 km by road, so allow a long half-day. Mysuru is the other common gateway.

🚆

By Train

Mysuru and Chamarajanagar are the nearest useful railheads. From either, hire a taxi for the transfer into the hills.

🚗

By Road

K Gudi is roughly 210 km from Bengaluru via Kanakapura, Malavalli, Kollegala and the Gumballi check-post, and about 30 km from Chamarajanagar. The hill road is narrow in places.

Best Time to Visit BRT

BRT is open for much of the year, and the forest is lush after the rains. Temperatures stay moderate in the hills.

🍂
Winter
Oct - Feb

Cool, clear mornings and the most comfortable weather for safaris. Good birdwatching and reliable elephant and gaur sightings.

☀️
Summer
Mar - May

Dry and warmer, with animals moving to remaining water. A good window for tiger and leopard, but afternoons are hot.

🌧️
Monsoon
Jun - Sep

The hills are green and misty. Safaris depend on road and forest-department conditions, and sightings drop with dense foliage. Check before travelling.

MJJ Insight : Book your lodge and safari slots together, well ahead of weekends and holidays. Jeep slots are limited and we confirm them before your flights.

The Wildlife of BRT

Beyond the Tiger: BRT's Wildlife

BRT's wildlife list is long. Besides tiger and leopard, you may see Asian elephant, gaur, sambar, chital, barking deer, wild boar and the shy four-horned antelope. Sloth bear and dhole are present, and the Indian giant squirrel and grey langur are common along the roadsides. The reserve links the Western and Eastern Ghats, so the bird list includes both hill and plains species, and reptiles and butterflies add interest after the rains. Elephants are the most dependable large animal here, and quiet drivers and guides make a real difference to what you see.

Biligiri Ranganatha Temple (BRT) Tiger Reserve - wildlife sighting
Biligiri Ranganatha Temple (BRT) Tiger Reserve - wildlife sighting
Biligiri Ranganatha Temple (BRT) Tiger Reserve - wildlife sighting
Biligiri Ranganatha Temple (BRT) Tiger Reserve - wildlife sighting

Wildlife Highlights of BRT

No celebrity tigers, but a conservation story worth knowing

BRT has no named tiger that dominates the guidebooks, and we would rather say that than invent one. Its fame is the landscape itself, the elephant herds and the conservation effort around it, which together make it a reserve worth knowing even without a headline animal. Karnataka declared it a tiger reserve in January 2011, and the Soliga community's role in protecting the hills is widely recognised.

Soliga K Gudi Elephants Gaur Four-horned antelope

Unlike parks with a single celebrity tigress, BRT is known for its habitat. It links two great mountain ranges, which allows elephants and tigers to move between forests rather than being stranded in one.

Elephant herds, gaur and sloth bear are regular sightings, so every drive has something to offer. The area was a wildlife sanctuary from 1974, enlarged in 1987, and became a tiger reserve in 2011. The Soliga people continue to live in and around the reserve and are widely recognised for their knowledge of the forest. In recent years their community forest rights have been part of the conservation conversation here.

For visitors, this means you come for atmosphere and variety. Tiger and leopard sightings are a bonus, and the guides can tell you which animals have been seen recently.

Your Stay in BRT

Your Stay in BRT

Where to Stay in BRT

Most visitors stay at the forest-department camp at K Gudi, run with Jungle Lodges and Resorts, which puts you at the safari starting point. Other lodges and homestays are found around BR Hills and in the villages towards Chamarajanagar and Yelandur. Choose by distance to the safari gate, because the hill roads are slow after dark. We recommend booking early for weekends. If you want a different level of comfort, ask us about options in the wider area, and we will match them to your safari timings and budget.

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Safari Etiquette

Dos and Don'ts on a Biligiri Ranganatha Temple safari

✓ Dos

  • ✓ Keep your voice low inside the forest.
  • ✓ Listen to your guide and naturalist.
  • ✓ Respect safari routes and forest regulations.
  • ✓ Carry water, sun protection and suitable clothing.
  • ✓ Keep your camera ready without disturbing wildlife.

✕ Don'ts

  • ✕ Ask the driver to break rules.
  • ✕ Request a driver to block an animal's movement.
  • ✕ Feed wildlife.
  • ✕ Throw anything from the vehicle.

Why Should You Visit BRT

A quiet Ghats reserve with elephants, gaur and a healthy tiger population

BRT is where you go when you want a tiger reserve without the queue. It is a genuine meeting point of the Western and Eastern Ghats, so the vegetation changes as you climb, and the wildlife follows. Elephants, gaur and sloth bear are regular sightings, and tigers and leopards are present for those who give the forest time. The Soliga people, who have long lived in these hills, add a human dimension to the visit that you rarely find elsewhere. It also fits easily into a longer southern route with Bandipur, Nagarhole or Kerala's reserves.

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FAQs

Frequently asked questions about Biligiri Ranganatha Temple

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