For a walk on the wild side, look no further than the southern outskirts of Bangalore city, where you can find everything from avifauna to panthers in the Bannerghatta National Park. Established in 1971, it comprises of the safari park with a herbivore safari, a lion safari, picnic corner, crocodile farm, serpentarium, pets corner, and a museum besides a park consisting of pre-historic animals. Teeming with exotic species of wildlife, the park boasts of astonishing variety of trees like sandal, jalari, chujjullu, neem, tamarind, zizyphus among others. It is encircled by scenic hills, with many ancient temples perched on them.

The 104 sq km park is home to panthers, lions, tigers and a large variety of birds. Some of the other inhabitants of the park include wild pigs, panthers, bears, sambar, spotted deer, and the black buck. Huge monitor lizards as well as cobras, pythons, kraits and Russell vipers roam in the park. The avian population comprises pelicans, cormorants, painted storks, white ibis and spoonbills.Indulge your sense of adventure with a lion and tiger safari for a one-to-one with the big cats. You could also wander through the Zoological Garden, with its canopy of shady and sturdy trees, find a quiet resting spot beside a pond and watch waterfowl frolic. The zoo boasts an amazing reptile collection; the snake park lets you get up close and personal with the scaly, slithery creatures. A children's corner provides an added attraction.