Anshi National Park

Anshi National Park is located in Uttara Kannada distirct of Karnataka. It also borders Goa. The 340 sq.km. park adjoins the Dandeli wildlife sanctuary, and together with six other protected areas in the states of Goa and Maharashtra, forms a protected forest area of over 2200 sq.km.

The forest in the area was declared the Dandeli wildlife sanctuary on 10 May 1956. The state suggested to carve out a section of the sanctuary to form the Anshi national park. The proposal was implemented on 2 September 1987. Initially the proposal covered 250 sq.km., but when the final notification of the park area was issued in 2002, it was extended by another 90 sq.km., to form the total 340 sq.km. Anshi and Dandeli were granted the status of Project Tiger sanctuaries in January 2007.

Anshi National Park is located in the western ghats range and it's altitude varies from 200m to 925m above sea level. The Coordinates of Anshi National Park are 15°01′00″N 74°23′00″E. The topography of the park is such that it has deep valleys, steep hill slopes and dense forests. The temperature ranges between 16-37 degree Celsius.The park is situated in the North Western Ghats mountain rain forests and North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests eco-regions, both of which are deemed endangered by the World Wildlife Fund. It is a region that has high rainfall but, because the lateritic soil has very little water-holding capacity, the water holes go dry very early in summer. To overcome the scarcity of water for animals in the Park, a borewell pumps water into a man-made tank.

The management of National parks and sanctuaries in the state is the responsibility of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wild life). Anshi National Park and the adjoining Dandeli wildlife sanctuary together form the Dandeli Wildlife Division of the Karnataka Forest Department. It is headed by a Deputy Conservator of Forests.

The forests in the area are rich in flora and fauna. Trees and plants that can be found here include Bamboo, Bauhinia, Eucalyptus, Lantana, Silver Oak, Teak and Xylia xylocarpa.

The forest area was known for its manganese in the past, the mining for which resulted in wildlife moving away from the forest. In the recent past, the mining has been stopped and the animals are slowly returning back. The park is a habitat of melanistic leopards, tigers and elephants and other fauna like a variety of Bonnet Macaque, deer (barking, mouse and spotted), Indian bison, Malabar Civet, Malabar giant squirrel, pangolin and sloth bear. Besides, the black panther, elephants and tigers are rare species found in the park.Reptiles spotted in the park include the King Cobra, Krait, Python, Rat snake and Viper. The unique feature of the park is that it is the only place in Asia where black panther is found, naturally.

Around 200 species of birds are found in the park. These include the Adjutant Stork, Ashy Woodswallow, Black-crested Bulbul, Blue-headed Pitta, Brahminy Kite, Broad-billed Roller, Crested Serpent Eagle, Great Hornbill, Golden-backed Woodpecker, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Sri Lanka Frogmouth and Yellow-footed Green Pigeon.

Best time to visit Anshi National Park is from November to June.
There are three means of reaching this park:

1. Air: Nearest airport to the park is Dharwad 106 kms and Belgaum 150 Kms
2. Rail: Nearest Railway station is Karwar (60 kms), Londa (100kms) or Dharwad 106 Kms
3. Road: There are regular buses from Dandeli to Bangalore (523 km), Panaji (150km), Dharwad (106kms), Belgaum (150kms), Karwar(60kms) Pune and Mumbai. From Bangalore it is 580 Kms to Anshi National Park.

Accommodation is not available in the park, except for the nature camp for trekkers. You will need to stay at Dandeli or Dharwad. There are luxury resorts and Government guest houses in Dandeli.

Visitors might be interested in seeing some of the tourist spots nearby, which include the Ulvi Channabasaveshwara temple just outside the southeastern boundary of the Park, Kadra Valley viewpoint (12 km from Anshi) and Karwar beach (55 km from Anshi). Not far from the Ulvi temple are the Akalagavi and Mahamuni caves, the Harallayana Chilume and the Rudrakshi Mantap.