It was established as a wildlife sanctuary in 1955 and was upgraded into a national park in 1988. It was declared as the 37th Tiger reserve under Project Tiger in 1999.
The Park lies in the Western Ghats and is a part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
The Nagarahole River flows through the park, which joins the Kabini River which also is a boundary between Nagarahole and Bandipur Ntional Park.
The vegetation consists mainly of moist deciduous forests with predominating trees of teak and rosewood.
