The Daroji Sloth Bear Sanctuary is also known as Karadi by the locals. The speciality of this place is that the sloth bears live in open habitats such as scrub forests, rocky terrains and lovely areas full of water bodies. This place also has lots of Mahuva trees that are favorites for the vegetarian bears as the honey from the flowers is loved by them. Sugarcane and maize are also part of their regular diet.

The sanctuary is in Hampi, which is in the Bellary district of Karnataka. It is a renowned world heritage site and is protected by the Forest Department of Karnataka. The sanctuary was founded in 1994 and has since proved to be an ideal habitat for the sloth bear and in turn has become a very popular tourist attraction.

The area stretching from Daroji of Sandur and Ramasagar of Hospet is a rocky area which has been the house of sloth bears from many years ago. The Karnataka Government later declared large portions of the Bilikallu Reserve Forests as the Daroji Bear Sanctuary.

There are many kinds of sloth bears living here. Apart from the bears there are other lovely animals that you can find here such as the leopards, hyenas, jackals, wild boars, porcupines, pangolins, star tortoises, monitor lizards, mongoose, peafowls, partridges, painted spur hens, quails and a variety of beautiful butterfly species.

The sloth bears are only found in India and Sri Lanka and look quite different from other bear species. These have long and darks coat of hair on their bodies. The unique features in their bodies are the V-shaped chevrons on their chests. Their fore limbs are longer than their hind limbs, their feet are hairless and have curved claws. The heads are comparatively large. Their ears and eyes are smaller in proportion to their heads and because of this they have a very poor vision and hearing sense but they have a fantastic ability to smell their prey. These bears are mostly vegetarians and look for food at night while they sleep in the daytime.

• The best time to visit this place is during the months of August to April.
• Photography is allowed here.
• To watch the bears coming down from the caves above the Karadikallu Gudda, you have to wait and watch from the watch tower on the opposite side.
• Try to wear clothes of dark and natural colours and avoid light and white coloured clothes.

• Rs 50 per person for Indians.
• Rs 300 per person for foreigners.
• Rs 500 per car is charged.

• The nearest airport is the Bellary Airport.
• The nearest railway station is Hospet.

• Mango Tree Restaurant
• Laughing Buddha
• Shesh Besh Restaurant
• Golden paradise
• Gouthami Restaurant
• All Tribes Cafe
• Gopi Rooftop Restaurant
• The Goan Corner
• Geetha Riverview Restaurant
• Shiv Moon Restaurant
• Mayura Bhuvaneshwari
• Prinsey Restaurant
• Sri Krishna Hotel
• Savaji Restaurant
• Karavari Cafe Restaurant

Love this? Explore the entire list of places to visit in Hampi before you plan your trip.

Fancy a good night's sleep after a tiring day? Check out where to stay in Hampi and book an accommodation of your choice.