December 26, 2017

My TripAdvisor Review No.273: Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, Karnataka.

Nature Lover's Paradise.

The Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary was the highlight of our three day stay at Srirangapatna. It is located 3 km from Srirangapatna and 16 km north of Mysore on the KRS dam (Brindavan Garden) road. Public buses are available from Mysore city to visit the sanctuary, if you do not have your own transport.

We had to pay an entry fee of Rs.70 per person, and Rs.50 for car parking. Foreigners have to pay Rs.400, and there are additional charges for your camera with zoom lenses. Guided boat tours are also chargeable at Rs.70 per head (foreigner Rs.400), and the last boat is at 5.45 pm. It is worth taking the boat as you can get closer to the islands where the birds reside, and get to see them from close quarters.

The boat guides know the names of the individual species of birds and even point out the crocodiles which look just like the rocks on which they are sleeping. We got the creepy feeling when we saw the crocs from so near, but they just ignored us. There are enough fish in the Kaveri for them, and the birds, to feed on. We saw many species of birds nesting on the trees. There were pelicans, storks, egrets, cormorants, ibis, swallows and heron. We even saw a pair of otters feeding on fish on one rock, which is quite a rare sight.

After the boat ride one can relax on the many benches in the nice gardens and viewing galleries on the shore. Refreshments are available in a restaurant near the parking lot.

The season for watching the water birds is from November to June, but the best time is in December-January when migratory birds from as far away as Siberia and Latin America visit Ranganathittu for nesting.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

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