An encounter with exotic birds at Rangnathittu Bird Sanctuary Mysore

“As we sat in our boats, rowing around the river – extremely huge pelicans glided overhead. 

I whispered to hubby – ” I feel like we are in the Jurassic Park or in a mythical land with huge birds flying overhead” 

And he replies – I was feeling exactly the same!” 

At that moment our boat rocked, and the guide cum driver informed calmly –

“Looks like we just collided with a crocodile !! “

 

Such was our day at Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary on our trip to Srirangapatna with overnight stay at the Royal Orchid Brindavan Garden near the royal city of Mysore.

Although we have made several trips to Mysore before. But, never got to explore Srirangapatna and around. So, we made this trip to the historical sites of Srirangapatna and the Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary along with overnight stay at Royal Orchid Brindavan Garden. After starting early from our home around 5:30 am, we visited Srirangapatna Temple and several sites inside Srirangapatna Fort. And then proceeded to Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary. Let us take you through our trip to Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary – a paradise for bird lovers and bird photographers. You can easily do a day trip to Rangnathittu Bird Sanctuary from Bangalore.

How to reach Ranganathittu Bird Santuary

Rangnathittu Bird Sanctuary lies in Mandya district of Karnataka. It is just 12 km from the historical town of Srirangapatna, 15 km from KRS Dam and Brindavan Gardens and 30km from the royal city of Mysore. One can easily reach here from Mysore in 1 hour and from Bangalore in 3.5 hours along the Bangalore – Mysore highway. Driving on your own will be most convenient. Although tourist buses to the sanctuary also operate.  The Rangnathittu Bird Sanctuary is located right besides the Kaveri or Cauveri River – one of the most important rivers of Karnataka.

Rangnathittu Bird Santuary entrance fee

Bird Sanctuary entry fee : For Indian Adults : INR 50 , for kids : INR 25 (For children 5 years and older). for Foreign adults : INR 300

Parking fee for car : INR 30, for motorbikes : INR 15

Camera Fee : INR 500 for large cameras

Boating fee is separate. And the tickets have to be purchased at the same ticket counter where you buy the entrance fee.

Boating ticket fee per adult is INR 100 and per child is INR 35 (For children 5 years and older)

Timing of Rangnathittu Bird Sanctuary

9:00 am to 6:00 pm everyday.

To spend ample amount of time and enjoy the park completely, target to reach early. You will likely spend 3-4 hours in the Rangnathittu Bird Sanctuary to enjoy everything that it has got to offer.

A virtual tour of Rangnathittu Bird Sanctuary

Entry

Once we reached Rangnathittu Bird Sanctuary, we were delighted to find a huge parking facility. We parked our car in an empty spot. And then proceeded towards the ticket counter.

After we took our entry tickets, we entered inside from the gate next to the ticket booth. PS : outside food is not allowed beyond this point. But you can carry your water bottle.

Once we entered inside, right in front was a small artificial pond and some shades to rest, along with couple of vending carts selling juice and icecream. We also bought icecream for our kids and then proceeded further towards our right.

The first thing that caught my eyes was a beautiful quote by Dr. Salim Ali  . Next we went to this elevated spot to watch some birds flying over the river.

What birds are present in Rangnathittu Bird Sanctuary

Following are the birds that you can spot at Rangnathittu Bird Sanctuary. And at different places,  there are boards with pictures of these birds and general information about their species. Something really educational for the kids as well as for us adults :

• Painted Stork
• Common Spoonbill
• Asian Openbill Stork
• Black Headed Ibis
• Bonnet Macaque

Apart from these birds that you get to witness all around, the biodiversity center contains a few more species like the monitor lizard, the flying fox and Indian Mongoose.

Boating around the islands of river Kauveri

Soon we were at the boating point. From here, we sat on a rowing boat. And began our tour through the river Kaveri. We circled around the islands. The trees on the islands were full of painted storks, common spoonbills and openbill Storks.

While on the rocks on some of the islands sat huge crowd of Black Headed Ibis.

Some of the large storks glided through the air right above us, diving in the river for their prey. While some others flattered their wings, settling on the top of the trees.

Overall, it was an experience to behold. We spent little over half an hour doing the tour around in the river, circling from around a couple of islands, reaching back to the same point where we had boarded.

The boutique souvenirs shop inside the campus

Right opposite to the boating point is a souvenir shop which you can check out. It contained a lot of wooden and bamboo made decor pieces and souvenirs. However, I gave the shop a pass, as shopping was nowhere on my agenda this time 🙂

Viewing tower

After the boating point, as you walk further, there is a viewing tower accessible to the visitors. From atop this tower, you can get uninterrupted views of the birds gliding around the clear sky. And the steps of this viewing tower make for a perfect instagram spot to take group pictures.

Hanging Bridge

After the viewing tower comes the hanging bridge or suspension bridge that takes you across narrow canal and artificial ponds.

Glass Bottom Bridge

Right after the hanging bridge comes the glass bottom bridge which passes over another artificial pond wherein you can see fishes swimming below your feet through the glass bottom.

Butterfly Park

After the glass bottom bridge comes the butterfly park. A small area which has nectar flowers and creepers to attract butterflies. Also, a butterfly shaped photo spot that my kids made 100% use of 🙂

Biodiversity centre

There is a small biodiversity hub inside the bird sanctuary that contains some rare species like monitor lizard and flying fox.

Also, apart from the above, there are several small manicured gardens, pathways with shades of trees and benches on the sides to rest your feet. You can easily spend hours roaming around all of these like we did. Before finally coming out of the park near the parking lot.

Where to eat near Rangnathittu Bird Sanctuary

As we came out in the parking lot, it was noon and we were wondering where to stop for lunch. Before starting from Rangnathittu Bird Sanctuary, we thought to drink some sugercane juice from one of the juice counters there. The guy at the counter told us there was a canteen on the other side. So, we decided to venture there.

To our delight, the canteen was basic but had enough options for our lunch. Near the canteen there are other counters selling tea, coffee and more varieties of juice.

After finishing lunch here, we started for Royal Orchid Brindavan Garden.

What is the best season to visit Rangnathittu Bird Sanctuary

The best time to visit Rangnathittu Bird Sanctuary will be the winter season of November through February. The summer months that tend to follow are very harsh. And the islands often get flooded in the monsoon months of June through September. When the flooding happens, the park is also closed to visitors.

Although we visited in the first week of November, still the sun was pretty harsh. however, given the bird sanctuary is on the banks of the river and also has thick fauna. So, once inside the park, we didn’t feel the heat. Only cool breeze from across the river and through the trees. As long as you walk through the shades, you will feel pretty comfortable. Even if visiting in mid noon.

Other places to visit along with Rangnathittu Bird Sanctuary

Along with Rangnathittu Bird Sanctuary, one can easily plan to visit Brindavan Garden, one of the most beautiful gardens of India.

And the historical town of Srirangapatna that hosts several important places related to the life and times of Tipu Sultan like Colonel Dailey’s dungeon, Tipu Sultan’s palace, the site where Tipu Sultan fell on his last battleground in the Srirangapatna Fort, the tomb of Tipu Sultan etc. All these sites are located very close to each other. And they can be easily covered in half a day, along with the Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangapatna.

If you have more time, stay overnight somewhere nearby or in Mysore. And visit the town of Mysore the next day before returning back.

Or, if you are staying overnight, you can visit other places on your way back to Bangalore like the Channapatna Toy Factory, Janapada Loka Folk Art Museum, Sula Wineyard and the attractions of the town of Ramanagara.

Where to stay near Rangnathittu Bird Sanctuary

If you intend to stay overnight, your best bet are hotels in Mysore. As the city of Mysore is just an hour away. And you will find plenty of hotel or resort or even homestay options in Mysore. Click here to book a hotel in Mysore. There are some stay options nearby as well. Like when you drive towards KSR Dam area, there are some resorts you will cross on the way. We stayed at Royal Orchid Brindavan Garden on our visit to Rangnathittu Bird Sanctuary and Srirangapatna from Bangalore. As, it was a long pending bucketlist item for us. To stay here and enjoy an exclusive experience of the Brindavan Garden. You can read the details of our stay at Royal Orchid Brindavan Garden here.

General tips on visiting Rangnathittu Bird Sanctuary

• Carry a water bottle with you, there are water tanks present inside the campus where you can refill
• Wear hat to protect from direct sunlight
• It is not allowed to carry food inside the campus
• Don’t attempt to feed the birds or other animals in the park
• The area is a plastic free zone, so, please be mindful of that
• Park in the shade of trees so that your vehicle doesn’t get too hot while it awaits you in the parking
• Reserve half a day to extensively cover the bird sanctuary
• Be careful when taking a boat ride. It is a row boat that needs to be balanced by equal distribution of weight of people sitting on it, otherwise it tilts to one side or the other.
• Carry the best camera that you have, with ample zoom lens to get the best shot of the birds.
• If you can visit in the morning hours, you will be able to capture maximum activity within the birds.

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