Nal Sarovar Boat ride is approximately 3 hours boat ride in the beautiful natural lake declared as Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary. The lake is famous for mainly inhabited by migratory birds as their wintering ground. It is the largest wetland bird sanctuary in Gujarat.

Package Rate & persons allowed in one boat:

INR 5,500/- for Indians (Per Boat)
INR 12,000/- for Foreigners (Per Boat)

One Boat can accommodate maximum 6 person. Since the rates are per boat and not per person, rates will be same for 1 person and for 6 persons boarding the boat.

What is Included in this Package?

Permit issued by Forest department to enter into the lake
Boat, Guide & Helmsman (Boat driver)
Payment processing charges, agency service charge & GST

What is Not Included?

Camera fees, if any. (There is no charge for Mobile Phones)

Reporting Place & Time: Reporting point is Nal Sarovar bird sanctuary enrty gate. There is ample parking facility for visitors to park their vehicles approx 1 km from lakesite. Reaching on time is compulsory as primices will be closed at 5:30 pm. Your booking is not valid if you fail to arrive on time and it will be non refundable.

Safari Timings and Availability of Permits: The Bird Sentury opens at 6 am and closes at 5:30 pm on all the the days throughout the year.

Tips:

Carry a pair of binoculars, drinking wate, cameras and some gathiya snacks to attract more birds.

Visit a washroom before embarking on a journey to this place as restrooms are scarce.

There is no 3G/4G network coverage so plan accordingly.

Cancellation Policy

90% refund if cancelled before 3 days of date of Boat ride.
No refund if cancelled less than 3 days prior to date of Boat ride.
Days are calculated excluding the Safari Boarding day & Cancellation request day.
Cancellation request received after 6 PM will be considered on next working day.
Cancellation policy mentioned above is subject to change.

Original ID proofs of all travelers are required, without which embarkation will not be possible and no refund will be provided in such cases.

Once the boat ride is booked, any kind of modification is strictly NOT possible.

Forest depart reserves the right to cancel the permit or slightly modify the timing in unavoidable circumstances. Decision of the forest department will be final in such case.

About Nal Sarovar

Nal Sarovar bird sanctuary was a low-lying area making up a sea link. As time passed, various species of birds from surrounding region started to migrate in these areas due to the plentiful availability of freshwater and food. Soon, as many as 210 species of birds were attracted to Nal Sarovar thereby making it a bird sanctuary.

By April of 1969, Nal Sarovar was declared a bird sanctuary attracting over as many as 210 different species of birds.

Nal sarovar was declared as a Ramsar site on 24 September 2012. A Ramsar site is a wetland site that has been given an international importance by the Ramsar Convention.

The geographical architecture of Nal Sarovar Lake can be described as a low-lying area between Central Gujarat and East Saurashtra. Although the number of islands in Nal Sarovar bird sanctuary are debatable, the official records mention 36 small islands, while locals estimate more than 100 small islands.

This sanctuary consists of various kinds of trees, including the locally famous ‘pilu’ trees which harbor a red berry type edible fruit. There are many small lakes and the vegetation is scattered with dense forests, marshlands & wetlands,medium to tall grasslands and huge fields. As an overview, all of these natural beauty and geography allow for a serene place like Nal Sarovar bird sanctuary to be formed.

Flora & Fauna at Nal sarovar

Migratory birds in winter are the greatest fascination at Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary and it houses more than 250 types of migratory as well as occupant birds. Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary is a significant piece of Gujarat. The wildlife devotees who visit Gujarat for Asiatic Lions would be satisfied to track down such different birds with a rich variety of flora and fauna.

Migratory birds start arriving in October and stay till the end of March. The migratory birds have the largest population in the peak season of winters. There are about 360 islets in the lake and most of them lie exposed when the water level is low. The lake plays host to migratory birds who arrive from Central Europe, Central Asia, Australia, and Siberia

The sanctuary comprises around 48 species of Algae and 72 species of flowering plants. The common aquatic plants include Cyperus sp., Scripus sp., Typha Ungustata, Eleocharis palustris, Ruppia, Potamogeton, Vallisneria, etc.

The important migratory and residents birds in this sanctuary include lesser and greater flamingos, rosy and dalmatian pelicans, painted storks and open-billed storks, purple herons and grey herons, little egrets, intermediate egrets, and great white egrets, grey wagtails, white-throated kingfishers, and pied kingfishers, Oriental darters, whiskered terns, and little terns, glossy ibis, western yellow wagtails, red-wattled and yellow-wattled lapwings, little and great cormorants, common kingfishers, black-tailed godwits, wood sandpipers and at least seven species of ducks – ruddy shelducks, common shelducks, lesser whistling ducks, knob-billed ducks, Indian spot-billed ducks, tufted ducks, and ferruginous ducks.

Facts - Nal Sarovar

There are as many as 210 species of birds in the winter, out of which 140 are water birds and the rest 70 are migratory birds. Out of these 70, only 25 to 30 are easily observable and the rest require a deeper exploration into the wildlands.
In the past, there was no access to clean drinking water for the tourists and hence the visitors needed to carry their own drinking water. But now there is a reverse osmosis plant that has been established to offer pure drinking water to visitors.
Migratory birds can be seen popping up at Nal Sarovar in the month of October and remain till April. However, the time you would want to visit would probably range from the month of November to January because at that time, the migrated population is at its peak.
When March ends, flamingo flocks of huge sizes arrive here.
You will not get a life jacket in the boat but the water is shallow maximum 3 feets, less risky.

How to Reach

Nal Sarovar bird sanctuary near Sanand village can be reached by a personal vehicle or taxi from top car rental companies in Ahmedabad. Buses are scarce and there is no fixed accommodation to be found anywhere near,hence it is recommended to book a stay near Ahmedabad where various resorts are easily available. This problem has been addressed by Gujarat Tourism who now offer luxury tents near the lake.

Nearest Airport : Ahmedabad

Nearest Railway Station: Viramgam

Things to-do at Nal Sarovar

There are many of activities to do at Nal Sarovar bird sanctuary. One can opt for the classic birdwatching using a pair of binoculars or telescopes, chill out with a live barbeque session near the banks of the lakes or enjoy a horse ride. Some of the activities include:-

1. Visitors can take a horse ride at lakeside Nalsarovar national park. The charges start from as low as Rs.50. The visitor will be assigned a horse along with the groom i.e. the person who maintains the horse. The horse ride usually lasts for 20 minutes but can be extended by paying some extra money.

2. For the tourist who is looking to learn more about the species of birds, an Information centre is provided. It consists of many kinds of models of bird species along-with their history, origin, food habits, unique attributes etc. A map is also provided in this center so that a tourist can easily identify the location of his/her favorite bird. Apart from these, there are also details about the Nal Sarovar itself along-with its history.

3. One day picnic spots are available for the casual traveller. Huge fields near these picnic spots allow for setting up a volleyball court or football games with the kids. Even live barbeque or food counters can be set up if appropriate cooking equipment is brought along. The picnic areas are clean and surprisingly, there’s no such problems as mosquito/insect bites.

4. Tourists can book boat rides in the lakes present in Nal Sarovar. These boat rides allow for deeper exploration of the Nal Sarovar bird sanctuary and offer better chances of spotting a rare species of a bird. The boat ride journey starts from the place where the boat is booked upto Dhrabla Island or BET as called by the locals and includes a return. On certain islands, watchtowers have been constructed to enjoy the view of the lake from.

Places to visit nearby

Places near Nal Sarovar bird sanctuary are also recommended due to their own set of unique experience that each of the following place provides:-

Utelia: Utelia is a small village that is situated at 75 km from Ahmedabad and 42 km from Nal Sarovar bird sanctuary on Bhavnagar highway. It has a famous heritage hotel and lothal excavations of the Indus valley civilization that can be found at around 6 km from Utelia. It is highly recommended for heritage travelers.

Wadhwan: It is an important centre for weaving, bandhani, brass handicrafts, metalcrafts etc. Various types of handicrafts and ornaments that are indigenous to Gujarat can be found here. Wadhwan lies midway between Rajkot and Ahmedabad near Surendranagar at approx. 37 km from Sayla. This destination is a shopper’s paradise for tourists looking to buy some indigenous, handmade gifts for their loved ones. The items are cheap and being handmade, are very intricate and detailed.

Ahmedabad: Ahmedabad is located at a distance of 64 km from Nal Sarovar bird sanctuary and is worth a visit for anybody who wants to experience the urban, modern Gujarat. Consisting of well-connected roads with a complete traffic regulation system, it is a place that is an amalgamation of heritage, culture and business. Ahmedabad has some of the famous manufacturing hubs including that of mobile phones, TVs and other electronics and is thus a popular city to visit for business travelers.