Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary – Eco beauty near Mysore!

If you are into Wildlife Photography and that too Birds in particular, then Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary could be one of your favorite place to visit with your loved ones!

I love traveling a lot and with Photography having become a passion I wish to travel more these days and it is so much fun when you have the best company with you. Rasamby and I have traveled a lot together and this time we decided to visit the famous “Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary” close to Srirangapattana in Mandya district which is near Mysore and almost 130kms from Bengaluru. It is one of the oldest bird sanctuaries in India and an ideal breeding ground for migratory birds. The bird sanctuary span over an area of 40 acres with Kaveri River flowing through the Sanctuary.

The choice to visit Ranganathittu was mine as I love Birds the most, though Ravi had different places in mind. But he thoroughly enjoyed this amazing trip as it exceeded our expectations in terms of climate, ambiance, travel mode and everything.

Initially, Ravi suggested that we can go for a bike ride, but I was so skeptical about it as the climate looks fishy and it could pour down heavy anytime. Also, I felt that traveling almost 130kms in the bike and then spending quality time at a Bird Sanctuary could be a hectic task. So we booked a Cab and started our trip from Bengaluru on 08.12.2019 (Sunday) early morning around 5.30 am and reached the destination around 8.25 am after taking a few breaks in between for tea and breakfast. The climate was quite mind-blowing with cold weather and bit of rain drizzles here and there. The decision to take a Cab was indeed the right idea considering that amazing climate.

The sanctuary opens at 8.30 am, which means we are the first to reach and sneak in at the right time. The entry charges are quite reasonable and you have special charges for Cameras as well. The ambiance around the entire sanctuary is simply mind-blowing and the maintenance has been quite good too.

It is said that almost 170 species of birds are recorded here, and the most notable ones are the Pelicans, Painted Stork, Common Spoonbill, Asian Openbill Stork, Black-headed Ibis, and Woolly-necked Stork. Oh, forget to mention that there are some 120+ Crocodiles live in this lake to make your boating experience a thrilled one.

Other than a wonderful boating area, the entire sanctuary is filled with green trees, flowers, herbal plants, a beautiful water pond all through the walk path and if you are a nature lover, then you need at least 4 to 6hours to make the best out of this place. And you can spot some beautiful birds all through the walking area which is more interesting.

I wish they make the viewpoint a bit safer as it could be a hard task for small kids or elders to climb up if they wish to have a good view of the lake from the top.

If you are up for some photography session with your loved ones then this could be the ideal place as the entire walkthrough area looks amazing with greenish written all over it. After spending enough time in the walkthrough path, we finally moved to the boating area.

Being a  Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ),  they use a manual boat to make sure the birds and other species are not affected. Usually, the boating is planned in such a way that 20 people as a group can ride at once in a boat and the boating time is 20mins for a normal trip.

But if you would like to spend more time and if you want to shoot birds pictures inside the lake as private, then they have a special package for the same where you can go all alone with the boatman and spend around 40minutes to make sure that you get the best out of this lake as you can see hundreds of birds, crocodiles, and bats all the way.

Being the first time, we decided to go for the minimal package and the ride was quite good too and maybe next time we will go for the special package to make sure we get more glimpse of this beautiful lake.

Our boatman was quite knowledgeable as he gave a few important notes all the way. He said that there are some 120+ crocodiles inside this huge lake and we noticed at least 5 to 6 during our 20mins ride. They give us a life jacket to use, but Ravi was wondering how a life jacket could help when there are 120+ huge crocodiles waiting inside the lake and we are just 20 persons in the boat, which means it is a bit scary to think what if something worse happens.

Though we both enjoyed clicking some beautiful pictures all through the boat ride, there was a bit of fear inside on how they are dealing with this in the midst of those huge scary crocodiles. We spotted so many bats, pelicans, storks, kingfisher, herons and many more species of birds and clicked as many as good shots we could to cherish this amazing experience.

After finishing the boating, we again spent some time on the walk path and then had a cup of tea and snacks at the Canteen that is available at the entrance of the Sanctuary. Being Sunday, a huge crowd has started pouring in from 9 am itself and we left the place around 1 pm to visit the KRS backwaters thereafter.

Surely an amazing place to visit as a family with kids, loved ones and friends. The only thing is you just need to make sure that you choose the right season to visit, so you can enjoy the climate and ambiance to the core all at once!

And if you are into Wildlife Photography and that too Birds in particular, then this could be one of your favorite places to visit very frequently.

Location:	Google Map
Distance from Bengaluru:	130 kms approx
Distance from Mysore:	19 kms approx
Counter Timings:	8:30 am to 5.00 pm.
Boating Timings:	8:30 am to 5.45 pm.
Boat Charges:	Rs.50 per adult, 30 Mins
Special Boat Charges:	Rs.1500 per boat, 40 Mins
Best time to visit:	December to February
Photos Shot Using:	Panasonic Lumix DC FZ80 Samsung Galaxy M30