Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary, consisting primarily of a huge lake

Lake

A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...

 and ambient marshes, is situated about 64 km to the West of Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...

 near Sanand Village, in the Gujarat state of India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. Mainly inhabited by migratory birds in winter and spring, it is the largest wetland

Wetland

A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....

 bird sanctuary

Sanctuary

A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...

 in Gujarat, and one of the largest in India.

The lake measures 123 km², attracts over 210 species of birds in the winter, and harbours a variety of flora and fauna. Thousands of migratory waterfowl

Waterfowl

Waterfowl are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans....

 flock to this sanctuary just after the Indian monsoon season. The shallow area and ponds on the outer fringes of the lake attract the wading birds that feed in the shallow waters. Besides a few mammalian species including the endangered wild ass

Wild ass

Wild ass can refer to:*African Wild Ass*Kiang *Onager *Yukon Wild Horse is sometimes called the Yukon Wild Ass....

 and the blackbuck

Blackbuck

Blackbuck is a species of antelope native to the Indian subcontinent. Their range decreased sharply during the 20th century. Since 2003, the IUCN lists the species as near threatened....

, its migratory bird population includes Rosy Pelican

Pelican

A pelican, derived from the Greek word πελεκυς pelekys is a large water bird with a large throat pouch, belonging to the bird family Pelecanidae....

s, Flamingo

Flamingo

Flamingos or flamingoes are gregarious wading birds in the genus Phoenicopterus , the only genus in the family Phoenicopteridae...

es, White Stork

White Stork

The White Stork is a large bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. Its plumage is mainly white, with black on its wings. Adults have long red legs and long pointed red beaks, and measure on average from beak tip to end of tail, with a wingspan...

s, Brahminy Ducks and Heron

Heron

The herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae. There are 64 recognised species in this family. Some are called "egrets" or "bitterns" instead of "heron"....

s.

Millions of magnificently colored visit the delightful bird sanctuary in winter and spring. It harbours over 250 species of wetland birds. Winter migrants from the north including Rosy Pelicans, Flamingos, White Storks, Brahminy Ducks and Herons visit Nal Sarovar.

Between November and February, this 123 km² lake, is home to vast flocks of indigenous and migratory birds. Ducks, geese, pelicans and flamingos are best seen early in the morning and in the evening and the sanctuary is best visited as a day excursion by taxi, as buses are infrequent and there is no convenient accommodation.

The best time to reach there is just before Sunrise as the lake is calm and quiet and flock of birds waiting for their regular food. The water in the lake is only about 4 feet deep and the boatmen are quite friendly guides. The vast lake comprises several places of interest. You might just find the original Gujarati Food in its simplest form and yet so yummy at one of the bet(small islands between the lake).

You can take a Horse Ride with a number of white and brown horses at the lake side.

Migrating Bharwad shepherds populates the islands of the lake and on the banks are the Padhars, who are excellent folk dancers, artisans and boatmen. One can hire country boats on the lake for bird viewing, and picnic at shacks the on the islands.

Interactive Interpretation Center

The interpretation center named as ‘Abhiruchi Kendra’ has been developed at a cost of Rs. 42 lakhs including Rs. 15 lakhs for kiosks. So far 225 types of birds are recorded in Nal Sarovar area. 140 of them are water-birds and 70 of them are migratory. Out of these 70, only 25 to 30 are easily observed by the visitors and tourists. The interpretation center focuses on these 30 species. Some of the species are Flamingo, Pelican Egret, Heron, Ducks, Cormorant, Crane etc. Migratory bird’s travel distance, place of origin, cross section prototype of Nal Sarovar’s under water life etc. are exhibited in the center. A reverse osmosis plant is also set up to offer pure drinking water to visitors.

Proposed "Ramsar Convention site"

It is proposed as a "Ramsar Convention site - Wetland of International importance".