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Just a short drive outside Mumbai on the Mumbai-Pune Highway to Goa, is the
densely forested Karnala Bird Sanctu ary, a pleasant surprise away from Mumbai's concrete
jungle. Karnala is a tiny sanctuary, barely 4.8 sq km, home to over 150 resident bird
species and about 37 types of avian migrants. |
Karnala fort, once a
Maratha bastion that changed many hands, reigns over the forest area. A half hour trail
takes the trekker 450 m above the forest to the fort, where the Karnala Pinnacle
sticks out like a crooked thumb. From here you get a bird's eye view of the Mumbai
coastline, the tree canopy that shades the woods and the Sahyadri hills in the distance.
This is a particularly pretty climb during the monsoons when the peak is veiled in mist
and the entire forest is a lush green.
The monsoons rouse a number of feathered musicians,
amongst them the paradise flycatcher, magpie robin and the malabar whistling thrush. This
is the season when the stillness of the forest is ruffled by the melodies of these
songbirds, and the antics of the racket-tailed drongo as it mimics the calls of other
birds! Winter heralds the journey of migratory birds as they flock to Karnala - the ashy
minivet, red-breasted flycatcher, blackbird, black-headed cuckoo-shrike, blue-throat, the
blue-headed rock thrush and many others.
Karnala Pinnacle offers refuge to endangered birds
like the peregrine falcon, king vulture and the crested serpent eagle. The four-horned
antelope, wild boar, common langur, African monkeys and the muntjak or barking deer are
amongst the commonly seen wildlife, while the leopard is spotted rarely.
Teak trees rule the landscape and the forest is
packed with Flame of the Forest, amaltash or laburnum, babul, bael, jamun, mango, peepul,
bamboo and red silk cotton trees. In parts, the foliage is so thick that it is difficult
to spot the bird life!
Karnala is a refreshing
break from the big city - come here to watch the birds and wildlife, come here to picnic
and to trek, and while you are enjoying all this, do spare a thought for preserving the ecology and tranquillity of the sanctuary.
Getting there: Karnala Bird Sanctuary is 60
km from Mumbai, on the Mumbai-Goa Highway, NH-17. This is a 2-hour drive via Thane Creek
and Panvel. Central Railway trains from VT Station stop at Panvel, 12 km from the
sanctuary; from here you can catch autorickshaws, taxis and buses. State Transport buses
run from Mumbai Central to Karnala.
Best time: The sanctuary is open to visitors
throughout the year. The resident bird and animal population can be seen at any time of
the year, especially the monsoons, while the best time to see migratory birds is from
October to April.
Accommodation: MTDC offers tents and the
Forest Department has a Rest House and cottages near the highway. Food is available at
small highway restaurants. Accommodation arrangements have to be made in advance.
For bookings contact Deputy Conservator of Forests, Thane Wildlife Division at Tel: 022 -
5402522, or MTDC at Nariman Point, Tel: 022 - 2024482.
For country information, see India.
For state and visitor information, see Maharashtra. |
