Bird Sanctuaries See Trip Reports Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary - KARNATAKA Keoladeo Ghana Sanctuary (Bharatpur) Nalaban Island, Chilika Lake, Orissa Thattekad Bird Sanctuary Okhla Bird Park and Wildlife Sanctuary Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary Harike Bird Sanctuary Lake City, Kolkata - Urban Wetlands National Chambal Sanctuary The Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary Santragachi Jheel Assan Barrage Bird Sanctuary Vedanthangal Water Birds Sanctuary (Tamil Nadu) Manjira Bird Sanctuary Neelapattu Bird Sanctuary Pulicat Lake Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary National Parks See Trip Reports Bandhavgarh National Park Bandipur National Park Corbett National Park Dachigam National Park Gir Forest National Park Kanha National Park Kaziranga National Park Manas National Park Nagarhole National Park Periyar National Park(Thekkady) Ranthambore National Park Sariska Forest Reserve Sunderban National Industrial development vs National Park Corporates and Wildlife Little Known Destinations See Trip Reports Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary Kabini, Karnataka Bhimeshwari Bhadra Sanctuary Biligiri Rangana Hills Little Rann of Kutch Netarhat, Bihar Cheerapunji Desert National Park. Rajasthan Eravikulam National Park, Kerala Pindari Glacier, Uttar Pradesh Trekking On The Trans Himalayan Routes Bhitarkanika, Orissa

Nalaban Island, Chilika Lake - Orissa The vast and dream like Chilika Lagoon is situated on east-coast of India. It is the largest brackish Water Lagoon with estuarine character that sprawls along the east coast.It is the largest wintering ground for migratory waterfowl found anywhere on the Indian sub-continent. The Nalaban Island within the Lake is notified as a Bird Sanctuary under Wildlife (Protection) Act. It is one of the hotspot of biodiversity in the country, and some rare, vulnerable and endangered species listed in the IUCN Red List of threatened animals inhabit the Lake area for at least a part of their life cycle. The total number of fish species are reported to be 225 along with a variety of phytoplankton, algae and aquatic plants.A survey of the fauna of Chilika Lake carried out by the Zoological Survey of India in 1985-87 recorded over 800 species in and around the lagoon. This list includes a number of rare, threatened and endangered species, including the Barakudia limbless skink. On account of its rich bio-diversity, Chilika was designated as a "Ramsar Site", i.e. a wetland of International Importance. The lagoon is also identified as a priority site for conservation and management by the National Wetland coral reefs Committee of Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India. How to get there: By Air: Nearest Airport is at Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India By Rail: Nearest Railway Station is at Balugaon and Rambha on S. E By Road: National High Way No. 5 touches Chilika at Balugaon, Barkul and Rambha. The town of Rambha (District: Ganjam) on southern Chilika is ( by road; National Highway 5) 130 km from Biju Patnaik International Airport, Bhubaneswar; 30 km from Balugan and 50 km from Behrampur ( both these towns have important Railway Stations of India's South Eastern Railway). Rambha town also has a small railway station.