Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary is a avian heaven located on multiple tiny islands in the midst of Cauvery river. It is very close to Mysuru and can be easily visited as a day trip from Bengaluru. While the best time to visit is October to January, we visited in the month of July.
Itinerary from Bengaluru:
We started at 5:30 am from Bengaluru to avoid heavy traffic during day and reached there at 9:30am. We stopped mid way for 1 hour to have breakfast. The highway is in very good condition and one can easily reach in 2.5 to 3 hours.
The place officially opens at 8:30 am and it gets crowded after 10:30 am. Visiting during early hours is better to avoid queues for boating and to have much better view. Vehicle parking and paid washroom is available.
While you can walk around the Sanctuary, its best covered on the boat ride. The bird sightings will be very limited if you walk around the Sanctuary. Though consider the walk for the greenery.
Boating charges for adult are Rs 70 per head. There are 10 people in every boat. Its a manually rowed boat and life jackets need to be worn while on boat. Its a 20 min ride.
Boating is around a small island with large number of nesting birds. The river also has fresh water crocodiles which can be easily spotted during the boat ride. They are harmless as long as you do not put your hands in water. (Seems like they have much better food options and are least interested in humans :). )
Its a good idea to carry a good DSLR with high power lens to get some amazing pictures. Though there is a seperate charge for DSLR - Rs. 100 for less than 200 mm lens and Rs. 500 for higher than 200 mm lens.
There is also a small canteen next to a parking area though the food options were very limited there and the taste was not that good. Better to go for sugarcane juice, coconut water and corn being sold outside the sanctuary.
