Mandagadde Bird Sanctuary
Mandagadde Bird Sanctuary in Shimoga district is a place worth visiting especially for bird lovers. The island amidst Tunga river offers food and shelter to a wide species of birds. On the way to Mandagadde, travellers can visit Sakrebyle elephant training camp and Gajanur dam site. Mandagadde Bird Sanctuary that is surrounded by river Tunga is known for its avian diversity of birds that include median egrets, cormorants, darters and snakebirds.
Spanning over 1.14 acres, this bird sanctuary is an ideal picnic and tenting spot too. Inside the sanctuary, there is a watchtower from wherein you could view different hen species with convenience. The wooded area department also offers boating services to observe birds and revel in the beauty of nature.
The well-known Tunga River is thought for lots of things, it’s superbly sweet water, the numerous temples located on its banks, and maximum outstanding of all, the little island in Mandagadde.
Location
Mandagadde Bird Sanctuary is situated in Shimoga district about 35 kms from the main city of Shimoga in Karnataka.
How to Reach
By Air: Hubli airport is the nearest and is about 160 kms far from the destination. Shimoga airport is about 195 kms; Mangalore airport is 200 kms and Bangalore airport at 275 kms. And coming up is the airport of Sogane.
By Rail: There is one station at Shimoga itself where regular trains come from Bangalore and Mysore. If you are from other states then you can use the Birur station, which is 60 kms away from sanctuary. One can catch up the KSRTC buses to cover rest of the distance.
By Road: National Highway – 206 is connected to Bangalore city, approximately 6 hours journey from the main point of the Bangalore city. Travel by KSRTC or private luxury buses or even a taxi anything that suits your pocket. Other route goes something like this from Udupi-Mangalore and then Shimoga.
Best Time to Visit
Plan your trip in the month of May and enjoy watching a huge collection of beautiful and colorful birds.
Major Attractions
Enjoy your day watching the scenic beauty of nature. Click some beautiful pictures of rigid mountains and green landscapes from hill stations and viewpoints, as a remembrance of visiting this place. People who love adventure should not miss hiking and trekking.
You can find variety of wild animals, birds, butterflies, snakes, moths and insects. Birds chirping and tweeting is really nice to hear an ideal spot for people who love watching birds. Migratory birds fly from their native place to India in order to have fun at this beautiful place. It holds beautiful lush green landscape and river Tunga is an additional beauty of this sanctuary. Other tourist spots are Sringeri Math, Chintamani, Narasimha Temple and Brahma Temple.
Please don’t miss the Lion and Tiger safaris in the intense and sinister forest.
Food and Drink
You can find few bars and restaurants in the nearby commercial areas. Unfortunately there is nothing special for you at night. Taste some the native foods like the Patrode, colocasia, Jackfruit buns i.e. Halasina hannina Kadubu, Jackfruit pancake which is nothing but halasina hannina dose, tender mango chutney (maavina kaai chutney) and finally the hal garige a snack made from milk and rice powder.