As we drove on the unpaved roads inside the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary, we were pleasantly surprised to see that we were in a jungle right in the middle of our concrete Delhi. The clock showed 8.30 am and it was still very foggy.
We had come here for the Winter Bird walk organized by Mr Ishtiyak Ahamad of Conservation Education Center but the weather Gods had some other plans for us. It remained foggy almost thru out the day leaving little possibility photography and sighting of birds. But to be honest I did not miss the birds, loved the drive and walk inside the jungle. We drove almost 14 kms inside the Sanctuary to reach the Bharadwaj Lake aka Asola Bhatti Lake.
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| Peacock |
We did spot a few birds but were not able to photograph them because of low light.
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| Sparrow |
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| Asola Bhatti Lake or Bharadwaj Lake |
The sanctuary is home to over 200 species of birds. Many migratory birds also make the sanctuary its home during this season.
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| Crystal Clear Water Of Asola Bhatti Lake |
As the sanctuary is not promoted much by the Delhi tourism, most of us are also unaware of the presence of these beautiful lakes in our Delhi.
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| Walk Inside the Forest |
The are many trails inside the jungle to explore. As there are no sign marks so its almost necessary to have an experienced guide with you.
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| Leopard Scratch Marks On Tree |
As it was foggy and spotting birds was almost impossible so we went on one of the Leopard trails inside the sanctuary.
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| Spooky |
The terrain provides them perfect camouflage. They say as per the census there are close to 6 to 7 Leopards inside the sanctuary.
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| Down The Hill On Leopard Trail |
Don't forget to bring a good camera or a binocular if you are a birding enthusiast. .
We came out around 1.00 pm and not before one of us had a flat tire inside and the gentleman had no spare tire too. The roads are unpaved and at places rocky too so make sure that the tires of your car has good rubber left on them. Also a car with higher ground clearance will surely help. Also bring your packed lunch and water as nothing is available inside.
To sum it all, I loved the experience and would encourage nature lovers to go and explore the little bit of Jungle left in our Delhi.
Location :-
The entry gate is from Dr Karni Singh shooting range road , New Delhi. If you are driving from Delhi towards Faridabad on Shooting Range Road, you will see Asola Bhatti Sanctuary gate on your Right hand Side.
How To Get In :-
You have to take permission from the Delhi Forest department to get inside the sanctuary and that too a day or two in advance. The best way is to contact The Conservation Education Center and they will arrange the entry permissions for you or you can also join their one the many Nature walks which they keep on organizing. Their contact details are :-
Bombay Natural History Society,
Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary
Near Dr.Karni Singh Shooting Range,
New Delhi - 110044
Contact Number: 8800748967, 8800741864
E mail- cecbnhsdelhi@gmail.com
Website- www.cecdelhi.org
They are organizing the next bird walk on 14th Feb 2016. If you interested than following are the details :-
Date: 14th February, Time: 8.00 am- 10.30 a.m.
Venue: Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary
Fees: Rs 350 per head/- (Includes entry fee and expert guidance)
For Registrations contact: Mr. Ishtiyak Ahamad, Education Officer on 011-26042010 or 8800741864, 9868441983
Email: cecbnhsdelhi@gmail.com
Last date for registration: 13th February 2016
