It was a foggy day in Gurgaon, the 13th of December, 2009 three of us from the old trekking team started off on a day trip to the Bird Sanctury in a Honda City car. We had been planning on this trip with families and slowly people dropped off so ended up with the three musketeers leaving on this trip.
We took the road from Sohna Road via Rajiv Chowk. Instead of taking a left turn at the mosque we went straight, and straight away found the road to be very bad. Some time later we found the traffic coming in our lane from the opposite direction. We had to back up and go on the wrong side just to find ourselves left atop a cemented road with a foot of drop to continue. It was very good driving skills of my friend which got us through to the otherside without breaking the car. In the course of the short drive of about 22 kms we had another narrow road next to the flyover being constructed over railway track. Finally we were on good double road and speeded up to rach the destination, about 1hr plus.
We headed for the cafeteria to have a hot cup of tea. The taste was not good as compared to the tea available on the roadside which is brewed and brewed for considerable amount of time and making it strong and refreshing.
Now we started the long walk around the lake, there is a well laid out footpath for one to traverse around the lake and at the same time have a look at the Siberian Migratory birds. We saw several of them and a few Sambhars and a few deers. There are many types of birds but the Siberian cranes cathes your eyes. Almost towards the end of the walk, we found a small path to the left (we were going anti-clockwise) which led us to a peninsular land from where we could see these birds much closer which were sitting on treetops on an island. Some of these birds seem to be feeding their offsprings. The round trip had taken about an hour and a half including the bird watching.
The entry fee is Rs5/-, still camera Rs25/- and parking is Rs10/-. No eatables are allowed in the sanctuary.
We went to the cafeteria to have lunch. We felt it was easy to have a Thali (Veg Rs70/- and Non-Veg Rs90/-) instead of ordering a-la-carte. It was quicker and had variety. the restaurant was not expensive (tea Rs15/-, Cofee Rs25/-, Pakoras Rs35/-, Veg dishes between 50 and 80)
Outside the Sanctuary on the opposite side we saw acres of Mustard plants with their bright yellow flowers on their very green plants, it was a pleasing site worth taking a photo.
If you are game to drive through some rough roads, go for it. It was worth the trip. They have good accommodation for those who would like to spend the night over. I stayed there many times as the mornings at Sultanpur are very refreshing.
