Bird Watching at Bhigwan Lake near Pune | Pune Travel Blog

Just about 2 hours (about 100km) away from Pune, there's a small man-made lake called Bhigwan Lake. This lake has now become one of the most popular places to visit by the Siberian cranes during winters. I went there recently too with three my friends - Amit, Poonam and Ishan - and loved every bit of it. 

Pink Flamingos at Lake Bhigwan

So this lake was created when the Ujani Dam was made and this reservoir has now turned into a heaven for these beautiful birds. Not just Pink Flamingos which admittedly draw the most number of tourists here, the place is flocked by many other migratory birds too. Bhigwan is also often known as mini-Bharatpur.

The best time to see them is early morning. It's best to start quite early (if you are coming from Pune) and reach there by sunrise. Once you reach, you can take a boat from the parking and the boat takes about 20 minutes to reach the flamingo watching point. Unlike other places, you can get quite close to the birds in the boat. This also gives a unique opportunity to click some amazing pictures. 

Make a booking:

You can also book a boat with our boatsman. His name is Anant and he can be reached at +91 7721989622. He typically charges Rs 1000 for an hour. We also ate breakfast at his house after we got back to the shore.

Food on the way:

On the way back there's another nice place to stop by for breakfast - Misal Katta. I have covered the place int he video as well and you can get more details there. The misal was great (though the chai wasn't) and I absolutely recommend it there.