Great Indian Bustard Wildlife Sanctuary: Popular Tourist Attraction In Maharashtra

Great Indian Bustard Wild Life Sanctuary

About:

Great Indian Bustard Wildlife Sanctuary is spread over two districts of Ahmednagar and Solapur in Maharashtra. The vegetation is arid and semi-arid grasslands, open country with thorn scrub, tall grass interspersed with cultivation.

Common species found here are Great Indian bustard, blackbuck, wolf, Indian fox, hyena and common mongoose.

Location info:

Address: foothills of western ghats, Ahmednagar and Solapur

District:Ahmednagar and Solapur

Nearest City: Nanaj Village

Best time to visit: August to January is ideal to visit the sanctuary.

Climate/Weather:

It falls under the category of Dry (arid and Semiarid) Climate.The sanctuary experiences three distinct seasons: summer, monsoon and winter. Typical summer months are from March to May, with maximum temperatures ranging from 30 to 40 °C (85 to 100 °F). The warmest months are April and May when it is not uncommon to see the daytime temperatures as high as 40 °C. The monsoon lasts from June to end of September, with moderate rainfall. Average rainfall -545 mm per year. Winter begins in Novemberand last until the end of February with the temperatures occasionally dropping below 10 °C.

Interesting things to do:

Bird Watching:

As goes by the name of Great Indian Bustard sanctuary, this place is the palce to find the endangered bird named Great Indian Bustard. It is a large ground dwelling bird with a long neck and long bare legs like that of an ostrich. It stands at about a metre high and is a large, brown and white bird, the male is about 122 cm (48 in) in length, its weight is 18–32 lb (8–14.5 kg) and the female 92 cm (36 in) in length, its weight is 7.8–15 lb (3.5–6.75 kg). The sexes are similar in appearance although the male is deep sandy buff coloured. The crown of the head is black and crested. In the female which is smaller than the male, the head and neck are not pure white and the breast band is either rudimentary or absent.

Interesting things to Visit:

Not much to find inside the sanctuary, one can see the places around the sanctuary at Solapur district. Some places to mention- Markandeya Temple, Balaji Temple,Rupabhavani Temple,Nagareshwar Temple,Temple of Lord Siddharameshwar,Hipparga Lake - a scenic nature area Kambar Lake, newly named as Sambhaji lake,IndraBhavan - Solapur Corporation building

Mobile range info:

All major Network coverage present in Solapur and around its Highway.

How to reach?

Nearest Railway Station: Solapur Junction Railway Station is the nearest railhead, 22 km away.
For enquiry: Dial 0217- 133

Nearest Airport:(SSE) Sholapur Airport

Road Transport: Nearest bus station is at Solapur. Phone - 25583063, 25525000

Great Indian Bustard wildlife sanctuary Contacts & Suggestions
Address: Dy.Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Pune,New PMT Building, 3rd Floor, Shankarseth Road, Swarget
Pune-411 042
Phone No. : 020-4471465(O), 5512303(R)

Nearest Visiting places:

Solapur district- Markandeya Temple, Balaji Temple,Rupabhavani Temple,Nagareshwar Temple,Temple of Lord Siddharameshwar,Hipparga Lake - a scenic nature area Kambar Lake, newly named as Sambhaji lake,IndraBhavan - Solapur Corporation building, # Bhui-Kot Castle - castle of 15th century and under the Bahamani period
Hutatma Garden
Pandharpur Vithoba Temple (70 km away)
Akkalkot - Swami Samarth (35 km away)
HYDRA- saifan mulk chishti dargah (near about 20 km from Akkalkot)
Nannaj- Bird Sanctaury (25 km away)]
Tuljapur - Tuljabhavani Temple (45 km away)
Naldurg Fort (approx. 45 km towards Hyderabad)
Barshi "Bhagvant" Temple (approx. 70 km away)
Mardi - Yamai Devi Temple (22 km north of Solapur city)

Osmanabad - 65 kms from the sanctuary.
Paranda (in Osmanabd) is historical place known for the Paranda Fort. Kallamb is an important commercial centre of the district and located on the bank of river Manjra. The taluka is blessed by Yedeshwari devi, whose temple is located at Yermala, 20 km from Kallamb.

Tuljapur is a major taluka town, about 30 km from Solapur, 25 km from Osmanabad town and 40 km from Hyderabad national Highway at Naldurga.

Tuljapur is best known for its Tulja Bhavani Mandir. It is said that Tulja Bhavani mata had offered sword to Shivaji Maharaj (not verifiable) and his son re-built the temple.

Nearest Petrol Pump:

There are numbers of petrol pump surrounding the sanctuary to the highway to Great Indian Bustard Wildlife Sanctuary. One among many is Naval Petrol Pump, Ssolapur Highway.

Hotels/Lodge/Accommodation:

The forest lodges and the guest houses are the best places for accommodation for the visitors to put up and to experience the night life of forest, which is full of thrill and excitement. Else one can also opt for the magnificent and affordable hotels around.
Ajanta Lodge- 4 km from Airport; 1/2 km from Railway Station; 1/2 km from Bus Stand.
Hotel Pratham- 3 km from Solapur Airport; 1.5 km from Solapur Railway Station; 2 km from Solapur Bus Stand
Hotel Srikamal International- 5 minutes by walk Railway Station; 1 km from Bus Stand
Hotel Surya International- 5 km from Airport; 2 km from Railway Station; Very close to bus stand
Poonam Lodge - 4 km from Airport; 1.5 km from Railway Station; 1/2 km from Bus Stand
(All distance with solapue as epi center).

Things to carry:

Carrying a tour guide book will work wonder. It will help you gaining heaps of information about the region, which will definitely add delight to your touring experience.
Equip yourself with all necessary amenities like trekking kit, cameras and binoculars.
Always put a personal first-aid-box in your bag.
And plenty of water.

Tips & Suggestions:

Wear loose fitting and simple clothes that blend with the sanctuary surroundings.

Help Line/Phone Number:

Police Station: Superintendent of Police, Solapur (Rural), 91-0217-2732001. Control Room- 2627100

Nearest Hospital: Ambika Hospital, Solapur
- www.ambikahospital.com
Opposite Bus Stand, Murarji Peth,, solapur - 0217 2624066

Joshi Hospital,1A, Bhagawant Society,Vijapur road, SOLAPUR - 0217 2741270

Shraddha Nursing Home, Keshav Nagar, Solapur

Society/Community Phone Number- 020-4471465(O), 5512303(R)

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