Sambhar Lake And Salt Pans: Birding Heaven

During a train journey from Jaipur to Jodhpur, we were pleasantly surprised to see vast vistas of shallow salt plains with what looked like Flamingos in the far distance. A quick check on the route revealed we were crossing the Sambhar Lake. Located some 90km South West of Jaipur, it’s India’s largest inland salt lake. Sambhar Lake is a Ramsar Site, meaning it’s an extremely important wetalnd bird habitat, supporting tens of thousands of resident and migratory birds.

When back to Jaipur, we decided on taking a small day trip to the Sambhar Lake. We took the NH8, past Bagru, and took a right at Bichun. A right from Phulera and a right just before the Railway Crossing before Sambhar Lake City and we followed a tiny road through a village to a small water body adjacent to the Sambhar Lake. We spent a beautiful morning birding, and when the sun rose high enough, we took a breather for breakfast and chai at a nearby ‘tapri’. The urban world of city-life and its anxieties seemed to have melted away. After the breakfast, following the road ahead we reached an ancient temple and some gorgeous landscape.

Since we had a lunch waiting for us in Jaipur, we had to leave by noon. But overall, a great day spent amidst nature, barely 100km from Jaipur.

Euracian Coot
Euracian Coots (Fulica atra) chilling at the lake. The duck with its head down appears to be a Garganey (Anas querquedula).
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Euracian Coots, Garganyes.
shrike
A Bay-Backed Shrike (Lanius vittatus) at the lake side.
An Eastern Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla tschutschensis) forages for insects in the water edge.
An Eastern Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla tschutschensis) forages for insects in the water edge.
A Black Tailed Godwith (Limosa limosa), another winter visitor.
A Black Tailed Godwith (Limosa limosa), another winter visitor.
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Tracks of the train that carries the salt from the pans to a sorting point.
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A station on the tracks?
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A salt pan worker churns the salt deposits.
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electric poles in harmony.
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More electric poles. Wonder how old they are.
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The Sambhar Lake Saltpans cover over 24000 hectares enabling a beautiful vista.
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Tracks of small gauge train used to carry the salt around.
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An old rusty salt bogey lies enjoying a life in serene retirement.
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The Salt Company office looks like an old colonial structure.
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A drive further ahead revealed an old temple with a gorgeous large Ficus tree full of peacocks, parakeets, bulbuls, sunbirds, and many other birds.
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A donkey surveys the shrub land for food.
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We found this beautiful landscape with a gate leading to more of the beautiful landscape.
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It was here that we spotted a Black Winged Kite (Elanus caeruleus) on a Prosopis juliflora tree (native to Mexico, it is considered an invasive species in India).
White Eared Bulbul
A White Eared Bulbul (Pycnonotus leucotis). Looks similar to a White Cheeked Bulbul but is differentiated by a lack of crest and a larger white cheek patch.
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More arid wildflowers.
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Another arid wildflower.
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Beautiful wild flowers. There is so much in nature, we often miss it, being engrossed in our social media notifications.
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We drove through the arid scrubs around Sambhar lake, only to find these beautiful cranes flying overhead.
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There’s something so beautiful about arid landscapes. On the way back, we stopped to take pictures. Pity we couldn’t stay here for a night.

[box type=”success” width=”100%” ]How To Reach by Road: We took the NH8, past Bagru, and took a right at Bichun. A right from Phulera and a right just before the Railway Crossing before Sambhar Lake City and we followed a tiny road through a village to a small water body adjacent to the Sambhar Lake.

By Rail: There’s a Sambhar Lake Railway Station. Just look it up while booking your tickets.

By Air: The nearest airport would be Jaipur. You could book a Taxi from there.

What to do: Sambhar Lake is a Ramsar Site and hence best for birding. The adjacent town is an old one with some heritage structures. Naliasar has important archaeological sites.

Where to stay: Although we stayed in Jaipur, and only made a day trip to Sambhar, there are a few places in the town.

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13 thoughts on “Sambhar Lake And Salt Pans: Birding Heaven”

    • Thanks. It’s doable in a day, taking roughly 1.5/2 hours to reach early in the morning from central Jaipur. The roads are nice throughout except for the last bit, where the road was being made. But I guess in a few months it would be a new road.

      Reply
  1. I really liked going through your travel experience to this destination which is now known to many. You got some really nice shots. I have visited the Sambhar lake once and have very fond memories of the place. After reading this article, I am really inspired to visit the place again and show my son these picturesque sites.

    Reply
    • Hey Raja! So nice of you to drop by. And thanks for the ID. Now that you mention, yes of course, the are Demoiselle Cranes!

      Reply

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