A paradise in chaos - Sanjay Gandhi Jaivik Udyan , Patna, Bihar

It was 7th march when i planned to take my family to Sanjay Gandhi Jaivik Udyan in Patna from my native village. It is popularly known as Patna Zoo or Sanjay Gandhi Botanical and Zoological Garden.

It is situated over bailey road. I would strongly recommend anyone who is visiting Patna to visit this place. Unlike most of the Indian zoo it is not crowded and animals are not confined into small cages. Most of the enclosure is big and animals appears to be healthy. This zoo is successful in breeding captive many wild animals and got world attention after successful breeding of rhinoceros. 

Entrance of Sanjay Gandhi Jaivik Udyan , Patna

Zoo is a perfect picnic place and having lake, Aquarium, snake house, toy train, restaurant and garden.

Zoo is situated near the airport in the heart of Patna city.  We bought tickets for Rs 20/ person and had to pass through newly installed automatic gate. We paid Rs 5 for each plastic bottle we were carrying to the park and suppose to get it back after bringing back the same bottles with stickers. It was a innovative way to discourage people to throw bottles and plastic in the park. There is a clean paid toilet after the entrance gate. Park gives first impression of being in a forest. All the routes are well defined along with name of animal/birds. Most of the signs are in Hindi but there are people everywhere to help you in case you are lost;-)

Bombax (Simal/simar) tree was in full bloom and giving a beautiful touch to the pristine lake. Airport is very near to the Lake and it is a memorable experience to watch flights flying just above during boating.

Lake ( jheel) Inside Patna zoo

Aquarium ( Machhli Ghar) is another popular attraction inside. There are hundreds of  colorful and beautiful fishes tortoise inside Aquarium.

MACHHLI GHAR

 There are many species of Snake including Cobra, Python , krait  are in glass house inside Saap Ghar (Snake house ). 

There is bird section which feature birds from India and few from other countries.

There is toy train inside,which is nice and quickest way to see the zoo.

Patna zoo is also a good location for bird watching and i was able to see more than dozen of bird species including kingfishers,Indian grey hornbill and shrikes. If you plan to visit this zoo ready to spend whole day.

2 days in Mountain City Pokhra , Nepal

After spending time in Kathmandu we headed toward pokhara, city of mountains and lake. We took tourist bus and it was pleasant journey through the mountains and river. Pokhra is gateway to the Mountaineering camp and an ideal place for paragliding.

We stayed near the phewa lake, where most of the shops and hotels are located. Phewa Lake or Fewa lake is a beautiful lake surrounded by forest, mountain and lake-side street. Boating in lake was a memorable experience.

 

 

Mountain view during sunrise from Sarangkot is top thing to do in pokhara . Unfortunately we could not see the spectacular view due to cloudy weather.

Pic by Marina & Enrique (https://www.flickr.com/photos/romeral/)          

Only a small part of city retains the historical old buildings.

Tunnel leading to aqueduct over Seti River Gorge, Pokhara

Devis fall is waterfall named after Swiss lady Davi who drowned here in 1960s.

After exiting the tunnel, the water passes through a cave called Gupteshwor Mahadev. There is a small shiva temple Inside.

Pokhara Shanti Stupa is a Buddhist pagoda-style monument on a hilltop.

International Mountain Museum

 A must visit place in pokhara to learn about ecology, life and information related to Mountaineering .

Arabian wildlife park, sharjah, UAE

Arabian Wildlife Park, sharjah, UAE situated at al dhaid road is world’s biggest park of Arabian wildlife. It is not very known destination in the UAE and even on our Friday visit we could see few people inside the park. 

It was my first experience to be inside an indoor Wildlife park. This park could be a good place to spend weekend during summer. Entrance fee is 15 AED with free parking.

Park is divided into four section which includes Arabian wildlife centre, Natural History Museum, Botanical Museum and Children's Farm.  

Arabian wildlife centre is home of almost all the Arabian wildlife and world famous for their breeding programs of endanger Arabian species.

The Wildlife Centre has been divided up into various sections, each dedicated to a group of species including reptiles, invertebrates, birds, nocturnal animals, gazelle, and large carnivores. Photography is not allowed inside. Temperature and lights inside each enclosure is maintained as per animals/ reptile requirement to give them feeling of their natural habitat. Some enclosures are almost dark and difficult to see inside, i guess it was made for the nocturnal animal. It also having a big open aviary. We were able to get a very close look of predators including endanger Cheeta and leopard just from other side of glass. There are also a great number of baboons, hyena, honey badger, porcupine, desert fox, and other animals. Many animals are placed in open area surrounded with man made mountain like structure and trees.

Botanical section is place to see plants of different variety of vegetables and spices.It was my first chance to see saffron plant.

Natural History Museum is very interesting and informative. It is a good place to learn about history of earth and desert life.

The fourth section is Farm Section, where it is possible to feed farm animal and get close to them. No doubt This is a good place to learn about Arabian wildlife and desert life  not only for kids but adults too.