How to Reach Sattal from Nainital

By Road

The Pangot Bird sanctuary is located at a distance of 13km from Nainital city and can be reached by self-driving or by hiring a taxi cab. The Sanctuary is located at a distance of 355 km from Delhi and 365 km from Agra. Local cabs from Nainital are available for Rs 2,000-3000 per day. 

By Train

Kathgodam Railway station is the nearest railway station which is about 20 km from the Pangot and Kilbury Sanctuary. It is possible to hire a taxi leading to the sanctuary.

By Flight

Pantnagar Airport is the nearest airport which is around 95 km from the Pangot and Kilbury Bird Sanctuary. It is possible to hire a taxi leading to the sanctuary which will take around 2 to 3 hours to reach.

Where to Stay in Sattal / Pangot / Kilsbury

Jungle Lore Birding Lodge is the first birding lodge in India. It has four cottages with rooms built like British bungalows and is located on a hillside overlooking the vast open forest.

Pinewood Cottage is 15km from Nainital and offers facilities like bird watching, trekking, rock climbing, rafting, and night safari 

Kilbury Forest Rest House, built by the British, is equipped with all modern amenities. The walk from Pangot to Kilbury Forest Rest House is very popular as it traverses through thick oak, pine, bamboo, cedar, and rhododendron forests

Nainital to Sattal Drive

About 13 km away from the Nainital city is the Pangot village located at a height of 6,510 ft above sea level. Pangot village is a famous tourist destination as it houses over 580 documented species of birds. While birdwatching in Pangot is a big attraction, the oak forests and the blooming rhododendron trees make the landscape even more stunning.

Sattal Birding

We were woken up by the songs of a variety of birds that we had not heard before. Excited, we mounted the lens on the camera and rushed towards the backyard of the property. What we saw and captured in our camera for the next 2 hours was a celebration of winged creatures. I hope you enjoy this photo journal of Pangot, Bhimtal and Sattal Birding.

Verditer Flycatcher

While birding in Pangot, one is bound to come across the Verditer Flycatcher that is abundantly found here. It was one of the first birds we spotted while we were on our way to Pangot from Nainital. They were omnipresent in the area.

The flycatcher felt at home with our presence and happily posed for us. 

Blue whistling thrush

A blue whistling thrush played hide and seek outside our accommodation whistling to glory while the morning sun shone bright and glistened on his blue feathers. He slowly glided into the nearby shrubs, probably because he did not like the shutter sound of my camera.

Kalij Pheasant

A discussion about our interest in birdwatching with the hotel owner leads him to inform us that he has been observing Pheasants on his property. He was quick to ask the bell boy if he spotted any previous evening. We were hoping to capture him in our cameras.

While walking towards the backyard, we saw a black silhouette crossing the parapet between 2 properties. It only took us seconds to identify it but the red-eyed bird known as Kalij Pheasant had crossed the boundary wall to another side. But we still managed to photograph him!

Blue Winged Siva

Soon enough a pair of Blue Winged Siva descended on the marble bath of the property where we were staying. Their playfulness was so oblivious to our presence and they enjoyed their romantic bath together which lasted for a short time.

Black Chinned Babbler

Two spectacled biscuit-coloured birds now touched down on the water bath. They were playful but not comfortable sharing the bath with the Indian Black lored tit. The male made sure they did not want the Black Lored Tit there and shooed him away to have a private bath with the lady.

Black Headed Jay

A small movement in nearby bushes made us strain our eyes and neck to see who was hiding behind the branches. A blue mirage is all that we saw. Noiseless we stood there for the shy blue bird to come out. At some time there were not one but three black-headed jay on the tree. There seemed to be 2 males and 1 female as the males were doing a display pattern to woo the lady.

Rufous Sibia

There was a flutter in between the bright red rhododendrons. A rust-coloured bird flew by. On landing a couple of branches away on an old oak tree, it posed for us. The slender buffy-rufous coloured bird called Rufous Sibia, grew comfortable and flew to the parapet near the road and even posed for us.

Grey-winged Blackbird

Our car crossed a black bird sitting on the road who seemed to be scavenging. We halted and walked back to the spot to find him still doing the same. On closer look, we saw that he was actually clearing the fallen leaves and making the area clean. Probably a fan of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan! We saw the female counterpart doing the same a couple of meters above the cliff. We have no idea why they were doing what they were doing.

Since we did not want to stay in Pangot, we never really researched for a day guide who could show us the birds around. We just walked through the valleys of forests and stopped if we heard a bird call or flutter of wings or just about any movement in the trees.

However, a couple of hours spent here were nothing less than a turbo charge for us which left us wanting more and planning a dedicated trip to Pangot and Sattal with a guide.

Sustainable tips for Birding in Sattal

• Wear camouflage colours that will easily blend with the surrounding – green and brown shades work best around the trees.
• Do not make noises when you spot a bird, it may get distracted and fly.
• Do not wear perfumes or body spray when you go birdwatching.
• Try to avoid bird call apps to attract birds or make them look your way for a good photo. It is just unethical.
• Do not dispose of wet waste or plastic in the jungle valleys.

Read About more Bird-watching destinations:

• Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary, Jamnagar
• Bird-watching destinations around Ahmedabad
• Gir National Park 

Read More Uttarakhand Posts

• Things to do in Rishikesh
• Gucchu Pani
• Is Dehradun worth a stopover?
• Places to visit in Nainital
• Chopta Chandrashila trek

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