Dona Paula Sightseeing - Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary

Situated on the western tip on the island of Chorao near Mandovi River, the Dr. Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary is one of the smallest bird sanctuaries in the country. And though small in area, the sanctuary houses around 400 species of birds, both local and migratory. To get here you will have to take a bus or a taxi from Panaji to the Ribandar ferry dock and then take a ferry across the Mandovi River to the island of Chorao. The best time to visit here is between October and March though the sanctuary is open throughout the year as it is better to avoid it during the monsoons and summers when it can get really hot and humid.

The Dr. Salim Ali Bird sanctuary has been named after India's renowned ornithologist is spread over an area of merely 1.8 square kilometers. The sanctuary can be visited after taking prior permission from the Chief Wildlife Warden, Forest Department in Panaji.

Other than the wide variety of exotic birds found here, you can also catch a glimpse of wild animals like foxes, jackals and crocodiles. A dense mangrove vegetation canopies the sanctuary. It provides shelter and basis for procreation for a number of varieties of fish and insects, which form the base of the food chain here.