Thol Lake Ahmedabad Entry Fee
- 50 per person
- 200 for Still Camera
- 500 for Car Entry
Thol Lake Ahmedabad Phone
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Thol Lake Ahmedabad Address: SP Ring Road, Mehsana, Gujarat, 382728, India
Situated on the banks of the Arabian Sea, Gujarat is the fifth largest state of India. The state is famous for being the birthplace of the father of our nation, Mahatma Gandhi. Apart from that, it is also known for its rich ancient history, its unique cultural background, and mouth watering delicacies.
The state is the owner of the famous Indus Valley Civilization. Approximately over 50 ruins were discovered by the archeologists of the extinct civilization. Gujarat is home to many historical monuments and various other tourists’ spots. In this era of artificiality, Gujarat owns a man made artificial lake, located in Thol Village and named after it as Thol Lake, in the Mehsana district of Gujarat.
Features of Thol Lake
Thol Lake, owns a famous Thol wildlife sanctuary and welcomes dozens of birds from different species. The sanctuary has an in-build shallow water body for the birds. Many migratory birds visit this sanctuary, nest and breed in the water body. Some prominently noticed bird species are Flamingoes and Sarus Crane, which are pretty rare to be found elsewhere.
Apart from birds, mammals such as bluebull, striped hyena, wolves, golden jackal and blackbuck also reside in this particular sanctuary. One of the main attractions of this particular lake is that it is surrounded by marshy plants. Other than that, many different kinds of flowers and thorny plants are also to be found here.
This lake is appropriate for a one day trip. In this fast and monotonous work life and unrealistic study pressure on the kids, managing a vacation for a few days is just not affordable both in terms of money and time. We all are searching for a location for a one day outing or maybe a small family picnic, Thol Lake is appropriate for both.
History of Thol Lake
Looking on to the history of Thol Lake, this lake is a fresh water reservoir, artificially constructed in the year 1912, by Gaekwad regime. During that time, India was facing a severe water crisis. Hence the ministers or the authority at that time built this reservoir to provide water for irrigation purposes. Currently the lake is maintained and controlled by the forest and irrigation departments of the government of Gujarat.
Image Gallery of Thol Lake Ahmedabad
What to expect at Thol Lake
If you are a nature enthusiast person, a one day trip to this lake would boost up your mood like none other place would do. Being around nature in this polluted and toxic era is a luxury and Gujarat provides you with such luxury without much cost.
One travelling here can expect to see lots of birds of various different species. Different species usually found here are like different varieties of flamingos, purple colored swamp hen, spoonbill, bulbuls, sandpipers, ibis, little ringed plover, snipe, common species of snipe, green colored shrunk, heron, sun bird, peacock and many more other species.
Other than the flying fauna, various earth crawling mammals such as zebras, jackals, etc can be observed during a safari session. It is preferable to carry enough required food items and water as the availability of these is an issue. The locals here are humble and act as a tourist guide showcasing various special features of the bird sanctuary, and also offer to show around the beautiful village of Thol.
Entry Fees and Timings of Thol Lake
The entry fee to visit Thol Lake is Rs. 50 per person. The Camera fee is Rs. 200. The car entry charges are a bit high at Rs. 500.
Thol Lake is open from 6:00 am to 5:30 pm on all days of the week. Early morning is considered as the best time to visit the lake for sighting the birds and enjoying pleasant weather.
Places to visit nearby Thol Lake
Apart from visiting the Thol Wildlife Sanctuary, there are various other places to visit nearby. Some of them are:
1. Balvatika – Not far from Thol Lake, this tourist spot is best suited for small children. This place has various different rides and a horror house designed especially for the amusement of the kids.
The amusement park also made arrangements to take care of the hunger pangs usually felt after enjoying the different rides. Apart from the rides and the haunted house, a zoo and the beautiful Kankaria Lake is also nearby. Both adults and children would enjoy the zoo and also can opt for a boat ride on the lake.
2. Shree Swaminarayan Mandir Kalupur- The visitors are allowed to enter this sacred temple early in the morning from 9 am to 12 pm. And again later in the evening from around 3:45 pm to 9 pm to offer the evening prayers.
In the year 1822, during British raj, the government had given this land to Swaminarayan, who further transferred his responsibility to build a temple to Ananandanand Swami.
The temple is made by curving pure Burmese teak, and bright colours are used to highlight the carvings and give an aesthetic look. A room beside has been specially designed where various ceremonies and teaching sessions are held only for women.
3. Shree camp Hanuman Mandir- The weird name is given to this oldest historic temple due to the location of an Indian Army camp nearby. This religious place is visited by thousands of devotees on a regular basis.
The locals residing nearby claim that people who are facing some difficulties in their lives should offer their prayers to get relieved from the problems. It is recommended to visit this particular temple on a Saturday early morning to offer prayers and also ask for a sacred token from the priest referred to as the “raksha kavaj”.
The only difficulty faced by the visitors is that the pathway leading to the temple is very narrow and no vehicle can pass through it, therefore one has to walk all the way to the temple. This can be an issue for children and older generation people.
4. Akshardham Temple- This temple of Lord Sawaminarayan is elegantly designed with wood carvings on the wall. The garden is well maintained and trees are planted in a particularly eye pleasing way.
This temple is very famous for its unique laser shows, conducted every evening except on Mondays. This laser show goes on for 45 minutes and is both entertaining and educational, making this place a must visit in Ahmedabad.
5. Radhe shopping mall- Only a mere 1 km away from the Thol Lake, after visiting the bird sanctuary and other things around the corner, radhe mall is the best place to visit if one wants to shop and take home some souvenirs from the trip. One can avail any mode of public transport to easily reach this mall. The mall accommodates many well known clothing brands as well as electronic goods.
6. Kids city- As the name suggests, located only a km away from the bird sanctuary, this place is a paradise for kids. Spread across 4240 sq. meters, this place is designed as a miniature world for kids’ ages ranging from 5 to 15 years. Kids can both have play time and also get some education at Kids city. The city has a miniature fire station, police station, hospital, radio station, science lab and many more.
7. Swapna Shruti water park- This water park located around 1.2 kms away from the bird sanctuary is an ideal place to visit during summers. People of different age groups make sure to visit this well equipped water park.
There are various water rides like water coasters, gigantic slides leading to a pool. The pools are well maintained and cleaned on a regular basis. Apart from the rides, it has normal swimming pools with various features such as waves and temperature change.
Places to eat and shop near Thol Lake
The bird sanctuary itself doesn’t accommodate any eatery. The visitors are advised to carry their own food and water along. Another option they can consider is to cook their meals on the spot if they are planning for a picnic outing. There is plenty of open area available and can be used as per requirement.
Though there remains a risk of animals coming over while preparing the meals. Other than that there are many eateries around within a range of a kilometer. The visitors can avail any transport to easily reach the spot.
Other than that, many tourists desire to carry back home a souvenir from their trip. The village nearby might sell some handmade goods, which can be used to decorate one’s home. Also as mentioned earlier, Radhe Shree mall is a place where one can find a variety of stuff to purchase. The mall also has a well furnished food court to take care of the tummy needs.
How to reach Thol Lake?
The sanctuary is about 40 kms Away from Ahmedabad. The closest stations to Thol Lake Bird Sanctuary are:
Maninagar Terminus is 89 meters away, 2 min walk.
Maninagar Railway Station Brts is 137 meters away, 2 min walk.
Maninagar is 199 meters away, 3 min walk.
Maninagar Railway Station is 382 meters away, 6 min walk.
These Bus lines stop near Thol Lake Bird Sanctuary: 300, 40/1, 52/2, 72, GHUMA GAM - MANINAGAR - GHUMA GAM.
One can also opt for a private cab from top car rental companies in Ahmedabad and explore all the must visit tourist attractions of Ahmedabad quite comfortably.
Thol lake is a beautiful destination to visit. This place is a paradise for birdwatchers and for those who are into wildlife photography. But before visiting this place one must keep certain things in mind. This place is ideal for a one day trip, and the visitor must surely carry food items and enough water as availability of these things might be an issue. So plan your one day trip to Thol Lake accordingly and enjoy this aesthetically pleasing location during your Ahmedabad tour.
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