Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary

I visited the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary on January 2, 2024. I had wanted to visit this sanctuary for a long time, however, had a hard time finding info about it- especially boat timings and accessibility. So, below I'm sharing what I learned today! Overall, I think this is a good place to visit and would recommend it to those who love birds, wildlife, and ecology. - When you arrive, there is a small visitor center (with a small gift shop), and an interpretation center. The exhibit at the interpretation was informative and well done. There was a documentary in either English or Marathi, and interactive elements. The staff went out of their way to put the film on for me even though there were very few visitors that day. -From the visitor/interpretation center it is about a 5-7 minute walk to the creek and boat jetty. The first 2-3 minutes are a flat wide gravel pathway, and the last 3-4 minutes are on a floating dock. The floating dock is not that accessible for persons with disabilities and senior citizens as it moves when there is high tide, and there are some steep steps up and down. There are army personnel posted there, and they mentioned to me that in the case of a senior citizen or persons with disabilities wanted to take a boat ride, they could drive a car the length of the gravel walkway, and the army personnel could offer assistance on the floating walkway. They mentioned that if this was needed, one should call and check with the office in advance. This information is definitely not a guarantee, however, I wanted to provide this info in case it might help people visit. -There are daily boat rides HOWEVER the times are not fixed. The times are decided by when the high tide ends and the low tide begins. On January 2nd, it was 3 PM. For this information, call in advance. The boat ride is 1 hour, and costs 650 on weekends and 475 on weekdays. -FINALLY the Flamingos! From the jetty itself I could not see any flamingos. From the boat, there were ample sightings of flamingos the first half of the ride. They provided binoculars which was great as the boat does not go particularly close to the flamingos. The personnel on the boat offered some bird and ecology guidance on the tour.

I visited on December 8th. Off season. No Boat ride. Starts from December 15th. Real Flamingo season starts after March I think. If thinking of visiting as a traveller, please reconsider. If visiting as nature lover and conservation stand point, you have to visit this. That's why I am giving 5 star This shows how much bio diversity you can have sandwiched between 3 mega cities. Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai. I am very happy that I visited despite no boat ride and not getting Flamingo sighting. This is a marine bio diversity center, bird sanctuary, butterfly park, mosquito breeding center ( 😝 ) all in one. It is as much well maintained as can a government facility be. Mangrove walk needs maintenance badly. Drinking water available, no food available. I wrote only my critical analysis. Read other reviews for details.

The best viewing is dependent on tide patterns and our slot was around 5 pm. We took a covered private boat out, which seats ten people and can approach the birds without disturbing them. Our super enthusiastic guide Shahid told us a little bit about the mangroves in the creek before heading out. He is also knowledgeable about other birds and flora. The ride itself is calming and a great way to start the experience. At first sight, all that's visible is a sea of pink; the flamingoes' colour deepens and is at its most vibrant during April / May. Bobbing in the boat and being in the vicinity of such beautiful birds felt unreal; no city noises or smells to spoil the effect.

Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary is a birdwatcher’s paradise. Although the sanctuary is one of the less-discovered places of Maharashtra, it is exotic in its location and picturesque surroundings. The Sanctuary is home to a dense Mangrove forest and more than thousands of birds, but as the name suggests, it is variously recognised for the migratory flamingos that fly every year in Spring to the Sanctuary. All gutters in and around mumbai and big nallas washout all the waste in the Thane Creek. Which is a big mess. Local authorities have ignored the conversation of this land. Construction waste is being dumped here. Tones of Plastic can be gathered. It needs strong conservation policies to be implemented. Flamingos🦩 do visit here every year But other than flamingos there are many other spices of birds that one can spot here all along the year. Must Visit.

Recently visited this beautiful place near Airoli. It's a great place for nature lovers and especially serene in monsoon. The entry fee is just 50 per adult and 25 for children. They have two separate places,one which showcases marine animals stuff and one with reptiles. They have a variety of fishes to look at. The creek view is amazing,they even have a 60 min boat ride (depending on the tide). You can witness flamingos here typically from April to June. They have mangrove trees too and a bamboo bridge for you to take pics on. Overall a great place to enjoy the beauty of nature!

I visited on 7th May 2023. I had booked tickets for boat ride 1 week in advance as weekends are crowded. I had opted for 24 seater boat. There is also another option of premium boat with 8 seater which is costlier. Parking is available but is chargeable. Besides boat ride you can visit the museum/ information centres which provides information on birds and other animals at the creek. There is whale bones area but is not well maintained. There is walk over bamboo bridge which is a nice place to click photos. We went for boat ride at 12 pm morning time. The ride was for 1 hour. We could see more than 100 flamingos clustered at 2 points. They provided us with binoculars to watch them closely as if the boat goes close to them they get disturbed. So watch them from a distance. It was a very beautiful view to watch them take rest as well as fly. I recommend to visit this place. The contact phone is available after 10 am in the morning till 5.30 pm.