Sattal or Sat Tal (Hindi for “seven lakes”) is an interconnected group of seven freshwater lakes situated in the Lower Himalayan Range near Bhimtal a town of the Nainital district in Uttarakhand. The lakes sits at an altitude of 1370 metres  in the Mehragaon valley.

History:

Set amongst dense forests of oak and pine trees, Sattal is one of the few unspoiled and unpolluted freshwater biomes in India. These lakes are a paradise for migratory birds. This was a tea garden in the British raj . This falls under the Kumaon Range in Uttarakhand

About the area

Sattal has 7 lakes that are interconnected . They are

• Panna Tal or Garud Tal
• Nal-Damyanti Tal
• Purna Tal
• Sita Tal
• Ram Tal
• Laxman Tal
• Sukha Tal or Khurdariya Tal

The birds throng these lakes and the forest surrounding these lakes. The forest are thick with Oak & Pine trees that make more than 200 species of birds to throng this place.

Sattal doesn’t have any particular  designated sanctuary per se but there are very special areas to find the beautiful birds.

A few of the popular areas are

Sattal Studio :

This is an area opposite to the main lake of Sattal. A small stream of water connects two water body. This small stream is the happening place where most of the birds come to take a dip and drink water. The avid bird photographers have put up small perches and the birds use them to land before getting into the water thus giving the photographers enough opportunity to click these birds at close range.

Birds found here are Flycatchers, Warblers, Tit, Laughing thrush, Thrush, Kingfisher, Starling, Bulbul, Drongo etc

 

The area leading to studio has a little larger stream which attracts Woodpeckers and the Long tail Broadbill.

Maheshkhan :

This area is thick forest of Oak & Pine trees. The best place to shoot woodpeckers

Sattal is home to many species of woodpeckers like Greater Yellow Nape, Lesser Yellow Nape, Flame back, Brown Fronted, Grey headed, Himalayan , Fulvous, Rufous bellied, Rufous

 

 

 

 

 

Ghorakhal :

Stables for horses that are used by tourists are in this area. The horse dung attracts lot of birds in this area. There is a beautiful trekking path through dense forest that is also home to a lot of beautiful birds. Birds found here are White tailed Nuthatch, Chestnut crowned laughing thrush, Partridges, Pied Thrush etc.

 

 

 

Chanfi River and Kainchi River: 

These rivers are great spots for the crested Kingfisher, Fork tails & Brown dipper and the redstarts.

 

 

 

Private studios : A few resorts  have setup their own hides and attract the birds by feeding them grains and fruits. These hides attract a lot of birds like Lineated Barbet, Great Barbet, Blue throated Barbet, Khaleej Pheasant, Black Francolin, Red billed blue magpie etc.

  

Shyamkheth :

This is a thick forest that attracts Woodpeckers , Barbets , Tree creeper and Tits.

 

 

 

How to reach Sataal

Air: Nearest Airport is Pant Nagar ( 40 Km from Sattal)

Railway Station: Katgodham

Road: From Katgodham about 30 Km

 

Timing:

There is no designated time as there is no fenced sanctuary. Best time is to start early in summer by 5:00 am. The sunset is early in these areas.

Recommended Season:

Sattal has two seasons

Summer :   April – July : The flycatchers , Barbets , Broadbill, Woodpeckers ,tree creeper,  Nuthatch are active

Winter :   Oct – Feb : It is the time for Thrush, Laughing thrush, Finch, Warblers, Tits, Babblers, Orioles, Sibia etc.

So depending on target birds we need to plan the trip

Where to stay :

Bhimtal offers a lot of Good hotels  suiting all budgets

 

Guide:

A guide is VERY ESSENTIAL in this area. Only the guide knows where the birds are active and as there is no fenced area the whole district is active with bird hotspots. These spots keep changing and the guides are aware of this.

The area is traversed in motorised vehicle. Car rentals are available in Bhimtal and Nainital

Other Area Recommended:

Pangot is situated at a higher altitude than Sattal at about 6000 feet above sea level. It is about 30 Km from Sattal and can be combined with Sattal. Few birds that are special in Pangot are Koklass Pheasant, Cheer Pheasant, Finches

One can have a clear view of Himalayas from points enroute to Pangot from Sattal

Tour Operators

S2 Brands : Saravanan Janakarajan: +91 9840119078, ogaclicks@gmail.com