Pong Dam Lake Wildlife Sanctuary

A Ramsar-listed wetland that hosts hundreds of thousands of migratory birds between November and March

Pong Dam Lake Wildlife Sanctuary (officially Maharana Pratap Sagar) is the largest reservoir in Himachal Pradesh, covering over 24,000 hectares and sitting at around 430 metres elevation at the base of the Shivalik foothills. Between November and March, the lake and its surrounding marshes host one of the most spectacular bird concentrations in northern India — peak counts have recorded over 100,000 bar-headed geese at the site, along with large numbers of ruddy shelducks, common pochards, tufted ducks, and numerous wader species.

The best birdwatching areas are the marshy fringes of the lake accessible from the roads around Nagrota Surian and the villages to the north. Dawn is the best time — the light is good for photography and the geese are most active. The sanctuary also supports a significant population of mahseer (the large sport fish of Himalayan rivers) and is managed as much for angling as for birds. Boats can be hired at several points along the shoreline for both birdwatching and fishing expeditions.

things to do nature birdwatching
A story
Pong Dam was built in 1974 for irrigation and flood control, and the reservoir it created — known as Maharana Pratap Sagar — accidentally became one of the most significant bird habitats in the western Himalayas. The drowned valley floor created a mosaic of shallow water, mudflats, and emergent vegetation that turned out to be ideal staging habitat for birds migrating through the Central Asian Flyway. The sanctuary was notified in 1983 and designated a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance in 2002.