Maharana Pratap Sagar Lake – Wildlife sanctuary

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Maharana Pratap Sagar Lake

Location

Maharana Pratap Sagar Lake is situated in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. It lies between 32°01′N and 76°05′E.

About

The Maharana Pratap Sagar Lake is also known as Pong dam Lake. The name of the Lake is in the honour of Maharana Pratap. Lake is well known wildlife sanctuary. The sanctuary is popular for the birds like surkhabs,red necked grebes,terns.

Maharana Pratap Sagar Lake
Maharana Pratap Sagar Lake
Source: Tourmet

Wild Life at Maharana Pratap Sagar

Thousands of migratory ducks from Siberia can be seen in swamp and between Pong Dam and Shah Nagar barrage. Maharana Pratap Sagar Lake sanctuary is home of wild boars,leopards,cheetals,barking deer. Many species of fishes can be found in the lake. Maharana Pratap Sagar Lake offers many water sports activities like swimming, rowing, sailing, water skiing. The main bird species reported are the barheaded geese, Anser indicus, northern lapwing, ruddy shelduck, northern pintail, common teal, spot-billed duck, Eurasian coot, red-necked grebe, black-headed gulls, plovers, black stork, terns, water-fowl and egrets

Water sports

A regional water-sports centre has been established in the Pong Dam Reservoir, which offers focused activities such as canoeing, rowing, sailing, and water skiing, apart from swimming. Training programmes are organized in water safety and rescue measures with three-tier water-sports courses: the basic course, intermediate course, and advanced course. Modern infrastructure facilities have been created with a 75-bed hostel and a 10-suite rest house. It is said to be the only centre of its type in the country. To know more about the institute please visit the website of the institute. Source: Wikipedia

How to access Maharana Pratap Sagar Lake

By Air: The nearest airports are Gaggal.

By Train: The closest railway stations are at Mukerian 30 km and Pathankot 32 km.

By Road: The reservoir is well connected by roads.

Climate

The winter are very cold and summer are very hot. The best time to visit Maharana Pratap  Lake is November to March.