Gandhinagar city is one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in India and forms the capital city of Gujarat. Located about 23 kms north of Ahmedabad, the city of Gandhinagar has been a major presence in the state for its industrial growth and connectivity to major cities of India like Mumbai and Delhi. About 464 kms from Mumbai, the city is situated on the banks of River Sabarmati. Being a planned city, each sector of Gandhinagar has its own market complex, community centre, school, government and private houses and hospitals. Spread across the city of Gandhinagar, there are plenty of sightseeing destinations of importance. Most of these are included necessarily in the trips to Gujarat having a concert of natural sceneries, manmade structures, historical monuments and well designed and maintained parks.

Indroda Nature Park has been a well known tourist destination in Gandhinagar, more approximately in a village known as Indroda. In the truest sense of the word park, it comprises of a variety of species of plants, animals, reptiles and birds. A paradise for nature lovers, the Indroda Nature Park becomes an important place for visiting by tourists from different parts of the country.

Location

Located in the outskirts of the city of Ahmedabad in a village known as Indroda, the Indroda Nature Park is just along the banks of river Sabarmati. Rather, the river passes through this park, which trickles during the summer season, while overflows across the banks in monsoon. This park is spread over an area of about 468 hectares on both sides of Sabarmati River. Due to its closeness to Ahmedabad as well as Gandhinagar, it can be reached by buses or local taxis.

History

GEER national park or Gujarat Ecological and Research Foundation were the efforts by the government of Gujarat to maintain an ecological balance and planning to allow the nature to thrive in its fullest capacity. Forest department of Gandhinagar, in 1970, conceived of a plan to reclaim the land around the Sabarmati River and maintain it with plantation work. It is now a fully natural looking, manmade forest, with inhabitation by a number of birds, animals, reptiles, trees, shrubs, and beautiful sceneries.

Tourist Adventure

Over the years, the flora and fauna have increased tremendously, with Indroda Nature Park comprising of some rare and endangered species. The undulating areas along with the low lying levels of the Sabarmati River give it a special scenic ambience. There are various facilities for research and interpretation of floral and faunal species and natural history museum. This part of the park serves as a centre for blocking carbon emission and maintaining ecological balance in the environment of the forest and the nearby urban areas.

Sections of Indroda Nature Park for Tourist Visits

Inside Indroda Nature Park is a section for dinosaur eggs hatchery. There are various collections of skeletons, eggs, bones, skin impressions and coprolites in the dinosaur section, many of which have been collected from Rahioli in Kheda district of Gujarat, which has one of the largest egg hatcheries in the world.

A separate zoo section has been created for housing a variety of animals, including the tiger, leopard, sambar, blackbuck, jackal, porcupines, antelopes and others. These animals have been tried to be kept in the most possible natural habitats in large enclosures. Among the nature lovers, the avifauna in Indroda Nature Park has been quite well known. About 201 varieties of birds have made this park as their house in seasons, with 65 varieties coming for breeding season. For the bird watchers, 31 varieties of birds have been kept in the walk-in aviary.

Reptiles, Marine Animal Sections

There are separate sections for reptiles also, where snakes, crocodiles, tortoises, etc are found. Marine section consists of whales, dolphins, and replicas and skeletons of marine animals. Botanical garden and the geological sections are also worth watching due to the vast and elaborate arrangements that have been made. A visit to the Indroda Nature Park can be a refreshing inside into the flora and fauna of Gujarat and also lets tourists find some peaceful time in the serene and quaint jungle environment.