Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary

Winter wetland thick with greater flamingos, pelicans and painted storks, one of the Coromandel coast's most important bird habitats.

Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary, Gummidipoondi
Practical guide

Plan Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary

Who's going?Tailor Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary to your trip
Typewildlife
Nearest baseGummidipoondi
DistrictThiruvallur
Best timeOctober to March is the cooler, drier…
Time neededAbout an hour
Entry₹25
Places to visit3

Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary is planned from Gummidipoondi, one of the travel bases in Thiruvallur district. Use Gummidipoondi for stays, food and local transport, then plan this place as a focused stop.

What to expect

Highlights

Getting there

How to visit

  • Base yourself in Gummidipoondi or nearby in Thiruvallur, then confirm the last-mile route locally before travel.
  • If access depends on temple, museum or seasonal rules, check on the day before you go.
Timing

Best time

October to March is the cooler, drier season in the Cauvery delta.

Weather in Pulicat Lake Bird SanctuarySeasonal guide

Live forecast loads in your browser.

Today at Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary
Sunrise6:00 am
Sunset5:50 pm
Golden hour best light4:50 pm–5:50 pm
Blue hour after sunset5:50 pm–6:15 pm
Sun sets toward compass bearingW · 261°
Moon tonight🌒 Waxing crescent · 24%
Retreating monsoon. October and November still see spells of rain from the retreating monsoon, though it is usually lighter than mid-year. Conditions are generally good but worth checking.

Sun and moon are calculated for this location and shown in IST. Photography windows are the hour around sunrise and sunset; the sunset bearing is degrees clockwise from true north. Moon phase is accurate to about half a day.

Stay · eat · do · rent · see · shop

Stays, food & things to do near Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary

Verified hotels, homestays, restaurants, experiences, sights, shops and rentals around Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary — commission-free, with direct contact. Filter by what you need.

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Ranked guides

Top experiences around Gummidipoondi

2 more places around Gummidipoondi. Open a guide to plan the visit and onward journey.

backwaterPulicat Lake

2.7 km · ~7 min by auto

India's second-largest brackish lagoon, its Tamil Nadu shore lined with fishing camps and palmyra palms behind the Sriharikota barrier island.

townGummidipoondi

19.6 km · ~33 min by cab

The district's northernmost town and a large industrial estate on the Andhra Pradesh border, a key rail and highway node near the Pulicat lagoon.

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Before you go

Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary — at a glance

Timings6:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Best timeDecember to January at peak migration
Entry price
Indian adult
₹25

Government monuments, museums and forest reserves in India often charge foreign visitors more. We have not verified whether this site does — ask at the counter.

Fees change without notice. Check the current rate at the counter.

Entry: Indicative INR 25 - confirm on site

Getting here

How to reach Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary

Ponneri railway station, ~20 km; nearest airport Chennai (MAA), ~60 km

Getting around Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary

If you need step-free access, contact the site before travelling. Ask about a level entrance, steps along the route, the nearest drop-off point, seating and accessible toilets.

If you need help at Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary
112All emergencies (police · fire · medical)The single number to call in any emergency (ERSS).

Emergency numbers are verified against official government and state tourism sources. 112 works anywhere in India.

Nearby

What’s near Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary

backwaterPulicat Lake

India's second-largest brackish lagoon, its Tamil Nadu shore lined with fishing camps and palmyra palms behind the Sriharikota barrier island.

2.7 km · ~7 min by auto · straight line
townGummidipoondi

The district's northernmost town and a large industrial estate on the Andhra Pradesh border, a key rail and highway node near the Pulicat lagoon.

19.6 km · ~33 min by cab · straight line
heritageFort Geldria and Dutch Cemetery, Pulicat

Site of the Dutch East India Company's first Coromandel capital, its best-preserved remnant being the colonial cemetery with carved skeleton tombstones.

20.7 km · ~34 min by cab · straight line
O
Our Lady of Glory Church, Pulicat
Place
churchOur Lady of Glory Church, Pulicat

A historic Roman Catholic church in the old port town of Pulicat, dedicated to the Virgin Mary and dating to the early colonial era of the settlement. It stands among the Portuguese and Dutch-period heritage of Pazhaverkadu on the Coromandel coast.

20.8 km · ~35 min by cab · straight line
townPazhaverkadu (Pulicat) heritage town

A historic lagoon-side fishing town, once a major Dutch trading settlement, now blending colonial ruins, an old church, boat rides and birdwatching.

20.9 km · ~35 min by cab · straight line
beachPulicat Beach

A quiet sandy shore near Pazhaverkadu where the lagoon meets the Bay of Bengal, backed by fishing hamlets and good for sunrise.

21.1 km · ~35 min by cab · straight line
townPonneri

A taluk town on the Chennai-Gummidipoondi suburban line that serves as the road gateway to the Pulicat wetland and the northern coast.

27.4 km · ~46 min by cab · straight line
templeSiruvapuri Sri Balasubramania Swamy Temple

A well-known Murugan temple, dedicated to Balasubramania Swamy, in Siruvapuri village in Ponneri taluk, a popular pilgrimage stop on the northern Chennai belt. It lies close to Periyapalayam and is often visited together with the Bhavani Amman temple there.

28.6 km · ~48 min by cab · straight line
S
Sri Bhavani Amman Temple, Periyapalayam
Place
templeSri Bhavani Amman Temple, Periyapalayam

A popular goddess temple on the banks of the Arani river at Periyapalayam, roughly 45 km north of Chennai on the highway near Red Hills. The main complex is around 200 years old and is dedicated to Bhavani Amman. During the Tamil months of Aadi and Aavani it draws lakhs of pilgrims.

33.1 km · ~55 min by cab · straight line
townUthukottai

A northwestern taluk town near the Andhra border and the Kosasthalaiyar river, on the road toward Tirupati and the Periyapalayam Amman temple.

41.2 km · ~69 min by cab · straight line
E
Ennore Lighthouse
Place
heritageEnnore Lighthouse

An operational coastal lighthouse in the Ennore-Kattupalli area of Ponneri taluk that guides vessels approaching the nearby Kamarajar (Ennore) and Kattupalli ports. It sits on the district's industrial coastline just south of the Pulicat lagoon.

46.0 km · ~77 min by cab · straight line
M
Masilamaneeswarar Temple, Thirumullaivoyal
Place
templeMasilamaneeswarar Temple, Thirumullaivoyal

An ancient Shiva temple at Vada Thirumullaivayil counted among the 276 Paadal Petra Sthalams, the 22nd in the Thondai Nadu region, and sung in the Tevaram hymns. The presiding deity is Masilamaneeswarar. The temple is regarded as more than a millennium old.

49.0 km · ~82 min by cab · straight line

All 3 places to visit in Gummidipoondi →

On the map

Where Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary is

Good to know

Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary — frequently asked

When is the best time to visit Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary?

October to March is the cooler, drier season in the Cauvery delta.

What are the entry fee and timings at Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary?

Entry: Indicative INR 25 - confirm on site. Timings: 6:00 AM - 6:00 PM. The rupee figure quoted is the Indian adult rate. Government monuments, museums and forest reserves in India often charge foreign visitors more, and we have not verified whether this site does.

How do I reach Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary?

Base yourself in Gummidipoondi or nearby in Thiruvallur, then confirm the last-mile route locally before travel. If access depends on temple, museum or seasonal rules, check on the day before you go.

How much time do I need for Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary?

About an hour.

What else is near Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary?

Nearby you can pair Pulicat Lake (2.7 km), Gummidipoondi (19.6 km), Fort Geldria and Dutch Cemetery, Pulicat (20.7 km), Our Lady of Glory Church, Pulicat (20.8 km).

Read before you go

Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary guides, stories & itineraries

We have not published a story about Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary itself yet. These cover Gummidipoondi and the wider district, with separate journeys between stops.

Tamil Nadu-wide guides & itineraries

Route-level itineraries and practical guides for the rest of Tamil Nadu.

See all 5 Thiruvallur guides & stories →

Image credits

Photographs: Rocketfuelinabubble, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0), VasuVR (CC BY 4.0), Nandha (CC BY-SA 4.0), Deepak Sundar (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wikimedia Commons.