The Karnala Bird Sanctuary is located in Panvel Taluka of Raigad District, outside Mumbai, India near Matheran and Karjat. The sanctuary is quite small with an area of 4.27 square kilometres but is one of the sanctuaries except the Sanjay Gandhi National Park to be within reach of the Mumbai city.

Geography

It lies just off the Mumbai-Pune highway to Goa and is home to over 150 species of resident and 37 species of migratory birds who visit the sanctuary during winter. Two rare birds i.e. Ashy Minivet and Malabar Trogon have been sighted here. It is one of the more popular destination for avid bird-watchers and hikers in the Mumbai area. Karnala Bird Sanctuary is centered around the historic Karnala Fort which stands 475 metres high.

The sanctuary is open to visitors throughout the year. The resident bird and animal population can be seen at any time of the year, especially the monsoons, while the best time to see migratory birds is from October to April.