As you walk towards the entrance of the sanctuary, you can find the newly renovated Dr Salim Ali Information Centre. If you are an ornithophile, this place has got a lot stored for you. There are vivid illustrations of various birds and their characteristics. You would surely learn interesting things about birds like how they use their beaks and other body parts as tools for survival and hunting. You would also find a clear map of the entire Ranganathittu Sanctuary here. There’s even an island model that visually portrays what the whole sanctuary is all about. The centre was inaugurated in 2015 and was renovated recently. Tourists can gain insights about nesting patterns, beak structures, feather patterns and colours, purposes of different types of feet in birds and more from the Centre. You can also learn about nesting and migratory birds here. Whether you are an ornithophile or not, the Centre has a fun interactive quiz board that tests your knowledge of birds! This is a perfect place to begin before you take a stroll into the Sanctuary.
An interesting way to get a better glimpse of the birds is through boat rides. Tourists can enjoy guided boat rides and watch a wide variety of birds, their nests and young ones while rowing through these islets in the Cauvery River. You can also watch crocodiles basking on the rocks during the boat rides. It sure is an immersive experience to take this boat ride. It is best recommended to take these rides in the morning before it gets too crowded. Boating is available throughout the day. Stepping on the islets is dangerous and prohibited by the authorities. Boating charges for Indians is Rs.50/ person and for foreigners, it is Rs.300/person. The guides are well experienced and will take you through a beautiful experience while on the boat ride.
The Brindavan Gardens is a garden located 12 k.ms from the city of Mysore in the Mandya District of the Indian State of Karnataka. It lies adjoining the Krishnarajasagara Dam which is built across the river Kaveri. The work on laying out this garden was started in the year 1927 and completed in 1932. Visited by close to 2 million tourists per year, the garden is one of the major attractions of Srirangapatna. Sir Mirza Ismail, the Deewan of Mysore, a man with a penchant for gardens, founded the Brindavan Gardens (Krishnaraja Sagar Dam in particular) and built the Cauvery River high-level canal to irrigate 120,000 acres (490 km2) in modern Mandya district.[citation needed] He was inspired by Hyder Ali who had earlier built the Lalbagh Botanical Gardens at Bangalore.
