Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary

Location : Usgao Tisk village in North Goa

Best Time to Visit : November to March

Attractions : Panthers, Gaurs, Leopard Cats, botanical garden, zoo, deer safari park

The Bondla wildlife sanctuary is spread over an area of 8 square kilometers. Because of the fact that it is very small in size, the Bondla wildlife sanctuary is better known as a wildlife resort. This sanctuary was initially set up a refuge for orphaned and injured animals. Today, apart from the wildlife species the sanctuary houses a deer safari park, a rose garden, a zoo and a botanical garden too.

In order to see the variety of animal species that the sanctuary houses, visit the zoo. If you want to see the diverse plants drift towards the botanical garden inside the sanctuary.  This is not all! The sanctuary has a Nature Education Center as well that aims at bringing people close to the nature. There is a lot of entertainment for the youngsters at the library that screens movies and videos.

Flora and Fauna

The vegetation at the Bondla wildlife sanctuary is abundant. Moist deciduous forests form the major part of the vegetation at Bondla. Patches of canes and evergreens can also be seen. The trees that can be commonly seen here include Rosewood, Jamba, Matti, Kindall and many more.

Additionally, a number of animal species can be seen here. Panthers, Leopard Cats, Deer, Wild Boar, Gaur and Malabar Giant Squirrel. The bird species include Common Grey Hornbills, Golden Backed Woodpeckers and  Ruby Throated Yellow Bulbuls.

Reaching There

Dabolim is the nearest airport which is about 80 kilometers from the sanctuary. Margao is the closest railhead, just 38 kilometers from the sanctuary. Buses from Panaji and Margao do stop at Bondla. A good network of roads links the sanctuary to Ponda and Mollem.