Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary (Unnao)
Shallow migratory-bird lake halfway between Lucknow and Kanpur
Best time to visit Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary (Unnao)
- Jan, peak season
- Feb, peak season
- Mar, shoulder season
- Apr, best avoided
- May, best avoided
- Jun, best avoided
- Jul, off-season
- Aug, off-season
- Sep, off-season
- Oct, off-season
- Nov, shoulder season
- Dec, peak season
peak shoulder off-season avoid
- Go: December to February
- Shoulder: March and November, quieter, and the weather is less of a sure thing
- Skip: April to June
Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary (Unnao) season by season
Winter December to February Prime time
Dec-Feb is the whole point: pintail, shoveller and greylag on the water, sarus cranes in the fields, 8 C dawns.
Summer March to May Shoulder
Apr-Jun the lake shrinks and shimmers at 45 C, the migrants are long gone and the tower is an oven by 9 am.
Monsoon June to September Mixed, read the detail
Jul-Sep the lake is brim full and empty of birds, the walking bund floods and the boats stop running.
Autumn October to November Shoulder
November is the build-up month as the first flocks drop in: warm days, and the paths finally dry underfoot.
What Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary (Unnao) is actually like
A watchtower, a bund walk and a small state tourist complex; birders with scopes at dawn, nobody else
Getting to Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary (Unnao)
On the Lucknow-Kanpur highway, 45 km from either; any bus between the two drops you at the sanctuary gate
Practical ways in: flighttrainroad
Trip facts
- How long to stay
- 1 day
- Budget
- Shoestring
- How busy
- Quiet at its peak
- Solo travel
- Fine solo
- Altitude
- 130 m
- State
- Uttar Pradesh
- Coordinates
- 26.6192, 80.6531
Common questions
When is the best time to visit Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary (Unnao)?
December to February is peak season in Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary (Unnao). March and November is shoulder season: thinner crowds, a bit more risk in the weather. Avoid April to June. Dec-Feb is the whole point: pintail, shoveller and greylag on the water, sarus cranes in the fields, 8 C dawns.
How many days do you need in Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary (Unnao)?
1 day is the usual stay. A watchtower, a bund walk and a small state tourist complex; birders with scopes at dawn, nobody else.
How do you get to Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary (Unnao)?
On the Lucknow-Kanpur highway, 45 km from either; any bus between the two drops you at the sanctuary gate. Practical ways in: flight, train and road.
Is Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary (Unnao) expensive, and does it get crowded?
Shoestring by Indian travel standards, and it runs quiet at the busiest time of year. Fine solo.
Nearby, and where to go next
-
Bithoor
Uttar Pradesh
Quiet Ganga ghats and Nana Saheb's 1857 base above Kanpur
50 km from Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary (Unnao), roughly under an hour by road
-
Lucknow
Uttar Pradesh
Nawabi capital of grand Imambaras and kebabs
50 km from Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary (Unnao), roughly under an hour by road
-
Bhitargaon
Uttar Pradesh
India's oldest standing brick temple, Gupta terracotta and all
80 km from Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary (Unnao), roughly about 2 h by road
-
Naimisharanya (Nimsar)
Uttar Pradesh
Forest where the Puranas were told: Chakra Tirth and Gomti
110 km from Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary (Unnao), roughly about 2 h by road
-
Ayodhya
Uttar Pradesh
Rama's birthplace, home to the newly built Ram Mandir
200 km from Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary (Unnao), roughly about 4 h by road
-
Kaushambi (Kosam)
Uttar Pradesh
Buddha-era Vatsa capital, earth ramparts above the Yamuna
210 km from Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary (Unnao), roughly about 4 h by road
-
Chitrakoot (Ramghat)
Uttar Pradesh
Mandakini ghats and wooded hills where Ram spent his exile years
210 km from Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary (Unnao), roughly about 4 h by road
-
Shravasti (Sahet-Mahet)
Uttar Pradesh
Jetavana ruins where the Buddha spent 25 rain retreats
230 km from Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary (Unnao), roughly about 4 h by road
More places to visit in Uttar Pradesh
- Agra Uttar Pradesh
- Ayodhya Uttar Pradesh
- Barsana & Nandgaon Uttar Pradesh
- Bateshwar & Chambal Safari (Bah) Uttar Pradesh
- Bhitargaon Uttar Pradesh
- Bithoor Uttar Pradesh
- Chitrakoot (Ramghat) Uttar Pradesh
- Deogarh (Lalitpur) Uttar Pradesh
- Dudhwa National Park Uttar Pradesh
- Fatehpur Sikri Uttar Pradesh
- Hastinapur Uttar Pradesh
- Jaunpur Uttar Pradesh
- Jhansi Uttar Pradesh
- Kalinjar Fort Uttar Pradesh
- Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary Uttar Pradesh
- Kaushambi (Kosam) Uttar Pradesh
- Kushinagar Uttar Pradesh
- Lucknow Uttar Pradesh
- Naimisharanya (Nimsar) Uttar Pradesh
- Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (Chuka) Uttar Pradesh
- Prayagraj (Triveni Sangam) Uttar Pradesh
- Salkhan Fossils Park (Sonbhadra) Uttar Pradesh
- Shravasti (Sahet-Mahet) Uttar Pradesh
- Varanasi Uttar Pradesh
- Vrindavan-Mathura Uttar Pradesh