Sattal or Sat Tal (Hindi for “seven lakes”) is an interconnected group of seven freshwater lakes situated in the Lower Himalayan Range near Bhimtal, a town of the Nainital district in Uttarakhand, India. During the British Raj, the area had a tea plantation, one of four in the Kumaon area at that time.
The lakes sit at an altitude of 1370 metres below lush orchards in the Mehragaon valley.
Set amongst dense forests of oak and pine trees, Sattal is one of the few unspoiled and unpolluted freshwater biomes in India. These lakes are a paradise for migratory birds. It is home to a few camps being operated mostly by local people catering to tourists looking for outdoor vacations.
Sattal Best Time To Visit
The best time to visit Sattal and Pangot is from October to June. Different species are sighted in different seasons – winter is the best time to see Upper Himalayan birds, which migrate to Sattal during the cooler months. You might get to experience snowfall in Pangot if you visit in January. Temperatures in winter range from 0-24°C; in summer, from 10-30°C.
Sattal for Stay
Best stay: Best place to stay in sattal is indiansavanna bush camp or incredible birding camp .
The best part of stay is owner couple them self are country’s Top Bird photographers and know each and every needs of birders , and reason being industries best people had stayed here with excellent reviews on facebook as well as Tripadvisor websites .
The country’s Best hide is from indian savanna bush camp , where chestnut thrush , rufous throated accentor are never seen in any hides in india .Apart from this hide had just water and no other feeding .
Price Range -₹ 2000 to₹ 3500 per night .
Mid-range: KMVN sattal
Booking Numbers : 05942 247 047 ( KMVN )
SATTAL – 09871545012 , 09560731155 , info@indiansavanna.com
PangotHigh-end:Jungle Lore Birding Lodge is a good high-end option, and will cost you around ₹8,000 per night.
Mid-range: Rooms at Kafal House are around ₹4,000 per night.
Nearby birding area in sattal
chafi , bhimtal , sattal studio .
Sattal Biological diversity
Sattal is unique for its biodiversity and ecological amplitude. It has 500 species of resident and migratory birds, 20 species of mammals, over 525 species of butterflies and over 11,000 species of moths, beetles, bugs and other insects. The flora covers a wide and diverse range of plants ranging from Bryophytes, orchids, rare climbing plants, ferns, lichens, fungi, medicinal herbs and shrubs. Each individual lake has its own unique Diatom index. The Trophic Diatom Index uses the composition of freshwater diatom assemblages to assess water quality and ecological status.
Sattal Birds
The unique avian fauna of Sattal includes red-billed blue magpie, kingfishers, blue-throated and brown-headed barbets, lineated barbet, golden-throated barbet, crimson-fronted barbet, coppersmith barbet plum-headed parakeet, slaty-headed parakeet, chestnut bellied rock thrush, tits, babblers, jungle owlet, fish eagles[disambiguation needed], pied woodpecker, brown-capped pygmy woodpecker, grey-capped pygmy woodpecker, brown-fronted woodpecker, stripe-breasted woodpecker, yellow-crowned woodpecker, rufous-bellied woodpecker, crimson-breasted woodpecker, Himalayan woodpecker, lesser yellownape woodpecker, greater yellow-naped woodpecker, streak-throated woodpecker, grey-headed woodpecker, scaly-bellied woodpecker, common flameback woodpecker, Indian tree pies, blue whistling-thrush, lammergeier, Himalayan griffon, crested serpent eagle, flycatchers, cheer pheasants, Kalij pheasant, Koklas pheasants, dollarbird, leaf birds, flowerpecker, purple sunbird, brown headed stork-billed kingfisher, stork-billed kingfisher, crested kingfisher, white-throated kingfisher, pied kingfisher, common kingfisher, blue-eared kingfisher, Himalayan kingfisher, Mrs. Gould’s sunbird, green-tailed sunbird, black-throated sunbird, black-breasted sunbird, crimson sunbird, fire-tailed sunbird, thick-billed flowerpecker, plain-leaf flowerpecker, fire-breasted flowerpecker, russet sparrow, rufous babbler, black-headed jay, scaly-breasted wren-babbler, black-capped sibia, blue whistling thrush, finches, mountain hawk eagle, black eagle, Eurasian jay, white-rumped needletail, black-headed jay, black-lored, black-throated tits, black bulbul, ashy-throated warblers, black-chinned babbler, rufous-breasted accentor, red-billed blue magpie, grey-winged blackbird, Eurasian griffon, common buzzard, black-chinned babbler, pink-browed rosefinch, common wood pigeon, slaty-headed parakeet, laughingthrush, chestnut-tailed minla, lemon-rumped warblers, and many more.
Sattal Fishes
Sattal has many different varie
ties of fish. Mahseers (Tor tor and Tor putitora) are found here in large numbers. Labeo rohita, Cirrhinus mrigala, Schizothorax richardsonii and Catla catla are some of the other fish found in the lakes.
Sattal Butterflies
Argynnis butterfly
Some of the butterflies found at Sattal includes Indian fritillary (Argynnis hyperbius), peacock panzy, blue peacock, Paris peacock, red-base Jazebel, red lacewing, yellow pansy, tawny Rajah, red Helen, large silverstripe, Indian oakleaf and thousands of others.
