Guide
Sanjay Gandhi National Park: A Complete Traveler’s Guide
This is a short and precise guide entirely focusing on making your visit to the national park easy and comfortable.
Sanjay Gandhi National Park is a place where facilities and activities are no less. It is a 103 sq. km park located in the suburbs of the city makes it a prime location for the people to hang around for a refreshing morning walk or jog. It constitutes for about city’s 20% of the geographic area.
Biodiversity
A place so rich in diversity that can make you
wonder about the species that reside in it. It holds the rich biodiversity of
the Western Ghats and has more 20 million people residing around the corners of
the parks. It has a variety of flora and fauna including 254 species of birds,
40 species of mammals, 78 species of reptiles and amphibians, 150 species of
butterflies and over a staggering 1,300 species of plants.
How to get there?
If you don’t know how to get here then here we
mention all of the ways you can get to this beautiful location.
Nearest Airport: Mumbai -15kms.
By Rail: Mumbai to Borivali is 30 km by train on
western railway route. Suburban trains to Borivali are available on Western
Railway on every 5 minutes.
By Road: Borivali is near Mumbai octroi post on
Mumbai - Ahmedabad highway.
From South Mumbai and Western suburbs: From South
& Central Mumbai, SGNP can be easily accessed by road from the WEH. Given
here are the distances from various locations in South and Central Mumbai, as
also in the western suburbs.
Navy Nagar, near the southern tip of Mumbai: 45 km
Nariman Point: 41 km
Worli: 30 km
Sion: 27 km
Bandra: 23 km
Versova, Andheri: 15 km
International Airport: 18 km
Domestic Airport: 16 km
From Central Mumbai & South Central Mumbai: It
is advisable to reach Sion and drive along the Sion – Dharavi Road to connect
the WEH at Bandra. Continue north towards SGNP.
From Eastern suburbs and Thane: From the eastern
suburbs of Ghatkopar – Mulund, and Thane urban, there are two approach routes
to SGNP.
Via Powai: Drive along LBS Marg to reach the Gandhi
Nagar Jn. From here, take the A S Road (Adi Sankaracharya Road) that passes the
IIT - Powai stretch.
*All of these stats are provided by the official
site of Sanjay Gandhi National Park
Money Matters:
Ticket Price: Anyone above 12 years of age – Rs. 53
5 – 12 years – Rs. 28
Below 5 years – Free
Motorcycle – Rs. 45
Car – Rs. 177
Bus – Rs. 266
10 Things to do in SGNP:
Walk / Run
Many fitness facets and early risers are seen in the
park early in the morning enjoying their delightful walk or light jog across
the park. There is ample amount of space for you to have an intense cardio
session.
Cycling
The park is best for cycling as it as well as paved
roads efficient for long rides. Cyclists usually complete a circuit from the
entrance up till the caves. If you don’t have cycles but are interested in
cycling inside the park, there are provisions for renting a cycle too.
Cost: Rs. 60 for 2 hours with 300 Rs deposit and a PHOTO
ID has to be provided.
Vanrani Train Ride
It is a mini train ride that takes you across
multiple places within the park. The train also has mini stations in the park
where till halts. But, a minimum of 20 people are needed for the train to begin
its journey.
Cost: Adults – Rs. 45; Kids – Rs. 17
Kanheri Caves
These are ancient Buddhist caves located within the
park which the centre of attraction for many tourists and visitors. These caves
are believed to about 2400 years old. These caves are a part of an important
Buddhist settlement and have various carvings of the walls and pillars. The
caves are well maintained and preserved by the government.
Cost: Indians – Rs. 15; Foreigners – Rs. 200
The Kanheri caves are located quite deep into the
park about 7 km from the entrance making it difficult for the pedestrians to
trudge all the way to the caves. So, the authorities run a shuttle bus service
beginning from the entrance of the park up to the caves. The buses arrive
almost every hour and are closed at the time of lunch.
Cost: Adults – Rs. 48; Kids – Rs. 25
Jungle Safari
The jungle safari of the park majorly constitutes
taking you deep into the forests to view various aspects of diversity
prevailing within the semi caged environment. Many tourists can spot even a
Tiger or a Lion during their visit. You can enjoy the 20-30 minute long safari
only between 9 AM to 12:30 PM & from 1:30 Pm until 4:30 PM.
Cost: Only tiger safari – Adults – Rs. 70 & Kids – Rs. 28
Combined Tiger + Lion Safari = Adults – Rs. 81 &
Kids – Rs. 32
Boating
People also tend to come to SGNP for the amazing
boat rides around here. The 15-minute long boat rides can be enjoyed on the
lakes from 9 AM to 12:30 PM & then from 1:30 PM to 5:30 PM.
Cost: 2 people – Rs. 48 & 4 people – Rs. 97
Highest Point Trek
This is for all the trek lovers and adventure
infused people. The half day-long trek leads you to the highest point of the
city which provides you with a picturesque view of the entire concrete jungle.
Coupled with a beautiful sunset, the city skyline looks much prettier in the
evening. There is a watchtower too, over there.
Shilonda Trail
It is much like a ‘walk into the wild’. Named after
the Shilonda tribe that settled here, this trail feels even more mind ravelling
in the monsoons when the rainwater turns a shallow deepening of land into a
stream. You need permission to get into this trail but all of it will be taken
care of if you plan it with SomePlaceElse.in. What better than an amazing
knowledgeable session with the naturalists into the wild!
Dorms & Private Tents
The authorities have also arranged for some
beautiful stays within the parks. The tents are air-conditioned family tents
that can easily accommodate 3 people and one large dormitory that can
accommodate around 14 people. There have been tents and dorms set up in some
parts of the park where you can enjoy a weekend getaway with your family and
friend at an unreal price! The stay is coupled with activities like Star Gazing
etc.
Cost: Family Tent – Rs. 2500 / night & Dormitory – Rs. 4200 / night
Nagla Block Trail
For all biology enthusiasts and butterfly lovers,
this is a treat for you guys. This trail holds a variety of flora & flora.
It lies in the northern part of the park.
What you should know about this place?
The park holds around 7 different trails in various
corners of it and if you want to any of them then you can contact the Nature
Information Centre (Phone: 022 28868686) and book the trails in advance. The
trails can range from anywhere from Rs. 75 – 300 and if you want to hire a
naturalist then his fine maybe somewhere from 400 – 1000 bucks.
If you wish to go to the park on weekends, then be
ready to expect a lot of people already there to avail themselves of the
various facilities. The park gets crowded on the weekends in the morning.
It is better to book any trails or safari or train
rides online to avoid the queues. You can book here.
Moreover, any kind of photography or videography is
entirely prohibited inside the park so either pay the camera price at the gate
itself or be ready to face the fine of about 25000 from the authorities, only
if they catch you!
The caves have stipulated timings of opening and
closing which we have mentioned above, so plan accordingly and to avail the
services like the toy train, it only functions if a certain amount of people
are ready for the ride.
Most importantly, all the facilities of the park are
closed for all the visitors on Monday.
Overall, for us, SGNP is always a wholesome experience. It is a place where you can trek, walk, run, enjoy safari and trails, all with you loved ones. We have visited it several times and every time it has been a delight!
Thanks to our references:
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