Urban forest trail in the middle of the Pondicherry City
Pondicherry doesn’t have any natural forests, but it has a few patches of man-made forests like this one. The urban forest trail is located in the heart of the city (Less than 2km from white town). Department of forests and wildlife, Pondicherry opened this forest to the public in 2018, and it is located inside the campus of the forest department.
You have to enter your details with a Valid Identification Card at the entrance of the forest department before entering the trail. There is no entrance fee for the forest trail, and it will be a self-guided trek inside the forest.
An urban forest trail will cover 23 acres of land, which has untouched vegetation for the past 100 years or more. The total trekking distance will be around 1.5kms. If you have a keen sense of sound, then you can sight birds during the trek. During the walk, you may encounter the colony of bats in the forest trees.
Zoo in Pondicherry
Apart from the Urban Forest trail, there is a small zoo and Ousudu interpretation center where you can visit. Pondicherry Forest department rescues animals and rehabilitates them here. Zoo has a limited number of animals like Spotted Deer, Indian Peacock, and Snakes rescued from the Public by the Pondicherry forest department. Enclosure sizes are not enough for these poor animals. Government should give sufficient enclosures for them to move around.
Ousudu Interpretation Center
Ousudu Interpretation Center is India’s first Art based wildlife interpretation center, which has information on the flora and fauna of ouster bird sanctuary. Sculptures of birds are displayed for a better understanding of these winged beauties at a close distance.
The Center’s ground floor has artworks of birds carved on granite stone pillars and the endangered Olive Ridley turtles, which visit Pondicherry beaches for nesting. The first floor of the Ousudu Interpretation Center has a multi-purpose auditorium with a seating capacity of 70 persons. This place will have pieces of information that will teach you the importance of conservation and the biodiversity of Pondicherry.
Best Season: December to March (Forest will be covered with a green blanket after the monsoon)
Time: 9.30 Am to 4.30 Pm
Entrance: Free
Open on Monday-Friday (Saturday Half day)
Sunday is Holiday
