EsselWorld Bird Park — Attraction in Mumbai

I was very excited to visit this one of its kind Bird Park that was launched at Essel World last year. Sadly, this excitement was short lived since I noticed too many disappointing things during my visit. Here’s highlighting all of those :

1.) Firstly, as advertised to be a park with truly many bird species , and a place where an exclusive one time visit can be planned is very misleading. There are many birds - agreed, but many are missing too. You do not see an Owl, an peacock & many more birds you would’ve loved seeing. However, to overshadow this , there are quite a few rare birds which you would otherwise not see in India which you might encounter. This is a place for which an exclusive visit is absolutely NOT RECOMMENDED. Firstly, the park is small - not as lavish or big as expected, there are no washroom or Food cafe facilities inside the park. You are allowed multiple entries inside on one ticket. However, the outside area too does not have any decent food joint to have a proper meal. There is just one food stall around which sells snacks & not meals. This means if you are on an exclusive trip here, you might just crave for food in the mid-day. You can visit the park for an hour or 2 if you are going to the main amusement or water park. However, an exclusive plan to visit this park will only lead you to disappointment. 2.) There is NO FOOD, WATER, MEDICINES or even a tiny grain allowed to be carried inside. You are asked to keep your baggage at a counter which charges you 20 Rs to do so! Kyun bhai? Isn’t it the parks responsibility to provide this service free? Thankfully they allow you to carry mobiles and cameras & of course your wallets which they at a later point ensure is made best use of. 3.) An adult ticket to the park is Rs 390. The charges are strictly to see the birds, take pics of them hovering around - that’s it!! There comes a point when bird feeding session starts. And hello!! Bird feeding is chargeable!!! Rs 100 to have a plate of grains already with birds on them, placed on your hand for less than 30 seconds. There certainly ain’t no wow factor in doing so, trust me- I tried this gimmick! & that’s not all!! Only an official photographer shall click your picture with the birds & grains vessel in your hand - which,to get,you have to then obviously pay another Rs 200 for!! Total cost so far: Rs 390 +100+200= Rs 690 4.) Moving over to the second half of the day , frankly, we did not really get any of the bird helpers or guides to voluntarily be with us, guide us through. What’s a place like a zoo without any briefings apart from the typical written details put out in front of each cage? Why is this called an Interactive Bird Park in the first place!??? Where is the interaction? Atleast I haven’t experienced it yet. Yes I spoke to one of the representatives too while exploring some birds but it was ‘by chance’ & queries about the birds were initiated by me. There is truly nothing like a ‘guide’ who was on duty to ensure everyone had a good time. 5.) At 4 pm there was a Birds show for roughly 20 mins. The Bird Park team was trying to speak on mic sharing with us information abt few birds, some random facts, why birds are important, etc etc & few birds made an appearance from nowhere to amaze the audience. Kids might be amazed at that sight maybe - not an 28 year old earning adult certainly who is sitting amidst heat with no fans around & bearing a jarring audio & being unable to gauge half the things spoken by the team, spending more than half of his only weekly Holiday at this place!! We are made to realise yet again - this is India - we ain’t gonna meet those international standards ever.... but but but... we would certainly follow international ways of extracting additional money from visitors! 6.) And yet again it was time for a photo session with another bird! This time a Macau- It ain’t free this time too - Rs 250/- for a pic next to the Macau !!NEXT to it, not even with it on your shoulder or so. Yes, I took this experience too which lasted 20 seconds barely. Total charges...

EsselWorld Bird Park in Mumbai is a unique attraction that offers a close-up experience with a variety of exotic and native bird species. Here’s what you can expect:

Highlights of EsselWorld Bird Park

Exotic Birds and Species Diversity: The park is home to over 500 birds from 60 different species, including macaws, hornbills, toucans, African grey parrots, and flamingos. The variety provides a great learning experience for bird enthusiasts and families alike.

Natural Habitat Design: The park is designed to mimic the birds’ natural environments, with open spaces, artificial trees, and water bodies that allow the birds to roam freely. It’s one of the few walk-in aviaries in India, allowing visitors to walk through the enclosures and observe the birds up close.

Interactive Feeding Sessions: EsselWorld Bird Park offers feeding sessions where visitors can feed certain birds under supervision. This is a great chance to interact with the birds while learning about their dietary habits and behaviors.

Educational Tours and Information: The park provides detailed information about each species, which is ideal for those interested in learning more about bird life. Some tours are guided, and the staff is knowledgeable, offering insights about the birds’ origins, habits, and conservation status.

Photography Opportunities: The park is a fantastic place for bird photography, with many colorful and unique species in a naturalistic setting. Visitors can take stunning photos, and there are specific points where you can get close enough for good shots.

Ambiance and Maintenance

The bird park is well-maintained, with clean pathways and ample shade for visitors. The birds appear to be well-cared for, and the enclosures are spacious and enriched to keep them comfortable.

Best Time to Visit

Visiting during early hours on weekdays is ideal to avoid the crowd. Early mornings are also best for bird activity and interaction.

Entry Fee and Accessibility

The entry fee is reasonable, though it's a separate ticket from the main EsselWorld theme park. It’s a relatively accessible park, though some parts may have uneven paths due to the naturalistic layout.

Overall Experience

EsselWorld Bird Park is an enjoyable, educational, and visually appealing experience, particularly for families, bird lovers, and photographers. It’s a refreshing, nature-focused escape from the usual amusement park rides and a great opportunity to appreciate...

EsselWorld Bird Park is great and easily accessible spot to visit with Family and specially with kids, it is an attraction for bird & nature lovers.

You can visit here with your own vehicles via Uttan Road or you can take ferry from Gorai Jetty to EsselWorld Jetty which have good frequency. The ferry costs Rs. 100 per person as return ticket. Bird Park staff pick you from EsselWorld Jetty in toy train to another junction point and then mini bus drop you to Bird Park Main Gate.

You can buy tickets from the counter or book it online from Bird Park website. Child with 3 feet 3 inch height have free entry. Entry ticket costs Rs. 575/- per head which includes Guide fees, bird show fee.

You have to leave your luggage, plastic things, tissues etc. at entry gate. You can carry water in steel bottles and your valuables like purses inside. Food items are not allowed inside the park.

Wheelchair facility is available here. Small food court, seating arrangement and toilets are available outside entry gate. Park map also available at entry area.

The park is sprayed in around 1.5 to 2 acre land area and covered with different types of trees, ponds and have visitor decks, Machans. The park is built to give natural environmental feel to the birds. They have various species of exotic birds like Cockatoos, Macaw, Golden Pheasant, African Grey Parrot, black swan etc. Indian birds are not available in park.

Almost 80% birds are free and making there own nesting to live. Total park is sealed with steel net. You have to walk peacefully to get beautiful pictures and videos of the birds (Professional camera is chargeable). 20% Birds are caged, like ostrich.

Park have Birds show at 1.00 PM & 3.30 PM also if you want to experience bird feeding activity which is chargeable then plan your trip accordingly. Birds feeding timings are at 11.00 AM & 3.00 PM. Park is open from 10:00 AM to 06:00 PM on all days.

Park guides are very helpful with good knowledge of the birds and birding, they will guide you through out the park and answer your questions satisfactory. We are thankful to Gayatri, Faisal and Pankaj for there kind guidance.

Overall 2.5 hours are sufficient to have look and enjoy the birds and Park.

You can do shopping of souvenirs from the shop available at the Bird Park entry as well.

A must visit place, enjoy Birds...