Khijadiya and Narara

I was most excited to visit the Marine National Park - the very name itself was so intriguing!

The mangroves on the coast lead to a very interesting fresh water - sea water combination of habitats which attracts a lot of birds, and so has been preserved as a bird sanctuary

It was amazingly cool and refreshing in the early morning

lines of flamingoes dotted the sky as they flew in to start their day. I was so sad at not having carried my long lens. But hey - the best camera is the one which is with you. Let me make do with my mobile phone.

Early morning dew turns a spiderweb into a diamond necklace!

The wildlife department has made a huge nature interpretation centre at Narara reef...but it is tightly locked up!

The wildlife department trains local people to become qualified guides. This helps them to make a living and also enlists support from local people to preserve the environment.

The guide started small - showing us the tiny creepy-crawlies first. it was fascinating to see the miniscule crabs and crustaceans.

The whole reef is completely covered by the sea at high tide, and low tide reveals the huge amounts of living denizens of the shore. see the huge numbers of tiny shellfish