Coming to the wildlife hotspot side of the list, Pulicat Lake is a great place to spot rare migratory birds like pelicans and flamingoes. It is India’s second-largest saline lake, and the small salt lake critters are what the visiting bird species feed on. It’s 60 km north of Chennai and is two hours away by road. Once there, however, there’s boating and plenty of bird watching to do. Do note that the season to see flamingoes is in December.