2 Nights/3 Days
Duration
Odisha
Destination
All
Age
Oct-Mar
Best time to visit

Day 1: Airport/Railway Station Pickup – Move to Puri – Enroute Dhauli – Pipli – Konark – Holy Dham – Drop at Hotel :

Upon reach at Bhubaneswar Airport/ Railway station, Pick up and drop to Puri. En-route your tour that covers Dhauli (Peace Pagoda), Pipili (Applique Work Village), The Sun Temple at Konark, Ramchandi Temple, Jagannath Temple (Non-Hindus are not allowed inside temple premises). In the evening, relax at the beautiful Sea Beach of Puri and do marketing at the local market if time permits. Overnight stay at Puri.

Day 2:  Holy Dham – Satapada – Drop at Hotel :

In the early morning, visit Jagannath Temple (Non – Hindus are not allowed inside temple premises) to participate in the Live Aarati Darshan, Gundicha Temple, Loknath Temple. Then return to the hotel and have your breakfast. Later visit Chilika Lake at Satapada. Enjoy the boat cruising over there to view Irrawaddy Dolphins and Sea Mouth. Then return to Puri. En-route visiting Alarnath Temple at Brahmagiri. Overnight stay at Puri.

Day 3:  Raghurajpur – Hirapur – Lingaraj Temples – Drop at Airport/Railway Station :

Post breakfast, leave from the hotel of Puri. Then drive towards Bhubaneswar. You are en-route visiting Raghurajpur (Painting Village), Hirapur (64 Yogini Temple), Local temples of Bhubaneswar: Mukteswar, Parsurameswar, Rajarani, Lingaraj temple. Then transfer you to Bhubaneswar Airport/Railway Station for your onward journey.

Chilka Lake is spread over the Khurda, Ganjam, and Puri districts of Odisha (formerly Orissa). Balugaon and Rambha are two major towns serving as entry points for the lake. It is Asia’s largest salt-water lagoon and is separated from the Bay of Bengal by a sandy ridge. The pear-shaped lake spreads across 1,100 sq km and has a unique ecosystem with a range of aquatic flora and fauna found in and around its brackish waters. An impressive array of birdlife, both native and migrant, makes Chilka one of the best places in India for bird-watching, splashing around in the water, and quiet relaxation.

Chilka Lake is designated as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.

chilika-lake-priya-travels

Understand

Chilka lake is an important habitat and breeding ground for both resident and migratory and aquatic birds, most notably flamingos. It is the largest wintering ground for migratory birds in the Indian subcontinent. Migratory birds arrive in October from as far away as Siberia, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Himalayas and generally stay until March. Part of the lake is protected by the Chilka Lake Bird Sanctuary, which harbors over 150 migratory and resident species of birds. The Nalaban Island within the lagoon is classified as a Bird Sanctuary under the wildlife protection act. The lake is also home to a diverse range of aquatic life, including 225 species of fish and the Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris). The rare limbless lizard barkudia insularis is endemic to one of the lake’s small islands.

The larger islands lie between the sandbar and the lake, separated by shallow channels, and include Parikud, Phulbari, Berahpura, Nuapara, Nalbana, and Tampara. Some of the smaller islands are Breakfast Island, Honeymoon Island, Beacon Island, etc.

Main Tourist Attraction

Sanderlings, Terek sandpiper, Kentish plover, Flamingos, Irrawaddy & bottlenose dolphins, Northern shoveler, Green sea turtle, Legless lizards, Dugong, White-bellied sea eagles, greylag geese, purple moorhen, jacana, flamingos, egrets, grey and purple herons, Indian roller, storks, white ibis.

Get in

By plane – the nearest airport is Bhubaneswar, about 120 km away from where taxis, trains, and buses are available to the lake.

By rail – the nearest rail station is at Balugaon, on the Howrah-Chennai track. From Balugaon buses are available to the lake.

Some of the trains which stop at Balugaon are 12839/12840 Howrah Chennai Mail, 12703/12704 Faluknama Express, 18645/18646 East Coast Express, 12660/12659 Gurudev Express, 12863/12864 Howrah Yeshvantpur Express, 15228/15227 Muzaffarpur Yeshvantpur Express (weekly), 12508/12507 Guwahati Ernakulam Express (weekly), 12510/12509 Guwahati Bangalore Express (triweekly), 12516/12515 Guwahati Trivandrum Express (weekly).

For timings etc. check with Indian Railways 

By road – a part of Chilka Lake is visible from NH5 and the Howrah-Chennai train track. Many buses ply from Bhubaneswar (Baramunda Bus Station) and Cuttack (Badambadi Bus Station) to Balugaon throughout the day, OSRTC buses ( i.e. state-run buses) being the best ones. The journey takes 2 hours and costs less than Rs. 100 one way. From there, one has to hire a taxi or an auto-rickshaw to reach Barkul or Rambha (In the case of Rambha, passengers can alight at Keshpur, which is further ahead from Balugaon, and from there hire an auto-rickshaw). Satapada is well connected by daily local buses from Puri. Visitors can take an OTDC day tour from Puri to see Satapada (~Rs. 400; 3 hr boat ride and AC transport included). Travelers from Puri be aware that there are touts standing on the road to Satapada who try to misdirect the tourists to a place where their accomplices try to fleece you by offering boat rides at highly inflated prices. Pay attention to signboards along the road. These touts are around 10 km before Satapada. However, Satapada is not so well connected from Bhubaneswar and taxis have to be hired to get there.

Get around

Auto rickshaws and cycle rickshaws are available. The services of local boatmen and the motorboats of Odisha Tourism Development Corporation are available for access to the islands though outboard motors are not allowed near the bird sanctuary. OTDC boats can be hired at Barkul and Rambha, and cost between Rs 410 (for a 7-seater boat) to Rs 790 (for a 34-seater boat) per hour. A special tour is operated by the OTDC between Barkul and Kalijai and costs Rs 40 per head. However you can find private machine operated boats for the tours, but you have to bargain a bit to get a fair deal.

A boat journey from Rambha to Satapada takes about 2 1/2 hours.

See

The best time to visit Chilka is in the winter months when migratory birds arrive there.

chilka-island-bird

  • Nalabana – A designated bird sanctuary under the Wildlife Protection Act, Nalabana is a big island in the center of the lake. A treat for bird-watchers in the winter months, this island is completely submerged in the monsoon months.
  • Mangalajodi – A former poacher’s village which has become a community-owned wildlife venture. The community is supported by Mangalajodi Ecotourism.
  • Bird Island – watch birds in their natural habitat.
  • Kalijai Island – the abode of Goddess Kalijai. Pilgrims flock here in January during Makar Mela (at the time of Makar Sankranti) to pay obeisance to the Goddess. Is very close to Barkul. Flocks of peacocks roam here, mingling with the devotees.

chilka-island-priya-travels

Legends say, around 2-300 years ago, a girl named Kali drowned, near the presently situated Kalijai Temple, while returning to her maternal house from her husband’s. A few years later her sister, Jai, came looking for Kali and came to the island. She died on the island (reasons unknown). Fishermen and other local folks used to hear the cries of two girls at night. But soon after the temple was built the cries stopped for good. Earlier fishermen used to visit the temple before venturing into the deep sea, but nowadays, it’s just another tourist spot.

  • Satapada – Is close to Dolphin point, where the critically endangered Irrawaddy dolphins and occasionally, bottle-nosed dolphins can be seen. Chilka is one of the only 2 lagoons in the world where Irrawaddy dolphins can be seen.
  • The Brahmaputra – The place is known for its scenic beauty.
  • Breakfast Island – This is a 20 minutes boat ride from Rambha. Tourists pack breakfast from the OTDC Pantha Nivas at Rambha and have it here in pristine surroundings. Beacon Island and Honeymoon Island are close by.

Rambha is a good place from which to discover Chilika Lake and this guide offers boat trips to visit the islands and watch birds.

Do

Boat in Barkul. Water Scooters and Pedal Boats are available here. Also, drivers of speedboats allow passengers to drive if requested. There is a boating club in nearby Tampara. The place is very beautiful and pedal boats are available here for Rs. 75.

AT RAMBHA: OTDC Panthanivas offers boating at the Panthanivas itself which are available from 5:30 AM in the morning to 5 PM in the evening. The best time for boating is just before sunrise since it is really awesome to see the rising sun from the horizon and birds literally flying in all directions. At the Panthanivas, one can hire the Motorboats (10-Seater) for Rs.550 per hour or the SpeedBoats (5-Seater) for Rs.1650 per hour. Alternatively, from Rambha, three islands (viz., the Breakfast Island, Bird Island, and Beacon Island) for Rs.875 in any of the boats and five islands (viz., the Breakfast Island, Bird Island, Beacon Island, Sanakuda, and Honeymoon Island) for Rs.1650.

  • muhan, satapada. chilika lake and puri beach joint 2000. 

Do not be tempted to buy pearls or corals from Chilika lake. Freshwater Oysters are brought from Hyderabad & broken in our presence to take out the cultured pearls. Touts sell them as natural pearls. These are available from Rs 20 onwards. Touts also claim the efficacy of “Black pearls” and sell them to unsuspecting victims.

Buy

Fish, prawn, and the famous crab (always sold live) from Balugaon market. Numerous trinkets are available in Kalijai.

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  • All cancellations must be made in e-mail format only.
  • Any cancellation at 45 Days prior to arrival date – No charge
  • Any cancellation between 45 Days – 30 Days prior to arrival date: 25% of tour fare charge
  • Any cancellation between 30 Days – 15 Days prior to arrival date: 50% of tour fare charge
  • Any cancellation between 15 Days – 10 Days prior to arrival date: 75% of tour fare charge
  • Any cancellation less than 10 Days: 100% of tour fare charge.