Chilika Lake Orissa

Chilika Lake

Location: Eastern coast of Orissa.
How To Reach: Nearest place is Barkul(5km), the nearest airport is Biju Patnaik Airport at Bhubaneswar, 105 km from Barkul. The nearest railhead is at Balugaon, on south-eastern railway which is directly connected to Kolkata, Puri, Orissa, Hyderabad and Mumbai. Buses runs from Bhubaneswar and Behrampur to Chilka.
Where To Stay: Numerous hotels and lodges available near the lake.
When To Visit: Round the year but bird lovers should visit the place during December to January.

Asia's largest brackish lagoon is more of a mini sea than a lake. The shallow lake is separated from Bay of Bengal by a 60km long sand bar called Rajhansa. The lake is embellished with small islands-those islands are also good places to visit, especially the beautiful Honeymoon Island and Breakfast Island. The lake is huge, about 70km long and 32km wide but depth is limited to 132 m. The main source of water is from river Mahanadi. One of the largest lakes in India is also a sought after tourist destination.

Chilka Lake is picturesque place which is renowned for its unique ecosystem with wide range of flora and fauna. This lake is particularly popular among bird watchers because of million plus migratory birds. It is probably the largest congregation of aquatic birds in the subcontinent, they mainly concentrate in a 3sq km area within the bird sanctuary on Nalaban Islands. Sometimes change in salinity provokes birds to move to Mangaljodi near the northern shore. The Nalaban Island is also known as Chilka Wildlife Sanctuary, it is the breeding ground of both the residential and migratory birds. The sanctuary is a home to more than 150 species of birds including white bellied sea eagles, greylag geese, purple moorhen, jacana, herons and flamingos, egrets, gray and purple herons, Indian rollers, storks and white ibis, spoonbills, shovelers and pintails. Not only birds but the sanctuary also houses some wild animals such as black buck, spotted deer, elephants, hyenas and golden jackal. The lake is also surrounded by known and unknown flowers.

Sights And Activities

Satpada
This is small village located southwest to the lake, is great place for many boat trips. Boat trips generally start from Satpada and cruise towards the new south mouth for a feed of fresh prawns, a a paddle in the sea, and some dolphin and bird spotting en route.

Barkul
It is located at the northern shore of the Chilka Lake, basically from here tourists go to Nalbana and Kalijai Islands. Take a boat ride from Barkul in early morning and you can see dolphins and various type of birds. There is a small tourist lodge with renovated room overlooking garden to the lake.

Rambha
The small town of Rambha is famous for turtle watching. You can go to the nearest Rushikulya beach to watch turtles. The environment is pleasant and boat ride is available but with little high cost. The Rushikulya beach is a breeding ground of olive ridley turtle. The beach is used for resting and hatching of turtles and the conservation activity take place throughout the night.

Adventure Activity In Chilka Lake
Chilka Lake is a popular birding site and don't forget to bring your binoculars with you. Not only bird watching but also it is famous for fishing and angling but you need permit for that. You can take a stroll around the Nalban Island to explore the sanctuary.