Chilika lake

About

Chilika 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 Chilika 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.

Read more

Planning a Trip

Contents 1 Get in 1.1 By plane 1.2 By train 1.3 By road By plane[edit] The nearest airport is Bhubaneswar, about 120 km away from where taxis, trains and buses are available to the lake. By train[edit] The nearest rail stations 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: 6003/6004 Howrah Chennai Mail, 2703/2704 Faluknama Express, 8645/8646 East Coast Express, 6358/6357 Gurudev Express, 2863/2864 Howrah Yeshvantpur Express, 5228/5227 Muzaffarpur Yeshvantpur Express (weekly), 2508/2507 Guwahati Ernakulam Express (weekly), 2530/2509 Guwahati Bangalore Express (triweekly), 5628/5627 Guwahati Trivandrum Express (weekly). For timings etc. check with Indian Railways. By road[edit] A part of Chilika 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 ₹100 one way. From there, one has to hire a taxi or an auto-ricksaw to reach Barkul or Rambha (In 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 (~₹400; 3-hr boat ride and AC transport included). However, Satapada is not so well connected from Bhubaneswar and taxis have to be hired to get there.

Read more

Getting Around

19°43′0″N 85°19′0″EMap of Chilika Lake 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 ₹410 (for a 7-seater boat) to ₹790 (for a 34-seater boat) per hour. A special tour is operated by the OTDC between Barkul and Kalijai, and costs ₹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 2½ hours. More information on Chilika can be obtained from the Government of Odisha Tourism Counter at the Tourist Bungalow in Rambha (District Ganjam) Odisha, +91 6810 278346.

Read more

Top Attractions

The best time to visit Chilika is in the winter months, when migratory birds arrive there. Jetty at Satapada, Chilika Lake, Odisha A tourist boat near dolphin point, Satapada, Chilika Lake, Odisha Near the Chilika Lake sea mouth, Odisha 19.517285.13461 Bird Island. Watch birds in their natural habitat.  19.52427885.1179442 Breakfast Island. A 20-minute boat ride from Rambha. Tourists pack breakfast from the OTDC panthanivas at Rambha and have it here in pristine surroundings. Beacon Island and Honeymoon Island are close by.  19.6662885.213573 Kalijai Island. 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 from Barkul. Flocks of peacocks roam here, mingling with the devotees. Legends say that 200-300 years ago a girl named Kali drowned, near the present 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 cries of two girls at nights. 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.  19.9193585.425954 Mangalajodi. A former poachers village which has become a community owned wildlife venture. The community is supported by Mangalajodi Ecotourism.  19.694585.30875 Nalabana Bird Sanctuary. 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.  19.5127185.088646 Rambha. It is a good place from which to discover Chilika Lake and this guide offers boat trips to visit the islands and watch birds.  19.6662385.437417 Satapada. Close to Dolphin point, where the critically endangered Irrawaddy dolphins and occasionally, bottle-nosed dolphins can be seen. Chilika is one of the only 2 lagoons in the world where Irrawaddy dolphins can be seen. Boat rides are available to the 19.68542985.5438968 Chilika Sea Mouth. (updated Jun 2021). The sea mouth is located on a strip of sand lined with casuarina trees. The boats don't take visitors to the actual sea mouth but stop little south west of the sea mouth. This area is known as* 19.66064385.5000639 Chilika Sea Mouth Beach. (updated Jun 2021). The stretch of sand houses small sacks selling fresh seafood along with soft drinks and beer. Vendors also sell pearls straight out of oyster shells. 

Read more

Travel Resources

Read more