Chilika Lake

Chilika Lake is spread over 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 km2, and has a unique ecosystem with a range of aquatic flora and fauna found in and around its brackish waters. An impressive array of bird life, both native and migrant, makes Chilika one of the best places in India for bird-watching, splashing around in the water and quiet relaxation.

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

Understand
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.

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

By train
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
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.

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 ₹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.

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

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 ₹75.

At Rambha: OTDC Panthanivas offers boating at the Panthanivas itself which are available from 5:30AM to 5PM. 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 ₹550 per hour or the speedboats (5-seater) for ₹1650 per hour. Alternatively, from Rambha, three islands (viz., the Breakfast Island, Bird Island and Beacon Island) for ₹875 in any of the boats and five islands (viz., the Breakfast Island, Bird Island, Beacon Island, Sanakuda and Honeymoon Island) for ₹1650. Do not be tempted to buy pearls or corals from Chilika lake. Fresh water Oysters are brought from Hyderabad & broken in our presence to take out the cultured pearls. Touts sell them as natural pearls. These are available for ₹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.

Eat
Chilika is famous for sea food like crab and prawn.


 * Chilika Dhaba - near Barkul Panthanivas
 * Chilika Hotel - Balugaon Main Road
 * Narayani Restaurant-near Barkul Panthanivas Road. Mob:9861364135
 * OTDC Panthanivas- At Rambha and Barkul, excellent food and very reasonable prices.
 * Rambha Dhaba - Close to Chilika. Best and freshest veg and non veg stuff. Its one of the best dhabas in the area.
 * Sagar fastfood and restaurant - Balugaon Main Road.
 * Sagar fastfood and restaurant - Balugaon Main Road.

Drink
Drinks are available but if any one is particular about brands and such things, it is safer to carry one's own.

Sleep
OTDC (Odisha Tourism Development Corp.) panthanivas are the best bets anywhere in Odisha, are very cheap and boats owned by OTDC can be booked here as well, which are once again the best boats in the region.



At Rambha



At Balugaon & Barkul


 * Hotel Ashoka Main Road, Balugaon, Telephone +91 6756 220409, bar & restaurant also available with SBI ATM facility, rooms ₹350-₹950.
 * Hotel Digantika Main Road, Balugaon, Telephone +91 6756 220514; 9937460725, Chinese, Indian restaurant available, rooms A/C and non A/C (single, double, triple, lake facing) ₹500-1500.
 * Hotel Digantika Main Road, Balugaon, Telephone +91 6756 220514; 9937460725, Chinese, Indian restaurant available, rooms A/C and non A/C (single, double, triple, lake facing) ₹500-1500.

At Satapada

Go next

 * Banapur - Known for Bhagawati Temple and markets.
 * Gopalpur-on-sea
 * Govt College of Arts and Craft - Located in Khallikote, about 25 km from Balugaon and 12 km from Rambha, it is located in the palace of the erstwhile king of Khallikote. Surrounded on all sides by mountains, it affords some beautiful views and counts many famous Indian contemporary painters as its alumni. The art gallery here has some beautiful paintings reflecting Odisha's culture.
 * Narayani - About 15 km from Balugaon, it has a temple in scenic surroundings in the Eastern Ghats.
 * Nirmaljhara - Also in Khallikote, very close to the art college, it is a perennial stream which has been channeled into different ponds. Built in 1676, it also features many temples. Adventurous persons can take a bath in one of the ponds here.
 * Puri
 * Salia Dam- Built on River Salia amidst stunning locales. About 25 km from Rambha and 15 km from Barakul.

Oriya people consider it to be lucky if Kalijai Temple, Bhagwati Temple and Narayani temple are visited on the same day.