Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary
Good for: wildlife tour, birding, visit orissa, photography tour, wildlife photography
Not good for: elephants, luxuries, tigers
- Address
- Phone
- 272460
- Price
- Indian/foreigner per day Rs20/1000
Lonely Planet review for Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary
Three rivers flow out to sea at Bhitarkanika forming a tidal maze of muddy creeks and mangroves. Most of this 672-sq-km delta forms Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary, a significant eco-system containing hundreds of estuarine crocodiles that bask on mud flats waiting for the next meal to swim by. Dangmal Island contains a successful breeding and conservation program for these crocodiles. Pythons, water monitors, wild boar and timid spotted deer can also be seen. The best time to visit is from December to February.
Traveller reviews for Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary (2)
-
-
Stay & Feel the Thrill at Bhitarkanika WildLife Sanctuary...
bnandauae recommends this,
Eco-Destination at Odisha. It is time to share something all of you would love to know. With a Wonder & a Wild desire , We reached Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary, a land of natural beauty and a Hot-spot of Biodiversity. It’s home to largest population of salt water crocodile in India. Also home to more than 215 species of avifauna including amazing Eight Varieties of Kingfishers . The Nature Trails & Jungle Creeks, Crocodiles, Birds, Water Monitor Lizards & lots more as we explored in our wildlife tour. .Local knowledge is very very important as it turns a vacation into a memorable experience. Thankfully we choose www.easternindiatours.com as our tour operator, specialising in wildlife tours, trekking tours & tribal tours to Odisha (Orissa) as well to NorthEast India & we found our tour operator has got a deep connection with this place, people who live & work in the destination & who has fallen in love with it. Travelling with them was not just a brief stay rather its like experiencing the true jungle tour.
The Sanctuary is the home for a number of species like Indian monitor lizards, Snakes, Spotted Deer, Fishes, Turtles, Amphibians, Birds, including Giant Crocodiles. We stayed at Nature Camp at Dangamala village just few feets away from the National Park Gates. Our stay in the Luxurious Swiss Tents by www.bhitarkanikatour.com at "Nature Camp", Bhitarkanika Village Retreat run by a private tour operator was really wonderful. It is the best Located Accommodation & We had Delicious local Dishes of Prawn, Crab with the best possible service in this remote area & staying inside the village Dangamala is a charm of the visit to the sanctuary. We could not control our excitement of seeing some Spotted Deer prowling just near the Fence of NatureCamp in the afternoon & we got beautiful shots of them & BROWN-WING Kingfisher, COLLARED Kingfisher … Very Very Rare Varieties of Green & Black colour Iguana, we found inside the Nature Camp Bhitarkanika Village Retreat. It was possible only because the camp was next to the Sanctuary area in the Dangamala village.We felt the thrill of photographing a wild Water Monitor Lizard on the prowl and experienced a true Indian Wildlife Tour .Saw amazing animals on our wildlife tours to Odisha (India).We Spotted Giant Crocodiles while boating inside the Jungle Creeks. and explored nature trails inhabited by rare birds of Orissa Wildlife Tours. Came face to face with a wild boar as well.
Thanks a lot to Mr Subroto Bagchi for his Amazing Article in Forbes Magazine in 2010 February, on Sanghamitra Jena who started this Unique concept of Eco Camping in the village for the First time in Orissa in Nov. 2008 , bringing this Place to the World Tourism Map.Ref Article http://business.in.com/article/zen-garden/tourism-business-in-the-middle-of-nowhere/10382/1
Tourism Business in the Middle of Nowhere
by Subroto Bagchi | Feb 19, 2010
Sanghamitra Jena talks about setting up a touring business in Orissa, against all odds...
www.bhitarkanikatour.comNature Camp at Bhitarkanika is the BEST Eco-Camping site of Bhitarkanika national Park, Odisha, India ... Thanks to the wonderful team of Nature Camp, Bhitarkanika Village Retreat…
Good for: wildlife tour, birding, visit orissa, photography tour, wildlife photography, nature walk, boating inside the creeks, spotting crocodile, summer camp, eco tour to orissa, village tour, bird watchers paradise, Rejuvenate in the village
-
Awesome, soothing, relaxing - a nature's paradise
sudhirkumarjha recommends this,
A nature's paradise - so very much green. Bhitarkanika is just so amazingly beautiful. It's different from other national parks in India, pollution free and also free from large crowds and vehicles. Sightseeing is allowed in this mangrove forest only by boats and a few stretches on foot.
Bhitarkanika is so rich in biodiversity - both in terms of flora and fauna. It is a wetland of international importance and is one of the RAMSAR sites in India. Large salt water crocodiles, and monitor lizards will mesmerize you on one hand, and some eight varieties of kingfisher will leave you gasping in admiration for the beauty the resort has on offer. Olive Ridley Turtles is another important feature of this forest. Its sightings have decreased of late because of fishing trawlers plying around the islands of Ekakula and Habalikhuti.
Bhitarkanika did not use to have proper accommodations. The only accommodation available was forest guest house. Road connectivity to Bhitarkanika was not there till a few years ago. Chandbali, which is on the other side of the river used to be the main hub for seeing Bhitarkanika till a few years ago. In Chandbali there is an Orissa Government run hotel and also a few small rest houses. However, now things have changed. Road connectivity has started improving in quality as well. With this some lodges and resorts have started opening up.
We stayed at a new resort located at Nalitapatia, a village close to Dangmal, the main entrance to the Bhitarkanika National Park. This is perhaps the proper resort in real sense in Bhitarkanika. I must thank the owners of this resort for suggesting me places which are not mentioned in the guide books giving Bhitarkanika's description.
I would not have enjoyed the fun of walking from Habalikuti to Ekakula along the beach had I not heeded by the advise of the resort owner. I would have also missed the pristine unexplored beach and nearby forests of Pentha. While this beach is just an hour's drive by own car, there is no food and toilet facilities there. The food we had was the packed one from the resort. A nearby house was also arranged locally by them for getting fresh (of course, at extra cost).
I explored yet another unexplored island - the island of Hakitola along with my friends.
My tips - do pay a little more to stay in this resort rather than trying to save money by staying at Chandbali (which is quite far on the other side of the river and properties do not offer same fun and enjoyment as this one) or forest guest house (which is damn useless and filthy too) or some other camp sites (who sell cheaper packages for sure).
Do innovative things like cycling, nature walk, village walks, photography in areas where sea meets rivers. It was an awesome experience all the while. I would love to go there again and again - just to reboot and rejuvenate, for city life and hectic schedule sap you out.
Good for: Photography, nature, relaxation, boating, Birds, Mangrove forests, Islands, crocodiles, kingfishers, sea food, spotted deer, olive ridley turtles, hyenas, angling, nature trail, village tours, rural tourism, ecotourism, wildlife tours
Not good for: elephants, luxuries, tigers
