Odisha(Orissa) is a state which is filled with amazing beaches, majestic temples, rich flora and fauna, and gorgeous lakes and waterfalls, high hills, forest. There are various adventure activities which you can try while holidaying in this beautiful location. The state is also dotted with tribal villages and rural villages. So for adventure lover, one can find a plethora of adventurous and outdoor activities to do in Odisha.
Odisha boasts of the largest coastal lagoon in Asia as well as one of the largest crocodile sanctuaries, zoological parks, mangrove ecosystems, coastlines and two major tiger reserves in India. This makes the eastern Indian state a natural destination for adventure tourism for people across the globe. Near Chilika Lake, is the 31.5 km long coastline from Puri-Konark that offers several things to do to the intrepid travelers from riding water scooter at the Puri beach and surfing at the Ramchandi beach that hosts the India Surf Festival every year in November. Also a simple ride on the Puri-Konark marine drive that offers the exceptional vistas on the golden sands, clear blue waters, and the occasional sighting of deer from the casuarina groves is an adventure in itself. The next adventure stopover is the Bhitarkanika National Park, a 672 sq km wildlife sanctuary surrounded by the second largest mangrove ecosystem in India. The national park is home to the largest saltwater crocodiles in the world. You can take a motor boat to explore the area on a motorized boat and motor boat ride to see large crocodiles in water and basking on land along the bank. Another adventure spot is Chilika Lake, covering an area of more than 1,100 sq km is the largest brackish water lagoon in Asia!
It is the most exciting place for adventure tours that offers several adventure activities in Odisha including bird watching at Mangalajodi, dolphin watching in Satapada, boat ride at the idyllic Rambha bay, and camping in the tribal areas.. If you are a wildlife lover and wish for some serious jungle exploration, then Simlipal Tiger Reserve and Satkosia George are the two adventure places to visit in the state. Apart from tigers, these two tiger reserves have sizable populations of Asian elephant, barking deer, leopard, wild boar, and gaur. In case you are an elephant admirer, you can see the majestic animals at Chandaka forest that is spread over an area of 175.79 sq km and also accommodates different animals species including sloth bear, hyena, Indian wolf, pangolin, and mouse deer. Your adventure holidays to Odisha is incomplete without a visit to Nandankanan Zoological Park, the second largest zoological park in the country with an area of 400 hectare, that has a plethora of wildlife fauna and offers several adventure activity options such as tiger safari, lion safari, paddle boating on the Kanjia Lake.
Explore Ramchandi beach which offers a plethora of water sports activities. The currents on the beach are perfect for surfing. Every year the surfing festival is held at Ramchandi Beach which is located near Konark. Surfers from across the world participate in surfing festivals and events. Other water sports that can be tried are paddling, snorkeling, sailing, jet-skiing, and water scooters.
Adventure lover can go for dolphin watching and birding. Chilika Lake in Odisha is one of the largest water lagoons in Asia. The place where Chilika Lake meets the sea is a famous spot for dolphin watching. Go for boating and spot the friendliest marine animal. The place is also visited by a plethora of migratory birds. The place is a paradise for wildlife photographers and bird watchers.
Another famous thing to do in Odisha is to go boating and see the beautiful natural surroundings. Take a boat ride into the mangroves of Bhitarkanika National Park. The park is spread in an area of 672 square kilometers and it was only in 1998 that it was declared a national park. While boating you can see a saltwater crocodile, king cobra, and water monitor lizard. The place is a lot visited by nature lovers and wildlife photographers.
One of the most famous adventure activities in Odisha is to go for caving. There are many ancient Jain caves such as Khandagiri and Udayagiri. The places are a perfect example of fine rock-cut architecture. These caves were a residential place during monsoon for Jain monks during the rule of King Kharavela. These caves are the point of interest for students of archeology and history and also a nice place to hike.
Odisha is home to 62 tribal groups and one of the most interesting and fascinating things to do in Odisha is to explore their villages and experiencing and studying their livelihood. The people have a vibrant, rich, and colorful culture and traditions despite being living below poverty line. These people have artistic skills such as ornaments making, body painting, wall paintings, and weaving. The most famous and interesting tribe in odisha is Bonda tribes, who live in the Bonda hills of koraput valley. One can visit them either at their high hill village or in the weekly market. The landscape in the koraput valley is very ideal for adventure activities like nature walk, trekking, star gazing, river crossing etc.
If desire visit the white tigers or lion safari at Nandankanan in the morning and during afternoon visit to Ekamrakanan to witness a large number of rare collection of Cactus in Asia.A sunset hike at Khandagiri and Udayagiri caves is worth to explore the rock cut caves and its history.
Early departure for Badamula on the bank of Mahanadi River. Stay in nature and enjoys the stay in the eco cottage/tent. Nature walk and boat trip in the river gorge.
In the morning proceed to Bhitarkanika and stay at the camp by the river.
All day long trip into the park to enjoy the beauty of Mangrove forests and boat ride in creeks to meet large numbers of Kingfishers and crocodiles at the river delta. Back to camp after sunset from the boat.
Depart for Mangalajodi at the wetlands of Chilika Lake. During afternoon take the country boat ride with the local boat men who were turned from poachers to conservators of the birds. Meet large numbers of resident and migratory birds ( Nov -February) and back to camp after sunset.
During sun rise take another boat trip to the wetlands and back to camp for breakfast.
Depart for Satapada by crossing the lake by ferry. Stay at the forest department Eco camp near the sea – lagoon meeting point.
Take the morning boat trip to meet the Dolphins in nature and then back to satapada to visit the interpretation Center and a movie on Chilika by CDA. Proceed to Puri to board the evening train for onward journey.
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