Area Covered
1,100
sq. kms
Climate
The climate remains moderately warm round the year. Summers are not much hot
and winters are not chilly. The rainy season starts in June and ends in September.
Best Time to Visit
Chilka Lake Bird Sanctuary can be visited any time of the year, except monsoon
season from June to September. October to March is the best time to visit the
sanctuary when the lake is crowded with migratory birds.
About the Bird Sanctuary
Chilka Lake in located in the state of Orissa, 49 kms south of Puri along the
marine drive via Brahmagiri. Asia's biggest brackish water lake, the Chilka
Lake is studded with many islands, popular among them are Honeymoon Island and
Breakfast Island. The pear-shaped lake spreads over 1,100 sq. kms is separated
from the Bay of Bengal by a narrow sandy ridge. The Bird Sanctuary boasts of
a unique ecosystem having a variety of flora and fauna in and around its brackish
waters. The Chilka Lake is an important home to a number of migratory birds
that come to the sanctuary from all over the world during winters. The Nalbana
Bird Sanctuary which is considered as the core area is the main part of Chilka
Lake Bird Sanctuary. Chilka is home to one of the India's largest breeding farms
for flamingos and of greatest importance for the Ornithologists.
» Bird Watching at Chilka : A home of the resident and
migrant birds, the Chilka Lake Bird Sanctuary is amongst the best places in
India for Bird Watching.
Wildlife Attractions
Chilka
Lake Bird Sanctuary is famous for birds but it is also home to a variety of
fauna, and aquatic wildlife.
» Aquatic Wildlife : Its waters harbour over 225 species
of fish that include the Alepes djedaba, Acentrogobius griseus, Elops machnata
and Arius arius. Other marine creature found in Chilka are Chilka Dolphin, Prawns,
Crabs, Limbless lizard and Crustaceans.
» Avian Species : Chilka Bird Sanctuary is a bird watcher's
delight. Most popular avian species found in the sanctuary are Greylag Geese,
Jacana, Herons, White Bellied Sea Eagles, Flamingos, Purple Moorhen etc.
» Fauna : Apart from the birds, the shores of Chilla
provide shelter to Blackbuck, Spotted Deer, Golden Jackals and Hyenas.
Other Attractions
» Nalabana Island : Nalabana Island have a strong appeal
to the tourist. In the winter season over 150 varieties of birds come to the
island from all over the world. The migratory bird include a variety of Swans,
Eagles, Flamingos, Pelicans etc.
» Kalijai Island : In the Kalijai island one finds a
temple dedicated to three Goddesses - Kali, Ganga and Jayi Devi. On Makar Sankranti
thousands of pilgrims visit the temple from distant places to pay respect to
Kalijai.
» Narayani : 7 kms away from Chilka, Narayani is popular
picnic spot. The temple of Goddess Durga stands here at the foot of Valleri
hill by the side of a natural spring.
» Nirmaljhar : Nirmaljhar is 11 kms from Rambha and 35
kms from Chilka. The place is renowned for a popular Vishnu Pilgrimage centre.
»
Birds Island : Birds Island is a heaven for native as well as migratory
birds. You can see a variety of birds in their natural habitat here.
» Satapada : The place is known as the habitat of the
popular Chilka Dolphins.
» Boating on Chilka : One can enjoy boating on the shimmering
blue waters of the lake.
OTDC's motorboats and boats of local boatmen are available for the access to
the islands. There are also motorboats of OTDC at Barkul and Ramba.
Where to Stay
Accommodation is available in hotels in around the Chilka lake, which provide
magnificent views alongwith a comfortable stay. On the bank of the lake is a
hotel run by OTDC and two tourists bungalows. Several state-run and privately
operated hotels, rest houses and tourist lodges are also present on the bank
of the lake. Some of the popular hotels are Panthaniwas at Ramba, Panthaniwas
at Barkul and Askoha Hotel at Bulagaon.
Access
» Air : The nearest airport is located at Bhubaneshwar
which is 120 kms away from Chilka. The airport has flights for important places
of India.
» Rail : Nearest railway stations are Rambha and Bulgaon.
These railway stations have trains to cities like Puri, Kolkata, Hyderabad and
Chennai. From these stations buses ply to Chilka.
» Road : Chilka is connected by roads with important
places of Orissa and nearby states. The State transport, OTDC tour buses and
private buses run to Chilka from Puri, Cuttack, Bhubaneshwar and Behrampore.
Chilka Lake Bird Sanctuary
Day 1:Arrive in Delhi and transfer to local hotel.
Day 2-3:
Travel by train overnight to Bhubneswar and then transfer via private
Van to Orissa
Night: On train
Day 4-8: Chilka Lake Bird Sanctuary
The Chilka Lake in Orissa is Asia's largest inland salt-water lagoon. Studded with small islands- including the picturesquely named Honeymoon Island and Breakfast Island- the lake is separated from the Bay of Bengal by a sandy ridge. The pear-shaped lake spreads across 1,100 sq km, 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 Chilka one of the best places in India for a bit of satisfying bird-watching. During our birding tours to the Chilka Lake area, we will visit a number of places of interest such as the Nalbana Bird Sanctuary, as well as Parikud and Malud islands where we will see a large variety of birds.
Nalbana Bird Sanctuary that lies in and around this lake is home to myriad species of birds.
The Chilka Lake Bird Sanctuary is an important winter home to a number of migratory birds that fly in from all over the world every year. White-bellied Sea-Eagles, Greylag and Bar-headed Goose, Purple Moorhen, Jacana, Common Pochard,
Northern Shoveler, and Lesser and Greater Flamingos are among the many species, which make the lake a bird watcher's delight. Chilka, in fact, is home to one of the world's largest breeding colonies of flamingos. Other birds, we should find include Pond Heron, Median Egret, Little Egret, Common Pariah Kite, Brahmini Kite, Black-winged Stilt, Red-wattled Lapwing, Black-tailed Godwit, Marsh Sandpiper, River Tern, Pied, Small Blue, Blue-eared and Whitebreasted Kingfisher, Smaaall Green Bee-eater, Crimson-breasted Barbet, Pied
Myna, Yellow-headed Wagtail, Black-headed Oriole, and Coucal. Other than the birds, Chilka's shores are home to Blackbuck, Spotted Deer, Golden Jackals and Hyenas, and the lake is rich in aquatic life- its waters harbour around 160 species of fish, crustaceans and other marine creatures, including the famous Chilka Dolphin. Prawn, crab and mackerel fishing are an important source of livelihood for the local people, and hundreds of small fishing boats set
sail each morning to bring in the day's catch from the lake. The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve harbours India’s second largest pachyderm population, and the chances of seeing Elephant herds are pretty high, especially during the dry season.
Day 9-10:
Transfer via private van to Bhubneswar then travel by train overnight
back to Delhi.
Night: On train
Day 11: Arrival in Delhi
Sightseeing in Delhi. In evening transfer to airport for your onward destination.
