BHITARKANIKA
(Content Source - Courtesy Orissa
Tourism Development Corporation)
Bhitarkanika
can give you all – sea, sand wildlife,
natural beauty, adventure, thrill and many
more. Fearsome big crocodiles, giant turtles
including the rare most Olive Ridley, exotic
beaches, beautiful birds – This is
what bhitarkanika is all about. You can
at a time spend an isolated calm holiday
as well as experience the amazing creations
of mother nature.
Bhitarkanika
was notified as a sanctuary in 1975 and
later in 1998, it was declared as a National
Park. It is also a Sanctuary and National
Park. Extending over more than six hundred
square kilometres, it is one of the very
few evergreen repository of most luxuriant
mangrove vegetation in the world. More than
sixty varieties of mangrove plants are found
here which provide home to a wide range
of rare and endangered species. The pneumatophores,
better known as breathing roots, stands
above the water creating a wonderful sight.
Surrounded by rivers on the three sides
and the sea on the fourth, Bhitarkanika
is criss crossed by numerous creeks and
canals which finally meets the sea and make
the estuarine delta, the playground of the
Bay of Bengal. When the tide enters, the
forest gets floate. As it recedes, the multi
layer mud flats on the banks of the creeks
expose their bosom with fiddler crabs, mud
skipper fish, little reptiles and the like.
The total area being 650 sq kms with a forest
cover of 380 sq kms. The biggest mangrove
forest (115.50 sq km) in Orissa with a next
to position behind the Grand Sunderbans
in India, Bhitarkanika is surrounded by
the rivers Baitarani, Brahmani and Dhamara.
Widely acclaimed for its unique ecological
wonders and biodiversity, Bhitarkanika is
considered having a balanced and compact
mangrove eco-system.
With
more than sixty varieties of mangrove plants
in it, the territory of Bhitarkanika constitute
an environ where tidal circulation of nutrients
and salinity varies widely in vertical and
horizontal planes. This wide change of salinity
in the water makes physiological condition,
which although being complex, is essential
and helpful for both the animals and the
plants. Possibly, this is a also one of
the conditions, which draws one of the rarest
and most endangered species of Olive Ridley
sea turtle in lakhs, who travel miles to
arrive at Bhitarkanika to lay their eggs
and during their stay from December to April
every year, Bhitarkanika attracts extra
tourists as well as nature observer’s
and turtle lovers.
Being
a deltaic region, Bhitarkanika consists
of a couple of little islands like Dangamala,
Habali Khati,, Ekakula etc. Bhitarkanika
is one of India's finest estuarine crocodile
habitats and now is home to more than 1,300
such reptiles. Dangamala also known as the
Crocodile Center is situated at the center,
where one can take the glimpse of the rare
Sankhua or the white Crocodile. Other than
Wild Pigs, Sambars, Spotted Deer, Rhesus
Monkey, Bhitarkanika has established itself
as a favourite natural habitat for some
of the reptile species including, King Cobra,
Lizards, Pythons and of course Crocodile.
The
main places of interest in Bhitarkanika
are Gahiramatha and Bagagahana. Gaharimatha
is located at a distance of 3.5 kms from
Dangamala, Famous for being the rookery
of Olive Ridley sea turtles. According to
2001 census, around nine lakhs (9,00,000)
adult female Olive Ridley sea turtles arrived
at Gahiramatha to lay eggs. These 50 to
60 kg weighed turtles create a astonishing
view throughout the Bhitarkanika beaches
attracting thousands of nature lovers as
well as researchers. Usually, their stay
is limited to under two weeks and they arrive
twice between January and March every year.
Gahiramatha can be visited from Dangamala
by motor boat available between 9.30 A.M.
to 6.30 P.M. The Khola creek is a narrow
tidal creek where crocodiles love to sun
themselves on the banks especially during
winter. Entry to Khola creek has been restricted
from this year and only 20 boats are allowed
to go there during a day at a timing of
9.00 A.M., 11.00 A.M. and 1.00 P.M.
Bhitarkanika,
also popular for its wide variety of birds.
With a variety to the tune to 170 species,
it’s a bird watchers favourite place.
Bagagahana and Saribana are the main spots
for watching some of the residential and
migratory birds, which comprise of the King
Fisher, Open billed storks, Sea eagles,
Kites, Sand Pipers, Seagulls, Whistling
Teals, Darters and many others. The distance
of these two islands from Dangamala is about
8 KMs and motor boats are available between
9.30 A.M. to 4.30 P.M. A favourite place
for ornithologists, Bhitarkanika draws visitors
for the rare glimpse available here of such
wonderful birds.
Entry
Point – Permission to visit
Bhitarkanika can be obtained from Divisional
Forest Officer, Rajnagar, PIN : 754225,
Ph – (06729) 272460 / 9437740354 or
Assistant Conservator of Forests, Chandbali,
PIN – 756133, Ph – (06786) 220372
on payment of the scheduled fees.
Season
- The best season to visit Bhitarkanika
is between October and June.
How
to reach - Bhitarkanika can be
approached only through water ways. Most
convenient entry points are
Chandbali – 50 KM from Bhadrak and
190 KM from Bhubaneswar
Rajnagar – 30 KM from Kendrapara and
130 KM from Bhubaneswar
Gupti – 25 KM from Rajnagar
Motor boats are available on hire. Average
time taken for the following distance are
Rajnagar to Dangmal – 3 hrs
Chandbali to Dangmal – 3 hrs
Gupti to Dangmal – 1.5 hrs
Regular Bus Services are available to Chandbali
and Rajnagar
Nearest
Rail Head
Bhadrak – 50 km from Chandbali
Balasore – 120 km from Chandbali
Cuttack – 110 km from Rajnagar
Bhubaneswar – 190 km from Chandbali
and 130 km from Rajnagar
Nearest
Airport
Bhubaneswar and Kolkata
Accomodation
Aranyanivas, Chandbali
For reservation, contact :
Tourist Officer, Balasore. Ph : (06782)
262048 or the Manager, Ph: ( 06782) 220397
Forest Lodge at Dangmal, Ekakula, Gupti
and Habalikhati
For reservation, contact :
Divisional Forest Officer, Mangrove Forest
Division, Rajnagar, Dist: Kendrapada, PIN
– 754225, Ph: (06729) 272460.
OTDC
Assistance: -
Website : www.orissatourism.gov.in
and www.otdc.in
Email : ortour@orissatourism.gov.in
Puri
Tourist Office, CT Road, Puri – 752002,
Tel : 06752-222664,
Tourist Counter, Railway Station Puri, Tel
: 223536.
Berhampur
Tourist Office, New Bus Stand,
Pin – 760004, Tel: (0680) 2280226
Tourist Counter, Railway Station, Pin –
760004, Tel: 2203870
Bhubaneswar
Tourist Office, Jayadev Marg, Pin –
751002, Tel : 0674-2431299,
Tourist Counter, Airport, Tel : 2534006,
Tourist Counter, Railway Station, Tel :
2530715,
India Tourism, B-21, B.J.B Nagar, Pin –
751014, Tel : 2432203.
New Delhi
Tourist Office, Utkalika, B/4 – Baba
Kharak Singh Marg, New Delhi, Pin –
110001,
Telefax – 011-23364580.
Kolkata
Tourist Office, Utkal Bhawan,
55, Lenin Sarani, Kolkata, Pin – 700013,
Tel: 033-22443653.
Chennai
Tourist Office, Tamilnadu Tourism Complex,
Near Kalaivanar Arangam, Wallajah Road,
Pin – 600002, Telefax: 044-25360891.
Mumbai
Tourist Office, Hotel New Bengal, Near Crawford
Market, D.N. Road, Pin – 400001, Tel
: 022-23401951. |