Have you heard of Lake Chilika in Orissa ? Do you know you can actually get to see freshwater Dolphins or what the local name "Susuk" ?
Okay you might be thinking I am joking , but I am actually not. I have seen it with my own eyes and not only me quite a lot of people who are actually familiar with the place knows about it.
Lot of people actually say its just a myth but I will tell you why these people dont get a chance to see these dolphins.
The main Tour
Chilika Lake is the largest brackish water lake with estuarine character that sprawls along the east coast of India. It is considered to be the largest lagoon in India and counted amongst the largest lagoons in the world.
Very important tip, if you are planning a trip to Lake Chilika, always I mean always book from OTDC website or by visiting their office in your city.
Guess what the charges for a full day tour 8:30-5 pm is only Rs 465 per head !!
Interesting deal right???
Pro tip - One thing which I have learnt from travelling to various places in India is that whenever you are planning for a sight seeing its always better to try the state Govt tourism.
Try the WB Tourism , its one of the best in the country especially if you are planning to visit the hilly regions.
We started our day from Kolkata, took the famous Jagannath Express and we reached Puri in the morning. We did not do much other than getting laid back on the sea beach. We had booked the famous Asian Inn Beach Resort
Tip : If you get a chance, try to stay in this hotel for a couple of days, as it is absolutely superb. The only hotel in Puri where I have seen Tube lift facilities.
1) Interior is superb
2) Book early
3) Tariff - 2.5-3k depending on seasons
4) Absolutely wonderful restaurant , try their thaali
5) Only drawback was, they have centralized ac so at night u wont get remote to reduce the temperature, it gets really cold
Ok. ok. everyone lets focus on Chilika. lol :P
So the details of the OTDC Chilika trip :
TOUR INCLUDES
AC Coach
Pick up Point : Panthanivas Bhubaneswar Campus
Tour Duration : 07.00 A.M. To 07.00 P.M.
Ticket cost : Rs. 465/- per Head
Places Covered: Chilika Lake(Satapada).
TOUR DOES NOT INCLUDE
Boating Ticket & Entry Fee.
Food, Mineral Water etc.
Fee for Camera & Video Camera
Website : https://www.panthanivas.com/tour/
We started off our journey early in the morning from our hotel and took an auto to reach Panthanivas (Try to stay in this Govt hotel for superb location and personal beach).
Guess what, we got ourselves a AC traveler for the journey with a proper guide. We first went to the nearby temple cannot remember the exact name and we headed to Lake Chilika.
As soon as we entered the region, the view of the lake was mesmerizing. There was this beautiful boat waiting for us to get into with a proper guide. Charges 700 per head
Tip - I told you earlier about why people dont get to see dolphins, the truth is there are many touts and private agencies who take people to these tours and promises that they will get to see dolphins but the thing is the boat they use is of cheap quality with too much noise of generators which ultimately distract the dolphins and thus they dont come nearby. They will never say this to you before booking.
The OTDC boats did not make a single noise and we sailed through like a knife on a butter. We spotted nearly 10,15 dolphins. We were very lucky, what a sight it was. The first time I saw a dolphin in my life, tough to get a picture though as they appeared for only a fraction of seconds every time . I will never forget the memories which my eyes captured.
After dolphin spotting, we went to a virgin island where we did not see any trace of humans, few(one or two) huts i saw but those may be shops selling beers and fried fish.
Tips = Lets not eat from these shops.
The virgin beach was very beautiful, with white sand and blue ocean. We sat there for an hour and just stared at the ocean. Only we were there in that island.
We saw so different varieties of birds which were just plunging into the water and were catching fishes. The guide gave so many information to us regarding the place. He was like a live Encyclopedia
We had a great 3 and half hour boat ride including the stop at Rajahamsha Island. We spotted many dolphins as well. Great Food (meal system) was served once we were back to the jetty. There is also a marine aquarium which has collection of good fishes and some fossils as well.
Tip: - The trip to the museum is only reserved for people who booked from OTDC and not for private booking
After the museum tour we headed back to our hotel at around 5 pm.
So to conclude, do not trust the point of view of people until and unless you see it with your own eyes. 98% videos and images which rotate in social media is fake in India, so you really have to make the effort to know the truth.
Plan your next trip t, ping me for any information. cheers!!