Bhitarkanika - Crocodiles, backwaters, boat rides and Private Islands

big_ritesh

Can you imagine a Crocodile Sanctuary, Backwaters and Two Private Islands.. all on a Boat! This is Bhitarkanika, a national park in Orissa. Almost untouched by tourists this place was a welcome break from everything. I forgot work, I forgot dates, I forgot time .. I forgot it was my Birthday!
We took a 4 day trip of the sanctuary, entirely done by boat. You get off at Bhadrak (there are alternates too I hear) and go by car to Chandbali which is 50km away. There you get into a rustic private boat that is all yours for the next 3 days. If that was cool, you also get your own cook who will travel with you and make whatever you like (but tell him in advance of your preferences).
The boat meanders through mangrove forests and backwaters and in 3 hours gets you to Dangmal which is the Crocodile reserve. The reserve has over 1300 salt water crocs which are supposedly the largest in the world. They also have a albino croc and the largest croc (which tho caged are elusive and remain underwater most of the time). If you want to see the crocodiles, you need to be there at the crack of dawn or noon. Make sure you plan accordingly
The stay is at the Forest Rest Houses in Dangmal, and you depart for Habalikhati the next day. Enruote, you are taken to the Bird Island that is a must see, with all the migratory birds there.

You reach the mangrove end of Habalikhati and walk 2 km through a mangrove forest (wonderful experience) to get to the beach on the other end. Here you stay at the forest rest houses again. If you are lucky, there will be no-one else on the island apart from you and the staff of 3-6. Thats it. No one else on the entire island. If you are unlucky, you might have a few more blokes joining you. Enjoy the beach. It is supposedly safe for swimming, but thats what my cook told me, so use caution. You will find tree stumps in the beach straight ahead of the rest house,.. but walk a little and the beach is better.

Relax here. There is nothing to do. But that is the point. You can walk on the beach if you like.. or just sit outside your room

Good Morning! Time to get to Ekakula, the other remote island. You need to get the timing right here. The boat needs a high tide to get to the beach, so your boatman will plan accordingly.
A 4 hour journey, you move along the delta into the sea.. a wonderful experience .. I probably enjoyed these boat rides the best.

Ekakula is just about 100 meters wide and 3 km long. You get off the river at one end, walk a bit and presto, you are on the beach. A better beach than Habalikhati, this place is as private. Laze, relax and let the cook know what you want to eat. If you get there in December.. go to the beach and search for Olive Ridley Turtles who lay their eggs here.

Now high tide comes in early (around 3 am) or in the afternoon. So decide when you want to reach Chandbali and plan accordingly. We had to catch a train so we opted for the former. We slept over in the boat at night.. and this was bliss..

At Chandbali, your trip ends. And you sigh as you think about it on your way to Bhadrak.

Before you pack your bags, a few more words:
This trip is very very basic. Donot expect Luxury. I was told that but I still was not prepared for what I got. For example non of the places have electricity. Accomodations are clean but basic. All places will have mosquito nets and loads of mosquitos. No Fans ofcourse. One place has a shared loo. Water.. I suggest you carry your own (buy a crate from Chandbali). Food will be Indian or Oriya.. moderate cleanliness. The boat will be a diesel engine with coir and rexine seats.

Now if you are prepared for the above, then this is a trip for you. Highly recommended by a moderately seasoned traveller. I loved every moment of it.

Now, if you are packing your bags, some tips:
1. Use a Travel Agent. Dont try and do this yourself. I used Silent Valley (Wilderness) Tours who was very helpful silent@vsnl.net. I also had a quote Sofia from transnetindia@vsnl.net, transnetcal@vsnl.net. They all cost the same and use agents in Chandbali.
2. Carry tons of Odomos or other mosquito repellents
3. Go only from October to Jan. Its too warm otherwise
4. Carry your own toiletries and suntan lotion
5. Medicines as required
6. let them know your meal preference beforehand
7. Toilet paper
8. Torches for every person
9. Binoculars
10. Handycams are charged at an exorbitant 500 a day for use. Still cameras at 25 a day
11. Plan for 4 days atleast.
12. Lookup bhitarkanika.org
Enjoy!
Big

Nick-H

Sounds fabulous. I didn't immediately realise from your post that this is in Orisa, but I checked the website briefly and it looks fabulous too.

I'm moving the thread to the Orissa forum, which is more appropriate --especially as traffic in the yakyak forum is so high that stuff disapears quickly and useful information gets lots within a day or two.

Thank you for a fascinating post

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big_ritesh

Thanks Nick. I guess Im still a novice at Indiamike

blackbird

Great post Ritesh. I visited Bhitarkanika in April, we knew it was the wrong time of year to see wildlife but we wanted to check it out anyway. We did see one crocodile though.... did you see much?

Every day the tide comes in and out about an hour later than the day before, everywhere in the world, so it depends when you're there.

I'm glad you found a good travel agent. We got ripped off by our agents in Chandbali -- the price seemed reasonable until we found ourselves on an old ex-ferryboat with wooden seats to sleep on and cockroaches living in the floor. And at the end they kept demanding more money, coming up with rubbish like saying they'd had to pay loads of bribes to take us anywhere.

The weather wasn't unbearable in April because we had shade and there were always nice breezes coming across the water, and despite our unfriendly hosts we had great fun, although I wish they'd taken us to the beaches you mention.

big_ritesh

Thanks Blackbird. And you must be right on the Tide information.
I saw two crocs. I was told it was the time of the day. If you need to see crocs you have go out at late afteroon. That is when the water gets warm, and they come out to cool themselves in the shade.
I went with 4 people and paid 4000. Its more if you are less people. and less if you are more people. How much did you pay?

The hosts were very nice, and they never demanded any money. But the boat was rickety with cockroaches (but did have coir cushion on the wooden seats)

I guess you must specify that you want a good boat when you get to the agent. That may help a bit. I also think that non-Indians need are generally pestered a little more. But I also feel that these guys were nice and would have treated you the same way as us!
ciao
Ritesh

blackbird

If I remember rightly, we paid 7500 for four of us (two English, two Indian) but there were a few things this didn't include, like accomodation one night on an island. It was my Orissan friend who did the negotiating but he complained that the presence of a white person added a 0 to the price from the beginning.

The unfriendliness of the people may also have been down to them thinking that my then girlfriend was Indian, which we found didn't go down well with anybody in rural Orissa. Ironically, she didn't have a drop of Indian blood in her, but their minds were already made up.

big_ritesh

Hmm.. strange.. but I agree.. we live in a very narrow world..
I paid 4000 per head for a 4 night 3 day trip.. all inclusive

blackbird

I forgot to mention it was for two nights and worked out at less than 48 hours. The two Indians slept on the roof of the boat with the two crew. It included food but with the extras probably worked out at over 9,000. The core reserve was closed so we didn't go in there, which would have avoided a substantial fee to the authorities. I came away feeling that never in India had I paid so much for so little.