BHITARKANIKA - TRIP TO MANGROVE FOREST OF ODISHA

 

It was exactly nine o’clock in the morning. After the completion of formalities of the forest department, our boat started through the canals of Baitarani and Brahmani Rivers into the mangrove forest of Odisha.

Sometimes the canals were becoming wide and sometimes so narrow that we could touch the leaves and branches of mangrove trees near the banks on both sides of the canals.

We were on a boat, passing through the largest mangrove forests of Odisha, Bhitarkanika.

It was a sanctuary conserved by the forest department of Odisha where plenty of estuary crocodiles could be seen.

As we proceeded, the scorching rays of the sun were preventing us to sit on the open deck. But we were firm on our stand and our major objective was to locate crocodiles basking in the sun either on banks of the canals or floating on the top layer of the water.

Our guide was constantly keeping eyes on both sides of the canal to locate the basking crocodiles.

As we penetrated into the deep forest with sunlight peeping through the branches, we could locate crocodiles sporadically either floating in the water near the banks or basking in the sun.

Some of them could not tolerate the arrival of the mechanized boat with the humming sound of the engine. They hid in the water beyond our visibility.

It was a pleasant sight that herds of newborn crocodiles suddenly disappearing in the water creating minimum sound and raising their heads at a distance after the boat left the spot.

As soon as we could locate big crocodiles of size between 15 foot and 20 foot, the crew stopped the engine of the boat so that we could move closer to obtaining photographs.

It seemed that the entire network of canals through which we were passing was full of crocodiles.

We learnt from our guide that the brackish water of the rivers, with shades of mangrove trees, was one of the best breeding places of the estuary crocodiles.

Further, the crocodiles mainly depended on fish and other small water creatures which were available in plenty in the entire belt which restricted movement of the crocodiles to the open water of the rivers.

The forest was also a nesting place for many types of birds. The crocodiles also fed on the newborn birds which fell down from the nest till the birds flew to other places in the month of October and November.

After travelling for around two hours through the canals, the boat made a halt in a place called Hunter Island. It was a big island within the mangrove forest where the kings of yesteryears used to come for hunting birds and other animals.

As we proceeded from the temporarily constructed jetty through the forest path where roots of mangrove trees crisscrossing each other, we reached an open land.

We came to know that there were deer, varieties of snakes, monitor lizards, migratory birds on the island.

A hunting tower was constructed during the reign of kings, which was in dilapidated condition. A Shiva temple and a Durga temple stood as witnesses of the previous century but still worshipped by the local visitors.

As we took a forest path towards an interior portion of the forest, a monitor lizard of moderate size crossed the path within the twinkling of an eye and disappeared into the dense forest.

There were few water bodies on the island where we could find migratory birds swimming in the water, chirping, having broken the silence of the forest.

A small crocodile shifted from one water body to another at its highest speed.

As we tried to be close to the birds in and around the water bodies, the birds shifted their locations, being scared of the arrival of human beings. As a result, we had to satisfy ourselves having obtained photographs from a distance.

After strolling for around an hour, we started for returning to the jetty for the next part of our boat ride.

Our guide suddenly signaled us to stop for a moment. We saw a large male deer with branches of horn crossed the path in a very leisurely manner. The speed of the deer gave us the opportunity to take a few photographs.

We expected to see more deer in the same herd but we could find none.

Having returned to the boat, we started the next part of the journey through a similar type of canal into an isolated region, where we could see at least fifty crocodiles of different sizes till we returned to our starting point.

How to Reach

The distance from the state capital, Bhubaneswar to Bhitarkanika by road is 168 km via Cuttack and Chandbali. The nearest railway station is Bhadrak on the Kolkata-Chennai railway track which is 99 km followed by Cuttack that is 145 km.

Boarding & Lodging

The tourists can stay in the nearest town Chandbali which is around 48 km or at Dangmal village which is on the border of the mangrove forest. There are hotels in Chandbali and few homestays in Dangmal. The homestays are available with normal ambiance and food.

Odisha Forest Development Corporation (OFDC) has constructed a few cottages and tourist bungalows with eco-tourism park that can be booked online.   

Mode of Travel to Bhitarkanika

The tourists have to travel in Bhitarkanika by mechanized boat from Khola Bridge (a riding point) 8 km from Dangmal. The cost of the boat for around 4 hours will be around Rs.3000/- and the tourists have to pay entry ticket and camera charges as per the prevailing rate. An eco-tourism park has been constructed in Dangmal where tourists can have a nature walk against payment of entry ticket.

My Experience

Nature has been bountiful in the Bhitarkanika mangrove forest area where various kinds of flora and fauna have taken shelter and have grown within a cozy pollution-free environment. The abundance of crocodiles is found in the canals of the Brahmani and Baitarani rivers. Migratory and local birds can be found in the trees and bushes of mangrove forests.

It has been a new experience of travelling in the boat for more than four hours enjoying nature at its ultimate. The pleasant sunny weather and the cool breeze has been a catalyst to enhance the enjoyment of the trip and it can be assured that a trip to Bhitarkanika may boost the enthusiasm for nature lovers.