Adventures & Sports

Orissa offers its mountain-lovers, some exotic treks of the height of around 1600 meter tall. Some of these beautiful treks are the Mahendragiri Trek, Gandhamardan Trek, and Nilagiri Trek, where on a good day, one can have a sight of the elephants, spotted deer, and even leopards. Wildlife abounds in their bounteous undergrowth.

The two main places for the dare-devils of the water are Barkul and Dhabaleswar. Barkul, Rambha, Balugaon and Satpada are the bases for visiting Chilika, where boats can be hired. The dynamic topographical variations of Orissa offer the more intrepid visitors an excellent opportunity to enjoy their diversity, and there by take hack stimulating memories of a great vacation.

Trekking
Gandhamardhan Trek
The Gandhamardhan Hill enshrines the Nrusimhanath shrine on its northern slope and the Harishankar shrine on its southern slope. To walk over the hill-top from Harishankar to Nrusimhanath and back, a distance of 16 km, through the glories of nature and culture (it is said to be the seat of a Buddhist University called Po-lo-mo-lo-ki-li by the Chinese traveller Huien Tsang) is an experience by itself.

Mahendragiri Trek
The beautiful 1525 meter tall Mahendragiri Hill, is around 125 km from Berhampur. It is the destination of numerous trekkers who can, on a good day, sight elephants, spotted deer and even leopards. The Mahendra Tanaya rivulet wends its way through the forest which abounds in peacocks, flying squirrels, and even talking mynahs.

Nilagiri Trek
Situated in the district of Balasore, the Nilagiri Hill in the Kuldiha jungle is a trekker's delight with its silvery streams and immense beauty. Wildlife abounds in their bounteous undergrowth. Trekkers can camp at three camping outlets located here.

Water Sports
Barkul Water Sports
South of Puri, the sea mixes in with Chilika Lake to create the largest brackish water lake in Asia, and a spot of enchanting beauty. These shallow waters enclose an immense area of marshes, lowlands, and islands.

A number of islands dot the expanse of the lake. The large fishing community adds flavour to the lake with their traditional colourful sail boats bobbing expertly across the water, reminiscent of the ancient maritime heritage of Orissa. In fact, the fisher folk can be persuaded to take visitors on their boats.

While Chilika is worth visiting the year round, the winter months, when the air reverberates with the din of the birds, are the nicest times. Barkul, Rambha, Balugaon and Satpada are the bases for visiting Chilika, where boats can be hired. At Barkul, the Orissa Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. (OTDC) has organized a Water Sports Complex where facilities for canoeing, kayaking, and boating are available. The complex also has water scooters.

Dhabaleswar Water Sports
Tucked in the bosom of the river Mahanadi is a idyllic island called Dhabaleswar. So called because of its presiding deity, Lord Dhabaleswar, an incarnation of Lord Shiva, the island is a place of great religious significance. Sculptures dating back to the 10th century AD stand testimony to the antiquity of the temple.

While Dhabaleswar attracts pilgrims round the year, thousands of people throng the place on special occasions like Shivaratri. Located far from the madding crowd, and surrounded by the Mahanadi, Dhabaleswar provides a magnificent ambience for visitors.

The island is located 4 kms from Cuttack by river, and 12 kms from Cuttack by road. With a view to promoting water sports, the Tourism Department has provided two Water Scooters and two boats at the island.

Safaris
The white tiger safari, established in 1991 offers visitors the heady excitement of viewing the rare white tigers from specially designed protected buses.

The lion safari offers an adventurous zing to the trip to Nandankanan.

Camping
Nilagiri Trek:-Situated in the district of Balasore, the Nilagiri Hill in the Kuldiha jungle is a trekker's delight with its silvery streams and immense beauty. Wildlife abounds in their bounteous undergrowth. Trekkers can camp at three camping outlets located here.

Village Safaries
A different form of adventure are the village safaris which are organised in Puri and Cuttack. Most tours include visits to hamlets where traditional crafts are practised and areas which are very scenic or which have good birdlife. Village safaries in the mangrove forest in the coastal belt of Orissa, Deogarh, Puri and Bhubaneswar are highly recommended. These give you an excellent insight into rural India and the simple way of living.

Tribal Tours
India's rich tribal heritage has survived among the hills and forests across districts of Orissa. The best places to visit tribal India are Sambalpur, Jajpur and Raurkela in Orissa. Tours to these tribal areas provide guests with the opportunity to observe and participate in aspects of the reality of rural Indian life that most visitors to India rarely hear about, let alone experience.

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