Day 01 Kolkata/ Monday
Arrival Kolkata, meet and assistance transfer to hotel City sight seeing Overnight hotel
Day 02 Kolkata- Bhadrak -Chandbali- Dangmal/ Tuesday
Morning train to Bhadrak (5hrs) and later transfer by road to Chandbali. From here you will have transfer by mechanized boat to Dangmal, the core area of Bhitarkanika mangrove forest. Overnight at forest bungalow
DAY 03 Dangmal (Wednesday)
In the first half of the day we explore the creeks to see salt water crocodiles, sun basking in the mudflats, soft trek on mangrove forest to see all varieties of monitors, deer, wild boar and different species of birds. Afternoon we enjoy the boat ride to see more wildlife in the same vicinity. This deltaic region comprises a couple of tiny islands formed by the meandering creeks. With Dangmal at the centre stage (the others being Ekakula, Habalikhati etc), Bhitarakanika is a natural habitat of a lot of wild creatures like Crocodiles, King Cobra, Pythons, Wild Pigs, Rhesus Monkey, Sambars, Spotted Deer etc. There. is a Crocodile Breeding Farm at Dangmal. The pride possession of this Farm is the White Crocodile Sankhua, a rare species in the World. Over 170 species of resident and migratory birds of different hue enhance the beauty of the wild. Prominent among them are King Fisher, Open billed Storks, Sea Eagles, Kites, Sand Pipers, Darters, Whistling Teals, Sea Gulls, etc. The chirping of birds nesting at Baga Gahana is sure to leave an indelible impression in any body's mind. Watching the wildlife in their natural habitat while cruising through the creeks is a thrilling experience.
Day 04 Dangmal- Chandbali- Ratnagiri- Bhubaneswar /Thursday
Morning after breakfast transfer to riverbank by mechanized boat and later drive to Bhubaneswar. On the way we do visit Buddhist excavation complex at Ratnagiri & Udayagiri. These two hills and their environs comprise a remarkable Buddhist complex. Hiuen T’sang. The Chinese Pilgrim found it to be the seat of a flourishing Buddhist University called Puspagiri. Extensive ruins of brick pagodas, sculptured stone portals and esoteric Buddhist images testifying is ancient glory, have been unearthed. Ratnagiri is the gem of this complex. The magnificently carved door jamb of the Vihar and the superbly finished Buddha images form perhaps the greatest concentration o the post-Gupta period Buddhist sculptures. Reach Bhubaneswar and check into your hotel.
Day 05 Bhubaneswar /Friday
Bhubaneswar, the capital of Orissa, is also popularly known as the "Temple City of India". Being the seat of Tribhubaneswar or 'Lord Lingaraj', Bhubaneswar is an important Hindu pilgrimage centre. Hundreds of temples dot the landscape of the Old Town, which once boasted of more than 2000 temples. Bhubaneswar is the place where temple building activities of Orissan style flowered from its very inception to its fullest culmination extending over a period of over one thousand years. Full day to explore the ancient temples, Jain caves & tribal museum. Overnight at hotel.
Day 06 Bhubaneswar- Pipili- Konark- Puri (120km) Saturday
Drive to Puri and on the way we will be visiting Pipili patch work village and Konark, which is the place of world famous sun temple. The magnificent Sun Temple at Konark is the culmination of Orissan temple architecture, and one of the most stunning monuments of religious architecture in the world. The poet Rabindranath Tagore said of Konark that 'here the language of stone surpasses the language of man', and it is true that the experience of Konark is impossible to translate into words. Later we can visit a fisherman village to get insight of a life style that probably one can never encounter in general. On arrival at Puri, we visit Lord Jagannath temple (the lord of universe) from outside as non Hindus are not allowed to enter in the temple complex. Puri is one of the four celebrated religious centers of India. According to belief, Puri was once a thickly wooded hill inhabited by the Sabaras (Pre-Aryan and Pre-Dravidian tribes of the Austric linguistic family). The sunny beach at Puri is one of the finest in the world. Watching the sunrise in a symphony of colors is a wonderful experience. It is one of the most popular sea-side resorts where visitors from any part of he globe can comfortably relax. Overnight at your hotel in Puri. .
Day 07 Puri- Raghrajpur- Chilika- Gopalpur (200km) Sunday
Morning after breakfast we drive to Raghurajpur Painting Village later drive to Chilika Lake, here we enjoy comfortable boat ride for three hours to see migratory birds. The Chilika Lake is the biggest salt-water lake in Asia and the home to a magnificent bird sanctuary. Queen of natural beauty, Chilika is the largest brackish water lake in Asia covering an area of over 1,100 sq. km is a great attraction for the tourists for fishing, bird watching and boating. In winter Chilika is a flutter with thousands of indigenous and migratory birds of many varieties from far and near - even from the distant Siberia. The fabulous beauty of Chilika which has inspired poets to sing its glory and which can be best enjoyed from Balugaon, Barkul, Rambha and Satpada must be seen to be believed. After exploring this we do move to Gopalpur-on-sea. Gopalpur's importance dwindled when trade with Burma abruptly ceased during the war and never revived again. When the British left India, even members of rich Bengali homes preferred to holiday in other places of the country, Gopalpur reverted to what it was originally, a fishing village.
Day 08 Gopalpur- Rayagada with visit of Saura Tribes (220km) Monday
Drive to Rayagada and visit the Saura tribal villages on the way. Rayagada is a district of meadows, forests, water falls and terraced valleys, peopled by colourful tribes and many primitive Tribal Groups. The scenic beauty and heritage on the land is an unexplored paradise. The systematic relationship between men and nature is a feast to the eyes of an outsider. It has its own appeal for the lap of nature. Among the adivasis, (tribes living in forests from old ages) Saura Tribes of Orissa is the most important one that concerns with the sacrifice of the buffalo. The animal is slaughtered during the festivals related with the cycle of agriculture, and its blood and flesh are spread around the fields with the purpose of increasing the fertility and opulence of the crops. The buffalo is ritually killed during the funeral rites also, where it is considered the necessary psychopomp, leading the soul of the dead on the right path to the realm of the ancestors. As it is well known, the Sauras did not sacrifice any human victims. When in the 19th century the Khonds performed the human sacrifice, the Sauras usually sent representatives of their Tribes to the bloodshed ritual. They came back to their own villages with some pieces of the human victim of the Khonds, with the purpose of blessing their fields. After visiting this area we turn back to our hotel for the overnight stay in Rayagada.
Day 09 Rayagada- Bisamkatak - Rayagada (120km) Tuesday
Drive to Bisamkatak which is about 55km and the basic point to reach this wonderful place is to visit weekly market of Desia Kondh at Dukum. Later we visit the traditional craftsman village and make a post launch soft walk on Niyamgiri hills to explore the original Dongaria Kondh hamlets where women dress in white cotton togas and adorn themselves with a flashy array of hairpins and ornaments, ear and nose rings and geometric tattoos. Dongarias were once infamous for human sacrifice. Market commence only on Tuesday, remaining of the day will be spent in and around Rayagada.
Day 10 Rayagada- Chhatikona- Jeypore (220km) Wednesday
Wednesday Morning drive to Chhatikona for around 45 minutes to explore the weekly colorful Dongaria Kondh market. Dongaria come down with their forest produce to sell/ barter with non tribes is an interesting event to watch. The Kondhs are of a Dravidian origin and speak Kuvi language. They practice elaborate birth, marriage and death rituals. Visit the Kondh tribe and their villages- they love music and dance and spend their time merrily. They compose their own songs on love, marriage ceremony, harvesting and nature. The Kondh women wear two pieces of cloths, one around the waist to the knees and the other for upper portion of the body. The Kondh society is replete with festivities. Later you will have transfer to Jeypore; Jeypore is the commercial nerve centre of Koraput district and has all such facilities to serve as the convenient base for visiting the places of interest in and around. Nature has showered its bounty on the undivided Koraput district with untrammeled joy. This district abounds in meadows, forests, waterfalls, terraced valleys and darting springs. This land of abundance is home to Orissa's vast tribal population. A real paradise for the nature-lover, Koraput offers an additional benefit to the visitor of first hand meeting with its ancient civilization. Overnight at your hotel in Jaypore.
Day 11 Jeypore- Onkudelli- Jeypore (160km) Thursday
Morning drive to Onkudelli the most interesting market of Bondos/ Gadabas/ Didayees and later visit Ollar Gadaba tribal villages & back to hotel. The Bonda tribe market is set on Thursdays and the place is about two hours drive from Jaypore. Bonda Tribe is found in the district of Koraput, on the high hills to the north-west of the river Machkund. This is the wildest, rudest and possibly the most interesting tribe which is known as Bonda or naked people. The scanty dress of Bonda women and homicidal tendency of Bonda males have made them most fascinating and thus they stand in sharp contrast from the neighboring castes and tribes of Orissa. The Bondas call themselves Ramo and speaks a very difficult Austro-Asiatic language. Amidst picturesque scenes; Bondas live on high hills surrounded by fruit groves. They are generally agriculturists and are expert cultivators. The irrigated and terraced paddy fields on high hills prove their skill in rice cultivation. Bonda dormitories for the unmarried boys and girls are very interesting. In spite of their primitiveness and so-called poverty, the Bondas enjoy a high degree of economic sufficiency. We offer you the packed lunch and turn back to the hotel at Jaypore in the evening.
Day 12 Jeypore- Machkund-Jeypore (180km) Friday
Drive to Machkund and take a very soft walk to primitive Borogadaba tribal villages, interact with this tribe with the assistance of our experienced guide who knows the tribal dialect and later see their dance known as Dhemsa in their village. Back to hotel and on the way see pottery village.
We offer you packed Lunch enroute and later drive back to your hotel at Jaypore.
Day 13 Jeypore- Gupteswar- Jeypore (140km) Saturday
Morning after breakfast we drive to Gupteswar to visit the Dharua Gond tribal villages. Gupteswar is a famous cave shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva and located at the top of a limestone hill which is about 500 meters above sea level. Surrounded by a dense forest of sal trees and flanked by Kolab river, a 2m high lingam stands in the cave. The shrine is called "Gupteswar" which means the "Hidden God". It is so named because it was lying hidden in the cave for a very long period. One can reach it by climbing the 1000 steps flanked with rows of champak trees. The entrance of the cave is about 3 m wide and 2 m in height. There are also several other caves nearby. Inside the second cave there is a large stalactite. People worship it as the udder of God Kamadhenu (the divine cow) and wait under it with outstretched palms to collect drops of water which fall only at long intervals. In Shivaratri (a Hindu festival celebrated as the marriage of Lord Shiva) Gupteswar Temple draws large number of devotees from Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Chattisgarh. People suffering from incurable diseases come here to worship the God and remain here for months in the hope of getting cured. After exploring this later we visit the cattle market at Baligaon. Drive back to hotel for the overnight stay.
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Day 14 Jeypore - Visakhapatnam (230km) Sunday
Drive to Visakhapatnam & visit the Vishnu temple at Simachalam. Overnight at hotel in Visakhapatnam.
Day 15 Transfer to airport for flight to Delhi or the convenient place for onward destination.
Group Price for the tour: 1290 USD per person
Single room supplement: 530 USD
Flight from Vishakhapatnam to Delhi: as applicable on the date of booking.
Price includes:
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