Travel: Bichitrapur mangroves, Odisha

 It is an absolute delight to see plenty of red crabs there on the beach.

This time the purpose of the visit to Bichitrapur was not travel but to do the post-wed shoot of my childhood friend. As all other pics posted above were very very random, so sharing few framed compositions :)

Utkal and Pragyan... The sweetest couple ever.

How to Reach: Bichitrapur is roughly 50 kms from Jaleswar and 100 kms from Baleswar. Digha beach in West Bengal is only 18 kms away.The diversion you need to take from NH5 is towards Digha/Talasari before the octroi toll gate (Signage by Odisha Govt is there but chances of missing them are there because of the road construction work and lots of diversions). The road after Jaleswar is good but construction work at some patches (may be the road will be smoother by next month). Chandaneswar is the diversion point, from here Bichitrapur is towards right (10 kms). The left one goes to Digha (6 kms) and straight down is Talasari (3 kms). The 10 kms drive is on a single lane typical road through villages and is worth looking around. Nearest railway station is Jaleswar and most of the trains do have a stoppage.
Rest room facility is there at Bichitrapur.
Contact Details: Resource manager - +91-7894542500, +91-9937157332
Divisional Forest Officer (Balasore Wildlife Division) - +91-6782-256142
GPS Coordinate: 21.589698, 87.419135
What to Do: A boat ride into the mangroves is the attraction. The boat ride for nature watch can be availed from the lone government facility only. 6 and 8 person boats are available and the trips lasts for around 60 minutes with a tariff of INR 1000 and INR 1200 respectively. The service is available from 10.30 am till 5.30 pm.
Where to Stay: OTDC Chandaneswar Panthasala (Govt.) is the best place around. It is close to Talasari beach and seems to have good amenities. Large government standard rooms with big washrooms and all is pleasure. Not to mention about the very friendly staff, they were happy to answer all my queries to the detail.
Contact Details: +91-6781-232528/212500
What to Eat: Being an Eco tourism site, Bichitrapur is less commercialized and has only 2 small shops probably who sell some sort of snacks and water etc. If you are planning for a long stay there, then my personal advice will be to carry some food, especially if you have kids along. The nearest market is Chandaneswar (10 kms) and good restaurant is at OTDC Panthasala at Talasari. There must have many options towards Digha but I personally have not explored that route. But OTDC restaurant at Talasari offers some of the best food at unbelievable pricing on the menu. Especially the locally caught crabs from Subarnarekha River.
Nearest Tourist Attractions: Talasari Beach, Digha Beach, Mondarmoni Beach, Chandaneswar Temple, Bhusandeswar Temple
Caution/Precaution: Carry food for Kids and Infants. And be careful for your camera accesories as water may keeps spilling into the boat. There is no shelter/shaded place at the last destination point where you will walk towards beach. So you may carry an umbrella for the kids and elderly. Sleepers or Water-proof shoes are preferable if you are going during high tide. You can leave your shoes in the boat though as walking barefoot on the sand will be fun.


P.S. I visited the place during low tide i.e in the afternoon (5 ish) but during the high tide the place is brilliant and you will find all the mangrove area wet. Even the beach at the last point looks interesting with water level up. So you may plan your visit in the first half of the day for some adventure.