Satkosia ; A Hidden Gem on The Bank of Mahanadi

The diversity of flora and fauna that we Indians are blessed with is facing devastation. Pollution, poaching, deforestation, urbanisation, large-scale hydro-electric projects all of these factors and more are catalysing this cataclysmic phenomenon. The most alarming part is the lack of awareness of our people and our utter ignorance. Tourism can help raise awareness if done in a eco-friendly manner. When in the wilderness we must tune ourselves in such a way that we do not leave any lasting impact on that place. A wilderness explorer must be a silent observer.
Satkosia Tiger Reserve boasts a diverse gorge eco-system with deciduous plants. It is situated at the bank of river Mahanadi, the largest river in the state of Orissa. A great place for wildlife enthusiasts to spend a few days in.

Tikarpara Nature Camp

BOOKING:

Booking and entry permit is done officially through the website of Orissa eco-tourism.
https://www.ecotourodisha.com/index.php
 Please check the current rates from the site. At the time of our booking it was around 2500-4000 Rs. for 2 persons (Including food and lodging) depending on the location. But the online transaction takes a whopping 10% of the total amount as transaction fees. Another thing to note is that the payment portal DOES NOT accept RUPAY cards ( even though that is not mentioned in the website).
Alternatively you can try your luck by spot booking , that would spare you the transaction charges, but I would not advise that. You can stay at one place for maximum of 2 days at a stretch.

Here are a few contact numbers:
DFO Office Satkosia: +918763102681
Shamim Chauhan (Site Manager Satkosia) : +8658023333

Santragachi ; A lake full of life (weekend tour 2)

Santragachi is a nice weekend destination close to Kolkata , specially in winter. If you are planning to spend the weekend in bustling shopping malls and admiring splendid landmarks of Kolkata, I recommend that you throw Santragachi into the mix. You don't have to be an avid birdwatcher to relish the beauty of this place.


Lets get down into the details.........

Disclaimer: I neither have the expertise nor the equipment needed to take good photographs of birds from long distances. So don't let my mediocre (at best) photographs kill your interest.



The Santragachi Jheel (Lake) is 13,75,000 sq ft in size and attracts thousands of migratory birds each winter and bird watcher from all over West Bengal flock together as well.

Common Moorhen (Adult)

HOW TO REACH?

1. Reach Howrah Railway Station (Its one of the busiest railway stations in India with most train handling capability..not that hard to find )
2. Board local trains in South-Eastern Railway section.
3. Get down at Santragachi station.

Bronze-winged Jacana

WHY SANTRAGACHI?

1. Its pretty close to the city of Kolkata (Calcutta).
2. Many species of birds are found here, in a relatively small area.
3. Easy to reach.
5. Many nature clubs organize awareness camps for general public where one can meet expert ornithologists.

Lesser_whistling_Duck

WHEN TO VISIT?

Preferably winter when migratory birds flock together. But birding enthusiasts visit throughout the year as different birds come here at different seasons.
I would suggest late January- February.

Northern Pintail

BIRDS FOUND:

1.  Lesser Whistling
2. Northern Pintail
3.  bronze-winged jacana
4. Cormorants
5. Egrets
6. Purple Heron 
7. Moorhen
8. Common Coot

Several other species are found here. 

Cormorant

AN APPEAL :


Over the years the number of birds coming to these lakes have fallen drastically all over India and Santragachi is no different. Recently many houses are being built beside the lake and some of the locals do not feel any duty towards preserving the lake eco-system.
So, please do not throw any garbage in or near the lake and try to persuade others not to do the same. A little step taken by you may make a big difference and help preserving the lake.

White-throated Kingfisher

 
Please feel free to ask anything or correct me if I am wrong anywhere. 

Kaikhali ; A weekend trip (1)

Kaikhali is a small land adjoining the confluence where Matla and Nimaniya rivers flow in to the Bay of Bengal. This place has river banks full of mangroves like  Garan, Golappata, Hogla, Sundri, etc. The boat-ride on the Matla is sure a very refreshing experience. I would not miss the beauty of it on a moonlit night or twilight, the next time I visit. This place is practically within the Sunderban area. Some boats take tourists in the depth of the jungle where tigers are claimed to come out. I would not put too much faith in that though.

Season:  The best season to visit the Sunderbans is definitely the winter.


How to Reach : From anywhere in Kolkata first you have to reach Sealdah railway station. As far as I know there are no buses available which goes directly to Kaikhali. Reserved buses and cars are available though if you are going with a large group.

From Sealdah you have to go to Joynagar-Majilpur station by either Lakhsmikantapur local or Namkhana Local.
Word of advice , these trains can get crowded pretty nastily so if you are not confident enough to handle it , do opt for road journey. But the roads here are not buttery smooth either.


From Joynagar-Majilpur station you can either go to Kaikhali directly or make a break-journey.
Case 1: The only way to reach Kaikhali directly is apparently auto-rickshaw. You have to reserve an auto (short for auto-rickshaw). They will charge anything from Rs 250 to Rs 500 for one-way journey. If you do not plan to stay overnight make sure to book the auto for the return journey. The price mostly depends on the season and your bargaining skills.


In our case we booked two autos for a total sum of 1200 Rs in the condition that we will start our return journey by 3p.m.

Case 2: From Joynagar you can take bus or auto to get to Jamtala. This will not cost you much as this is the regular route for the locals. But the buses are crowded to the roof. From Jamtala you will have to reserve another auto to get to Kaikhali.

The total distance is 35 km and can take a toll when you are hanging from an auto-rickshaw.


Description: The entire bank of river Matla at Kaikhali has concrete embankment. We stroller leisurely on them and found a crowd at a distance. Curious, we went there and found that boats can be booked for 950 Rs. Each boat can hold upto 12 people ,not anymore. So it is wise to go in groups of at-least 10 people.

Boats for hire

We took a boat without further delay because the auto will charge extra for any delay after 3.30pm. The boat journey was truly spectacular. The river was so vast that the other bank appeared to be just a light mist. The water was gleaming like silver and it was really hard to keep our eyes open. I suggest you bring your sun-glasses.

The riverbank in sight were full of lush green mangrove trees. It was truly a magnificent sight to behold.

                          

The boat journey was to another small town called Jharkhali (jhar = storm in Bengali). It is a nice little place full of green trees and has the atmosphere of a village fair. People were buying and selling various food items.

There is a Butterfly Park with an entree fee of 10Rs. In it there is a children's park ,a watchtower and plants on which the butterflies prefer to lay their eggs on.

The monkeys here are quite handful. do not feed them and keep your valuables away from them.

The return journey had a soothing feel as the sun was a bit gentler and the sky revealed its blue colour.

Jharkhali

There is a small market near the boat-ghat. You can get lunch there for decent price. The food is quite good. On out way back we visited the Nimpith Ramkrishna Ashram. Do not miss it.

Nimpith Ashram

Then we returned back to Joynagar. As most Bengali will tell you " You Just DON'T " come back from Joynagar without tasting Joynagar's "MOA" , a sweet delicacy made of Kheer (condensed dried sweetened milk ),Khoi (puffed rice) and of-course the fragrant Nolen Gurh ( sweet sap tapped from Date palm trees ). There is a high probability that you will be deceived while buying these. So try avoiding small vendors or shops. Bunchki Babu's shop is near the station and sells good quality Moas.

This winter let Kaikhali be your destination.

More details are coming soon ....................