ALSphere Foundation
Introduction:
Satkosia is a sanctuary in Odisha spread over vast areas along 22.5 km span of river Mahanadi. It houses a Tiger Reserve, a Crocodile Breeding Centre, Bird watching spots and sunset points. It is the second largest ecosystem in Odisha, after Bhittarkanika. Fresh water crocodiles are found in the deep water (gorge), but shallow water attracts both local and migratory aquatic birds.
Where Located?
Satkosia, literally means Sat (Seven) and Kosh (2 miles) of the river span. It flows through Angul, Boudh, Cuttack and Nayagarh districts starting from Kusanga(Boudh) to Badamul(Cuttack). Nearest airport is Bhubaneswar, railheads are Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Khurda Road, Angul and Nayagarh. Bus journey may be uncomfortable, so tourists can take personal vehicles or hired-taxi from cities and towns to the sanctuary. Kamaladiha, Badamula, Tikarpada, and Bethiasahi are some popular access points. Both budget and premium hotels/resorts are available in these locations.
Best Time To Visit:
Winter season, especially November to February, is the best time to visit, but tourists can enjoy from late September to mid-March.
Travel Plan & Journey:
A friend of mine and I planned in late January, 2024 to visit Satkosia from Bhubaneswar. Accordingly, we started for a 2N/3D journey the next day at 9:00 AM. I drove the car for a 124-km, a 3-hour journey to Kamaladiha, and reached at 1:00 PM.
Our Stay:
We stayed in a Double-Bed AC room in “Satkosia Hill View Resort” at the foothill near Kamaladiha market. It was a nice resort in a beautiful surrounding with amenities for a comfortable family/group stay. The helping resort owner prepared our visit plan.
Our Visit Plan:
Day-1:
After lunch and rest for a couple of hours, we started at 4:00 PM for a downstream boat journey to the ‘Sunset point’, known for bird watching and sunset view. During the enjoyable afternoon journey in the river, we saw varieties of birds hopping and flying in low-water area. In the evening, the Sun went down behind the hills leaving a golden memory in our minds.
We returned to the resort after dusk, and had a stroll in the nearby market. The small village slept soon in the chilled night. We finished dinner at 9:00 PM and returned to bed soon.
PC: Kishor Kumar Mishra
Day-2:
We woke up early, finished morning walk in and around the resort premises. After morning tea, we finished morning routine, paid visit to a nearby temple, had our breakfast at 9:00 AM. The resort owner had arranged forest visit and an upstream river journey. At 9:30 AM, we travelled through the forest in our car up to the boating point. From watch tower, we had a beautiful 360-degree view of the forest. The motor boat started at 10:30 AM for a 1-hour journey. We saw 4-5 crocodiles, (in river and on river bank), fish, pea-fowls, and a few tortoises.
After boat ride, we spent 1-hour in the lap of nature in the forest, and returned to the resort for lunch.
We took rest for a couple of hours. At 4:00 PM, we drove through the hill side road to cover forest area, paddy fields and tiny hamlets. The purpose was to explore the nature from a close.
After evening snacks, while walking around, we purchased fried paddy, puffed rice, roasted flattened-rice from local market that had unique taste.
The village slept soon again. We finished dinner at 9:00 PM in the chilled night and retired to bed.
Day-3:
We had planned to check out at 10:00 AM.
We got up early, finished morning walk, tea, morning routine as usual. We finished breakfast by 9:30 AM. At 10:00 AM, we checked out and drove for Bhubaneswar.
On the way back, we visited a few well-known temples: Shri Jagannath Temple at Narsinghpur, Shri Champanath Temple at Champeshwar, Shri Nilamadhav Temple at Kantilo and reached Bhubaneswar at 5:00 PM.
Concluding Words:
Travelling is a stress-reliever, gives relief from monotonous work, and adds to work-life balance. Nowadays, travel to hill stations, forests, sanctuaries, beaches, ecosystems are getting more popular. We have to discover numerous such places in our country.
Kishor Kumar Mishra
