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Located very close to West Bengal in India is the famous coastal state of Orissa. Orissa is home to few of India’s most top rated beaches. Not only the beaches Orissa are famous for its pristine nature but also the state is quite well known for its rich cultural heritage and for its historical significance. There are plenty of exotic beaches and tourist destinations in and around Orissa, but the most happening and the most crowded but beautiful amongst them is Puri. This time we planned a 3 nights 4 days trip to cover places of Puri, Konark Sun temple, Nandan Kanan wildlife sanctuary and Deras Dam.

Now we will not talk about much about Puri because it is one of the most common and favorite holiday destinations of people from all over India. But as we are discussing about Puri, lets talk about few very interesting facts :

Interesting Facts

• During the Rath Yatra festival which gets organized in Puri, which is one of the biggest Hindu festival celebrated in India, every year it rains to some extent. It is said that there hasn’t been a single Rath Yatra over the years that hasn’t rained.
• At around 100km from Puri we have the Lake Chilika. It is known to be the largest wintering ground for migratory waterfowl found anywhere in India
• We all know about the famous Jagannath Temple. But did you know that not only do airplanes not fly over the temple, but also birds have not been observed to fly over the temple as well. No one knows why.
• Keeping aside the entire state of Orissa, Puri itself has 6 pristine beaches in total.
• Around 35 km from Puri we have the famous Konark Sun temple. But do you know that when the temple was constructed, the builders used two strong magnetic rods inside the tower that would hold the crown stone from falling. But to everyone’s surprise it was later found that these the magnetic rods were actually causing multiple shipwrecks on the ocean.

Interesting isn’t it ?

Coming back to the blog, this time we planned a 3 nights 4 days Puri trip to cover places of Puri, Konark Sun temple, Nandan Kanan wildlife sanctuary and Deras Dam.

How to reach Puri

There are plenty of trains available to and fro from Sealdah, Howrah, Shalimar and Santragachi junction. You will get overnight buses also and Bhubaneshwar is the nearest airport.

Where to Stay

There are plenty of accommodations in and around Puri. If you like a peace and tranquility try to stay in accommodations after the Light house in the Marine Drive or towards the newly opened Blue Flag Beach.

We booked an ac room during peak season for Rs 2000 bang on the beach called Hotel Shyamjyoti (it was an average stay and only recommended for budget travelers like us).

Day 1

We took an overnight train journey from Howrah Station and reached Puri in the morning. Upon checking in and freshened up we straight away went towards the Jagannath Temple to offer our prayers.

Upon completion we went back to our hotel , had our lunch and hired an auto to visit the newly opened Blue Flag Beach. The auto generally takes Rs 80-100 depending on the number of persons you have.

The Blue Flag beach is located near the Governor’s house. It is known to be one of the cleanest beaches in this region. There are a total of 10 blue flag beaches in India and Golden beach in Puri falls amongst them.

The beach is very clean and you won’t find much litter as there are dustbins placed at every corner . Cleanliness is maintained all the time it seemed. If you are visiting during day time, try to take a dip in the ocean as the water is much cleaner compared to the one in Marine drive. We went to a local restaurant near by called Pink House to have our evening snacks.

We spent the rest of the evening at leisure after returning from the beach.

Day 2

The first half of the day we spent at leisure. We explored the local fish market and witnessed a beautiful sunrise. The sight was splendid considering the fact that our hotel was right in front of the sea beach. Later on we dived into the water to take few dips and spent a relaxed morning.

Upon completing our lunch we hired a scooty there. Worth mentioning the cost of hiring a scooty in Puri is hirer than other parts of India. They charged us almost Rs 700-800 per scooty.

We started out journey towards the famous Konark Sun temple. This UNESCO world heritage site is located at a distance of 35km from Puri and the road leading towards it is absolutely mesmerizing. If you are travelling in a tourist cab you wont get that feel compared to going there by riding a scooty or a bike.

Almost 2.5 million people visit the temple every year. This temple was build in the 13th century by King Narasimha Deva I. The temple was created to celebrate glory of the Ganga Dynasty. It has majorly got two parts — a dance pavilion (natya mandapa), and assembly hall (jagamohana) on the same platform. Every evening, a sound and light show narrates the historical and religious significance of the Sun Temple.

If you are looking to stay in an offbeat location close to Puri then the beaches of Chandrabhaga and Konark should be chosen definitely. There are few decent accommodations available on the beach and its more beautiful and less crowded than the Marine drive beach and the Golden Beach or Blue Flag beach.

We would recommend you to start early around 2 pm in the afternoon after lunch and visit the sun temple as early as possible and head back to these beaches on the way to witness the beautiful sunset. The beautiful white sand and the pristine blue color of the water will be a memorable sight for you.

We spent some quality time on the temple and in the Konark beach before we headed back towards our hotel.

Day 3

We started our day early in the morning by hiring a scooty as we have to cover a lot of distance in one day. The first destination we wanted to visit was the famous Nandan Kanan Zoological Park. The distance was around 80km and you have to opt for NH 316 highway to reach there. We ensured a full tank of petrol in our scooty before starting off.

On our way we stopped at few places to have our breakfasts and refreshments. The best part was that, on the way we interacted with a lot of local people and witnessed first hand their day to day life and activities. Note – There are not many good food joints along the highway till you cross Bhubaneshwar.

The car fare from Puri to Nandankanan to and fro with few other sightseeing places would be about Rs 2500 – 3500 depending on the season.

As we took frequent breaks and as it was too hot, we took almost 3-4 hours to reach the place.

Nandan Kanan is one of the biggest and largest zoo park in India. It was established in the year 1960 and declared as a sanctuary in 1979. It spreads over an area of 400 hectares of land so you would need a full day or at least 2 trips to this place to complete the entire area.  

Its has close to 34 white tigers, 67 varieties of mammals, 18 varieties of reptiles and 81 species of different birds.

It is also a home to a crocodile breeding center.

The entry fee was Rs 50 and if you are opting for safari then its extra charges.

The safari is something you can definitely try. Also make sure you hire a guide and book tickets for the Battery Operated Vehicle as it becomes easier to roam around in that. Try to avoid going after 4pm and from 10-12 pm , as these are the busiest times in the zoo.

There is a restaurant inside the campus as well. We had our lunch there.

After that we headed straight towards Deras Dam.

Deras Dam

Situated about 25km from Bhubaneswar, Deras Dam is a part of the Chandaka Elephant Sanctuary. It is 22 km from Nandan kanan zoo and almost 90 km from Puri. The place provides you with a very peaceful and hustle free ambience to connect with yourself and your loved ones while enjoying the raw beauty of nature. The place has recently gained quite popularity amongst tourist and if you are planning to stay in an offbeat place, there is a resort as well called Chandaka Nature Resort.

The entry fee was around Rs 50.

Deras Dam is mainly for people who want to enjoy a day outing or a picnic in the place. It opens from 10am – 5pm everyday.

Mostly tourist comes to the place in the monsoon as the dam gets full of water and its quite a beautiful scenic view from there. The dam is surrounded by hills and green trees all around. You can also enjoy boating over there however it is recommended not get too close to the water as the water stretch is full of crocodiles.

Try to go there during the evening to enjoy a beautiful sunset.

We spent the remaining evening at leisure and the next day we headed back home.

Total Cost per head

Rs 6,000 inclusive of hotel, food, transport and sightseeing (group of 5)

Things to know

• Although scooty was a quite flexible option to move around we would recommend you not to hire a scooty if the distance crosses 70km to and fro. The journey to Konark was quite smooth being only 70 km to and fro, but the next day’s journey was quite tiring and took longer than usual
• Carry your food from Puri as there are not much option available on the highway apart from few local eateries. Specially if you are planning to go to Deras Dam
• Hire a guide in the zoo , they will help you to quickly move around in the zoo by operated vehicles and tell you about different animals
• Try to avoid the summer months if you are planning to do this trip.

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