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Showing posts from May, 2020

Habalikhati: A Pristine Virgin Island

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This write up describes my trip to Habilikhati Island in Gahirmatha Marine Wildlife Sanctuary and is the continuation of my Bhitarkanika Sanctuary trip blog (Link is given  Bhitarkanika PART 1 )   OVERVIEW: Habalikhati Island falls under Gahirmatha Marine Wildlife Sanctuary. Whenever I visit Bhitarkanika, I spend at least two nights on this island. Habilikhati is one of the pristine, virgin and unexplored beaches of India. It is the only Marine sanctuary of Odisha and is a part of the world’s largest known rookery of Olive Ridley sea turtles   (Rushikulya river mouth is another nesting site for these turtles in Odisha) . The spectacular site of a mass congregation of these turtles for mating and nesting amazes both the researchers and the nature lovers alike. The Gahirmatha sanctuary stretches from the old lighthouse near Batighar to Maipura river mouth . These turtles travel all the way from South Pacific Ocean to breed on the coast of Gahirmatha. About half a milli

Koraput: The Rolling Hills of Eastern Ghats

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I always wanted to explore the Koraput region, which is nestled between the Eastern Ghats in the Southern part of Odisha state in Eastern India.  It’s a place that fascinated for years and was waiting when I would have the chance to visit this fabled destination. OVERVIEW:   Koraput is not visited by tourist hordes and this makes for a perfect destination to scan. The Koraput region is known for its picturesque and breathtaking landscape, rolling hills, verdant valleys, cascading waterfalls and the culturally rich tribals which makes it a type of unique place to visit. Rivers such as Machhakunda , Vamsadhara and Kolab meanders through the region. The region gets its name from 'Kora-Putti'  which was a tree once very prominent in the region. The weather in Koraput is pleasant almost all round the year which makes it pleasurable to visit anytime. During the Monsoons, it rains heavily and the whole region looks more magnetic with greenery.  FULFILLING A