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Location:
190 km from Bhubaneswar, Rajnagar Tehsil, Kendrapa District, Orissa
Coverage Area: 170-sq-kms
Main Attractions: Estuarine
Crocodile & Pacific Ridley Sea Turtles
Best Time To Visit: Mid-October To Mid-March
Accommodation : Forest Rest Houses & Tourist Cottages
Arrival
Information :
-- By
Rail : The nearest railhead is situated at Cuttack and Bhadrakh.
--
By Air : The nearest airport is situated
at Bhubaneswar.
--
By Road : One
can reach the sanctuary from north through Rajnagar via Bhadrakh and from south
through Rajnagar via Patamundai, Cuttack and Bhubaneswar.
--
Nearby Excursions : Assia
range-Lalitagiri and Ratnagiri. These hills possess the ruins of the most
unique Buddhist monastic complex in the world.
--
Nearby Cities : Kendrapada,
Konark, Cuttack and Bhubaneswar
Bhitarkanika wildlife sanctuary is an adventurist's
paradise. It is also a breeding ground for the
Olive Ridley turtles. This is the largest forest
of the country. It was declared as a sanctuary
in 1975, just to protect the estuarine crocodile and turtles in their rare mangrove habitat.
Flora
:
Out of seventy-two species of
Mangroves identified in the world, sixty-three species are found in Bhitarkanika.
Some of the species are Avicinia, Exocaeria, Rhizophora, Soneratia, Heriteria
and Phoenix, etc.
Fauna :
Reptiles are the dominant species here. The area is equally rich in mamals,
birds, amphibians and fishes besides insects and other micro fauna. This has the
largest concentration of estuarine crocodiles with as large as 22feet. The
Gahirmatha beach in this sanctuary is also the largest rookery of "Olive
Ridley" turtles in the world.
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