Source: Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sunset_(Bhitarkanika_National_Park)_(Odisha).jpg
Bhitarkanika National Park protects about 145 sq km of mangrove forest and tidal creeks in Kendrapara district of Odisha, inside the larger Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary. It was declared a national park in 1998 and a Ramsar wetland in 2002. The park has one of India's largest populations of saltwater crocodiles, along with cobras, monitor lizards, spotted deer and many herons, storks and kingfishers. Olive ridley turtles nest on the nearby Gahirmatha coast.
Visits are by boat through the creeks, with permits issued by the Forest Department at the Khola and Gupti offices, and boats also run from Chandbali. Dangmal inside the park has a crocodile breeding centre and forest stays. The park is closed to tourists from 1 May to 31 July for the crocodile breeding season.
- How to Reach: Bhubaneswar has the nearest airport and Bhadrak the nearest major railway station. Drive to Chandbali, Khola or Gupti and continue by boat with a Forest Department permit.
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