Forests of Orissa: Kuldiha and Simlipal
Certain things just happen. And there are things, which, no matter how hard you try don't.
As the winter peaked around mid-January, we found ourselves cruising along NH 6 with the compass set to Kuldiha - a decision that was unforeseen and unplanned. We had planned to spend one night each at Kuldiha and Simlipal. The itinerary is mentioned below:
11-Jan-20 (Sat): Calcutta to Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary
12-Jan-20 (Sun): Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary - Safari - onwards to Lulung, Simlipal
13-Jan-20 (Mon): Lulung - Simlipal Safari - return to Calcutta
Eventhough Simlipal, Satkosia and Bhitarkanika are the 'Big Three' National Parks of Orissa, Kuldiha emerges as the dark horse in the fact that it is still raw and virgin. And in those three days in the forest, eventhough we were not able to sight much wildlife except for some peacocks, jungle fowls and deers our primary objective was to experience the jungle, the high pitched shrill of the cicadas, early morning chirping of the birds, the barking of a deer and feel the soft, benevolent winter sun.
One aspect,that I found great in the Orissa forests is, if you have the right car with you, you can do your own safari - all you need is to hire a guide.
Now coming back to the drive. The magic about winter mornings is that you dont realize how fast the hours pass and before we keyed in the ignition, noted that it was past 7.30 AM. And when we had finally joined the highway, the AC was turned off, the windows rolled down and we could feel the cold wind and toasting sun - mild and gentle. Kuldiha is roughly 300 kms from Calcutta and takes approximately 6 hours with relaxed driving. With speed enforcers now on the highways, one needs to be careful with the speeds.
This time, instead of stopping at Sher-E-Punjab at Kolaghat, we decided to try the 'New Ghosh Hotel' - bad decision that we realized later. We followed the NH 6 till Kharagpur and then turned left onto NH 60 and then onto a state highway. One needs to pay camera and vehicle charges on entry. When we reached the Rissia Nature Camp, Kuldiha, it was around 2 PM. Mobile towers don't work as you enter through the gate and just like it was mentioned in ADC's Kuldiha travelogue 10 years back, Kuldiha forest is strikingly dense.
The Rissia Nature Camp is located at the rear of the Rissia Dam. And after a 'Fish Thali' meal we went on a walk to the Rissia Dam. 'Sapla' flowers had grown in the still waters of the lake. Far beyond one could see amorphous silhouttes of forests. A group of picknikers had gathered too. Sometimes a wind was blowing off the lake waters, and even in the afternoon, was chilling us to the bone. For some urgent supplies we had to go to the nearby village and after procuring those we reached our tent at night.
The only source of electricity is solar power and the LED bulb was feebly powered. We were seated in the chairs on the verandah. Gradually the moon rose high in the sky and the chilly wind increased its intensity. The moon light was so strong that it cast intense shadows of the trees and tents. We were supplied with tea and snacks in the evening. Sometime later we could hear the distant cry of an animal, which the forest department folks confirmed, were of deers. A little distance away from the Camp area was a clearing and beyond the clearing the forest started again. In the moonlight one could see fireflies flying in Brownian motion. We had our dinner at 10 in the night and went to sleep.
The mornings at Kuldiha are sacred. We woke up at 6.30 in the morning - the camp site was flooded with soft golden sunlight. The plan for the day was to embark on a safari across Rissia - Kuldiha - Jodachua and checkout later. We hired a guide from the forest camp and went to explore the jungle trails of Kuldiha. The forest, like I mentioned, is thick and dense. And the landscape is hilly, undulating. Huge termite moulds are seen beside the track. We got down from the car a few times and could feel a sense of eerie. Leaves that had fallen on the ground had turned brown and when you walked over them you feel them cracking.
From Rissia we went to the Kuldiha Forest Rest House. The guide took us to a spot to view the salt pit - and was able to see a deer. From there we went to Jodachua Forest Rest House. Accommodation is available at both the places, but needs permission from the DFO. Set deep in the forest, staying at Jodachua will surely be an experience to remembered. We met a group of birders who were staying at the place. From Jodachua we went to a couple of waterfalls - Mench Kund and Dev Kund (IIRC). The blue, still waters upstream of the fall, with streams of water spread over the huge, black rocks appeared sinister and had it been at night, it would have been adventurous.
One must note that Kuldiha is famous for being a part of the Elephant Corridor that stretches across Bengal, Jharkhand and Orissa and has a rich population of the pachyderms. Our safari continued along morram roads till 10.30 in the morning after which we returned to the Rissia Nature Camp. While checking out from the camp, we went to the Rissia Dam, a scenic location where several picnic parties had assembled for picnic. After which we checked out from Rissia and went to Simlipal. The Rissia Nature Camp cost us Rs 3,780 per tent (2 adults) including breakfast,lunch,snacks and dinner. And whereas we found that to be okay, chicken was off the menu conspicuously. There were a few tribal villages enroute as we departed Kuldiha for our next destination Simlipal. It was a drive of 2.5 hours.
Simlipal is a large tiger reserve with several 'entry' gates. We had chosen to stay at Aranya Niwas, Lulung. Aranya Niwas was an erstwhile government property but has been leased to a private operator for 30 years. The old buildings were renovated and refurbished. In the evening we had some sandwiches. For dinner , either you could select the buffet or select some menu had to be selected from the buffet - we had Pulao, Dal, Mutton for dinner.
We went out to the Forest Checkpost for the entry permits at 7 in the morning for the permits. And found that they dont allow hatchbacks with the result that we had to book a high GC vehicle - a Bolero and hired a guide. At 8, after breakfast we set out for the Simlipal safari.
After you enter through the Lulung forest checkpoint, the road turns hilly. More than forests, it is hills with altitude ranging from 1500 ft to 3000 ft.
We encountered a peacock, jungle fowls and giant squirrel. At some viewpoints you can see rows of blue hills extending towards the horizon. There are two majestic falls - Joranda and Barehpani - in Simlipal.
There are several hamlets in the Simlipal area. And grasslands too. The small tribal villages, little dots of colour in the otherwise huge, wide green forests added to the variety and versatility of Simlipal. We had tea from one of the stalls. At Barehpani we had a lunch of Rice, Dal and superbly cooked Desi chicken.
Since we had to return to Calcutta the same day, instead to going ahead to the Uski waterfalls, we retraced our steps.
We returned to the resort around 5 in the evening. And after a cup of tea started the return journey. From Lulung we took the State Highway through Baripada - Gopiballavpur - Bahargora and reached home around 10 in the night.