Odisha Tours & Experiences

Things to do in Odisha

Most of these are a short drive from Puri, Konark or Bhubaneswar; the two wildlife parks lie further north. Sights, history and routes are in our Odisha travel guide.

Darshan at the Jagannath Temple in Puri

Hindus enter by the Lion's Gate, the temple's only way in; darshan begins at about 5.30 am and, between rituals, lasts until about 9 pm. Visitors of other faiths may not enter, but they can see the deities in public at Snana Purnima and the Rath Yatra. Our Jagannath Puri temple tour plans either darshan or a guided look at the town, and our Puri tours and experiences page covers the beach, crafts and food.

The Sun Temple at Konark

The 13th-century temple to Surya is a stone chariot on 24 carved wheels, drawn by seven horses: walk round it slowly to read the sculpture, and stay for the evening light and sound show. From 1 to 5 December each year, Odissi and other classical dances fill the Konark Festival, while sand artists work on Chandrabhaga beach, 3 km away.

Temples and caves in Bhubaneswar

The 11th-century Lingaraj Temple admits Hindus only; others watch from a viewing platform outside. Climb the twin hills of Udayagiri and Khandagiri, where cells for Jain monks were cut in the 2nd century BCE, then drive out to Dhauli, where a light and sound show tells the story of the Kalinga War. See our Bhubaneswar travel guide for the rest of the city.

Dolphins and winter birds on Chilika Lake

From Satapada, on the southern edge of Asia's largest brackish-water lagoon, boats go out to watch Irrawaddy dolphins and on to the sea mouth, where Chilika meets the Bay of Bengal. At Mangalajodi, on its northern fringe, villagers who once poached birds now guide visitors by country boat through the marsh. Odisha Tourism counts nearly a million migrant birds of more than 200 species on the lagoon each winter.

Craft villages: Raghurajpur and Pipili

Raghurajpur, 14 km from Puri, is a village of pattachitra painters, where you can watch pictures being made on cloth and palm leaf and buy from the artist; Gotipua dancers sometimes perform. Pipili, on the Bhubaneswar–Puri highway, sews the bright appliqué canopies and umbrellas that also dress the Rath Yatra chariots.

Crocodiles and mangroves in Bhitarkanika

Boats wind through the tidal creeks of Bhitarkanika National Park, in Kendrapara district, a Ramsar site that holds India's largest population of saltwater crocodiles, along with water monitors, spotted deer and several kinds of kingfisher.

Forest and waterfalls in Similipal

Similipal Tiger Reserve, 2,750 sq km of sal forest and plateau in Mayurbhanj, is known for its rare black tigers, and its Barehipani and Joranda falls are fullest after the monsoon.

Choosing between our tours and experiences

A tour package here is a planned trip with your own vehicle and guide. Our Puri temple tour first checks whether temple entry applies to you and how darshan currently works, then plans darshan or a guided view of the temple from outside, Grand Road, the old lanes and the beachfront, with Konark as an optional day. It suits anyone planning Puri around the temple, whether or not they can go inside. An experience is a single activity of a few hours, listed apart from the tours. All our packages in the state are on Odisha tour packages.

When to go for these

• Temples, beaches, Konark and Chilika's dolphins: October to March, Odisha Tourism's main season; October to February is cool and dry.
• Birds at Mangalajodi and Nalabana: November to February.
• Konark Festival and the sand art at Chandrabhaga: 1 to 5 December.
• Rath Yatra: the second day of the bright fortnight of Ashadha, in June or July.
• Similipal: November to June. Bhitarkanika: October to March; closed from 1 May to 31 July, while the crocodiles breed.
• March to June: heat often passes 40°C, so Odisha Tourism suggests early-morning darshan and the beach in the evening.

Planning tips

• The Jagannath Temple and the Lingaraj Temple are open to Hindus only.
• At the Jagannath Temple, footwear, leather, phones, cameras and umbrellas are not allowed inside; the temple administration runs stands for shoes and phones by the Lion's Gate.
• Plan a Rath Yatra trip well ahead: Odisha Tourism counts it among the largest religious gatherings in the world.