An Off-Beat Holiday to Balasore in Odisha

When you reach Balasore Railway Station, it may appear nothing more than a dusty little town. But don’t let this fool you as Balasore has one of the most unique beaches you would have ever seen.

You can hire a rickshaw from the railway station, but mind you, bargaining is highly recommended. You can also book a taxi from your guest house or lodge for pick up and drop in Balasore. Balasore is a little coastal town, situated in the north of Orissa. In fact, when you visit Balasore, you can try and visit Chandipur at Sea, which lies in the Balasore district of Orissa. Both these places are the Indian armed forces’ testing laboratories, also known as their Integrated Test Range, for various missiles and armament testing.

What is so interesting about the beaches at Balasore and Chandipur you may ask? Well, during low tide, the water recedes more than 4 kms and you can walk on the sea bed, as if, someone tilted the globe and poured the sea from the Earth.

It was fun when we walked barefoot on the sea bed. During low tide, you will notice the locals walking through the place picking up mussels which is a delicacy in this region.

The famous Horse Shoe crab can also be found on this beach and fetches a good price. Usually, during the day, the sea goes into high tide and I was amazed to see that the very land we walked on last evening was not in sight and the waves washed up to porch.

One evening, we decided to take a trip to the town market to visit Boyanika, an initiative of the Orissa State Handloom. After a bumpy ride through the narrow roads of Balasore, we were relieved to find what we were looking for.

We reached Boyanika after more than an hour’s drive and were thrilled by the variety of Sambalpuri bed covers, Sambalpuri saris, pure cotton fabrics and hand towels to take back home.

This has been one of the most beautiful and fulfilling weekend trips that I had embarked upon during my stay in Vizag, as Balasore has been one of the most off-beat weekend locales we have ever been to.

Where to Stay:

Name of accommodation and phone nos.
1. Panthanivas, O.T.D.C – Phone: 06782 – 270051
2. Hotel Subham – 06782 – 270025
3. Hotel Chandipur- 06782 –270030
4. Hotel Anandamayee- 06782 – 270012
5. Hotel Pacific Inn- 06782 – 270083
6. Hotel Santinivas- 06782 – 270018
7. Hotel Muktangan- 06782 – 270027

Other places to see:

~ The Khirachora Gopinath Shrine in Remuna (25 kms)
~ Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary and Jagannath Temple in Nilagiri (40 kms)
~ Bhudara Chandi Shrine in Sajanagarh (45 kms)
~ The Simlipal National Park and Tiger Reserve (100 kms)
~ Waterfalls and Shakti Shrine of Deokund

How to Get There:
You can reach Chandipur from Kolkata by travelling up to Balasore by the Jan Shatabdi Express or from Vizag by the Dhanbad Alleppey Express and then taking a bus or rickshaw.

Air: The nearest airport for visiting the places of interest in Balasore district is at Bhubaneswar which is connected with Kolkata, Delhi, Hyderabad, Raipur, Nagpur and Mumbai.

Rail: Nearest rail head is at Balasore on South Eastern Railway.

Road: Chandipur is 16 kms. Bus services are available from Balasore to Chandipur.