Chilika Lake

I visited Chilika Lake, the largest brackish water lagoon in India, in 2016. I took a taxi from Puri (important pilgrimage site and popular beach resort) to Satapada. There, you can find a harbour with several tourist boats offering tours on the lake.

Chilika Lake is not a national park, so you should not expect unspoiled nature. The part of the lake I visited was extensively used for fishing. On my tour, I saw only a few birds, but midday in April is for sure not the best time of year for bird watching. However, there were some dolphins (Chilika Lake is home to a population of Irrawaddy dolphins). Unfortunately, it was an unpleasant experience as the tourist boats were chasing and surrounding the animals.

My tour was supposed to make stops at two or three islands (one of them with a temple). The first stop was at a small island that was covered with garbage. There, people tried to sell me overpriced pearls (a common scam). My boatman then “forgot” about the other stops. I was not too bothered by this and happy to return to Satapada after about two hours. Perhaps nowadays the situation has improved, but I cannot recommend my boat trip.

And to be honest, Chilika Lake may be an important wetland, but I do not see the outstanding universal value justifying a World Heritage nomination.