Preparations in Full Swing for Eco Retreat Festival at Bhitarkanika

Kendrapara: As Bhitarkanika is gearing up to hold the Eco Retreat festival for the first time, the preparations are in full swing to make the mega tourism event a grand successful.

The glamping festival will be organized at the Bhitarkanika National Park in Kendrapara district along with four other popular destinations in the State from December 1 to February 28 to revive the tourism affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Kendrapara administration is making all possible arrangements in order to make the festival successful by attracting a good number of tourists to the mangrove ecosystem in the district.

A preparatory meeting for the festival was held recently at collectorate involving all stakeholders under the chairmanship of Kendrapara Collector Samarth Verma.

The three-month Eco Retreat festival will bring much needed fillip for tourism sector in district in an eco friendly manner, Verma said.

The mega festival will be organized on the banks of Baitarani river at Nalitiapatia village located six km from the park.

The district administration has decided to set up luxury tents with water and electricity supply as well as parking facility. Different cultural programs, photo exhibition, screening of films on Bhitarkanika, food festival, trekking in the forest and glamping events will be organized for the tourists during the festival.

Bhitarkanika is the second Ramsar site, a wetland of international importance, in the State after Chilika. The Odisha Government’s sustained conservation measures have made the site one of the best known wildlife sanctuaries in the country. The site’s Gahirmatha beach is the largest known Olive Ridley sea turtle nesting beach in the world, with half a million nesting annually, and the site has the highest density of saltwater crocodile in the country.

Bhitarkanika is home to a great variety of wildlife including spotted deer, saltwater crocodiles, water monitors, pythons and Sambars. It also houses a large number of migratory birds in winter.

The Eco Retreat festival provides an opportunity to the tourists to connect with nature at Bhitarkanika.

Riding on the success of first edition of Marine Drive Eco Retreat at Konark a year back, Odisha Tourism has scaled it up to five unique locations – Konark, Hirakud, Bhitarkanika, Daringbadi and Satkosia this year.

The online booking for the Eco Retreat has already started.