[haisaikat]

A brief Introduction

T

he new year was around the corner and we were in search of a quiet destination to welcome 2023. After our last trip to Himachal in Sep-Oct, we knew securing multiple leaves may not be easy and thereby limiting our options to places that can be covered over a 3 day long weekend only.

We had been considering Satkosia in Odisha as the most desired destination for quite some time, the 14 mile (hence the name Saat Krosh becoming Satkosia) gorge of Mahanadi river is a quaint place to enjoy nature and witness gorge life. But getting an accommodation was not easy, Satkosia Sand Resort and Salkosia Hill Resort (reference from DBHPian Samba) were fully occupied for 30-31 Dec. When we were almost on the verge of dropping the idea all together, stumbled across the Satkosia Eco Retreat, an initiative of Odisha Tourism and seemed to be the perfect place we were searching for. We booked instantly and the stage was set for the year end.

One of the reason this place is a hidden secret is due to the unavailability of direct public transport to this place, hence the crowd is limited and guarantees some exclusivity especially during holiday seasons where most regular tourist destinations are on the brink of exploding with tourists.

The tour itinerary was simple as below:-

• Day 0-1 / Thursday 29th December 2022 - Start at night from Kolkata for Satkosia
• Day 1-2 / Friday 30th December - Saturday 31st December 2022 - Spend at Satkosia and tour of the place
• Day 3 / Sunday 1st January 2023 - Return to Kolkata from Satkosia

The Car: Our beloved Crysta, would be due for the 40,000 KM Service after we complete this journey

Here are some notable memories from the trip

[haisaikat]

Day 0-1: 29-30 Dec / Drive from Kolkata to Satkosia
Distance: 611 KM
Route: Kolkata -> NH-16 -> Exit near Manguli and take NH-55 (Cuttack Sambalpur highway) -> Detour at Chaudawar road -> Athagarh -> Badamba -> Badamul / Baliput -> Satkosia Eco Retreat. Road condition is great all through except some small stretches near Bhabadeipur.
Time Taken: 13.5 hours (including 2.5 hours break)

We started from our home at 11-15 pm after wrapping up daily office chores and reached Tollygunge to pickup our friend Baisakhi.


It was past midnight, witnessed some nice Park Street like christmas decoration while passing through Hazra - Kalighat area

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Kat4BL2N7M

Call it our blind faith in Google Maps, the right turn at Alipur was blocked requiring us to reroute via Khidderpore, where there were some truck jam but we still managed to get past Vidyasagar Setu before 12-30 am, took the Andul Road bypassing the traffic at Satragachi and met NH-16 near Dhulagori Roll Plaza


Driving on NH-16 was breeze as in no time we went past Kolaghat and before 230 am we crossed Kharagpur and tanked up on the highway, surprisingly there was no fog anywhere. We crossed Balasore around 4 am and Bhadrak by 5 am. At 630 am we gave an hour long (proud Bengalis as we call ourselves ) tea break at a highway stall near Jajpur. Hot coffee and sunrise on the highway is a deadly combination, we momentarily forgot the chill outside.












Merely 15 mins later, we found a COCO Pump hoping to find an early morning breakfast but to no luck of ours. Drive from Night to Morning, a timelapse.

https://youtu.be/IhRd1EAbdOE

The route had mostly dhabas selling Idli and Dosa, we were bypassing Cuttack. After knocking doors at multiple dhabas we zeroed in at a dhaba of Bhabadeipur called Revati Dhaba by 9am with a little detour and help from GMaps. They promised to serve Alu Paratha with Sabji and Omlettes


Breakfast was done in 30 mins, and we headed once again towards our destination. The Athagarh - Badamba route was beautiful with distant hills on the horizon and a great road tarmac wrapped with nature packed on either sides


















We were in the final stretches of our drive when suddenly past noon we encountered road blockade due to some peaceful protest of locals. Like other cars we also turned around and by some local guidance took a 40 mins detour to get past the protest, the alternate route was quite scenic.












Eventually by 140 pm we arrived at the Satkosia Eco Retreat . .




. . and got an excellent parking spot


Here is an edited drive footage for the last hour and above of this drive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDIqNte6Ej8

[haisaikat]

Day 1 (continued): 30 Dec / Afternoon and Evening at the resort

Sipping though the cool welcome drinks, we quickly completed the check in formalities at the reception and were briefed about the various facilities and the event timings for the next 2 days


The golf carts then took us along with our luggage to our respective tents


Tents lined up one beside the other . .


. . with a porch outside . .


. . and all modern facilities inside . .


. . and an all-wow view at the front with Mahanadi river gorge and hills in the backdrop


We freshened up and sat out in the porch enjoying the warmth of the afternoon sun along with the view




And he started what he does best, drawing up the landscape


It was almost quarter to 3 when we headed for the restaurant to break for lunch


The food quality and the unexpectedly high varieties in the buffet was a surprise, catering of Mayfair Bhubaneshwar instantly impressed us


Post lunch we headed back again for our tents




Life on the Mahanadi was beautiful


local villagers were controlling herds grazing on the grass field below, the resort is at a height from the river level during this time. We were told by the house keeping staff that this resort is operational for only 3 months a year when water levels are low




It was almost 5 pm, after some rest in the afternoon we came out hoping to get the complementary shallow water boat ride


We headed for the boating point . . .


. . . only to know that post 5pm boats do not ply and we have to wait until the next day. But the horizon post sunset was showing up some stunning colors


We headed for the archery zone and everyone of us tried our hands at it, starting with him who even found another willing guest from the resort as his guide










The beauty of the final tinge of orange, all while the pathway was lighted up was magical


The line up from tents from a distance lighted up during the blue hour looked like a necklace of pearls around the hill in the background


The resort looked beautiful lighted up in the evening




From 7-30 pm to 10-30 pm all the guests were cordially invited at the special new year cultural program hosted by the resort


A glimpse of the cultural show held

https://youtu.be/jnWigu4Y2SE

Since our little one was growing impatient we headed for dinner by 9 pm over an equally great buffet spread and they even took care of our special orders for the kid.


After dinner, a little warming up at the DJ dance floor where our kid danced out with few others, we headed back for the tents and called it a day. While we used AC during the day, during the evening and night we had to use the heaters that helped keep the tent cosy since it was cold outside.

[haisaikat]

Day 2: 31 Dec / Boating and New Year Celebration

We came out by 615 am hoping to watch the sunrise. Morning fog and haze raised the beauty of the surrounding several folds. The lights were yet to be turned off but it was an excellent sight to behold

https://youtu.be/qposWaOGQ2U

In no time, the first glimpse of the rising sun was spotted, the last sunrise of 2022, had to be special


Slowly the magic of the first rays of the sun started to cast itself all over the place








The morning Yoga session in the watch tower was just about to get started










A perfect spot to enjoy morning tea watching the sun rising gradually


We arrived at the boating point of the resort by 8 am


And for the next hour indulged in some shaky hand "adventurous" kayaking against the river current. Some of us were lucky to get an on board instructor, but rest like us had to venture alone




Kayaking on the Mahanadi river

https://youtu.be/82ga14OW6nA

Between 9 am to 10 am we completed our breakfast, again awesome buffet and got informed by reception that the complementary transfer to the Satkosia Tiger Reserve boating point would be leaving at 11 am sharp


We were ready and warmed up a bit while being seated in our porch




The complementary transfer to Tiger Reserve came right on time and dropped us in no time at the parking area in front of the entrance to the reserve forest


We walked past the watch tower but decided to give it a pass, heard early morning hour visits may provide animal sighting.


We had to climb down a few steps leading to the boating point


The boat took us through the Satkosia Gorge Sanctuary showing us some beautiful sighting of life along the Mahanadi river gorge along with nature at its best wrapping up the surrounding. Nothing much to describe, sit back and enjoy.

[haisaikat]

Day 2 (continued): 31 Dec / Boating and New Year Celebration

Continuing our boat ride, a glimpse of the wildlife in the gorge sanctuary






















Herd of small fishes were jumping in an out of water and swimming along side our boat






A short clip compilation of our boat ride

https://youtu.be/QWreM-rFJEQ

A solid 45 mins boat ride in the deep waters made our day, we got more sightings than any of our previous jungle safaris. We headed back to the ride which was a Travellers and by 1 pm arrived back at the resort and had another gala lunch. We rested in the afternoon and almost missed the sunset in the evening


Hurried towards the boating point to secure a seat in the shallow water boat ride, some really nice people there, they said we can do double the time since we missed yesterday's chance by a small margin


Some guests were found doing kayaking and paddle boating




The ambience around was beautiful with the diminishing daylight as we boarded the boat with fellow guests from the resort


After clearing up the initial shallow water manually the motor kicked in and took us around for next 30 mins


It was the most soothing boat ride we have enjoyed in recent times








It was nearing 6 pm as we disembarked from the boats and headed back to our tents


The restaurant was ready to serve the evening snacks along with tea and coffee


The drinks corner in the lawn garden was also up


We headed towards the cultural program and enjoyed the show. Apart from usual Odisi and Folk Dances today's attraction was some bone breaking Asana poses by the Yoga instructor of the resort. Finally during the DJ hour, the chefs graced the stage briefly to welcome the new year in style.


It was getting late and while the dance floor was still on we headed for the dinner, an even bigger special dinner buffet was prepared for the night and we thoroughly enjoyed it


One of the hotel staff sang beautifully inside the restaurant and it was just the icing on the cake that no one was expecting but enjoyed every bit of it.

https://youtu.be/Z-5_D1ToBpE

We took a stroll in the lawn post dinner, till the midnight hour struck to wish each other for the new year and called it a day, after all it was our last night of the trip.

[haisaikat]

Day 3-4: 1-2 Jan / Drive from Satkosia to Kolkata
Distance: 536 KM
Route: Same as onward journey
Time Taken: 14 hours (including 3.5 hours break)

Waking up at 730 am and that too on the first day of a year is ideally against my resolution, but considering the long return journey ahead of us to Kolkata, exceptions had to be made. We were hoping to have a memorable first sunrise of 2023 but clouds played spoil sport.


Yet, the surreal calmness of the place continued to entice us, for one last time.


Classical notes clubbed with morning raag reyaaz played and sang on the deck by the singer from last night enhanced the mood even further.


Caught a glimpse of a few flying beauties






Finishing up some remaining packing we headed for the breakfast, and continued to be spoilt for options yet again




Post breakfast we headed for the games area where we had done archery the day before yesterday.


For the ATV ride within the premises of the resort there was already a long queue of guests standing at the ATV station, so we ditched the idea and headed back to the tent for checking out. But suddenly the sickness our friend Baisakhi had been experiencing since the previous night increased multifold and she had to rest. Even if it was past checkout time the resort authority helped us to stay longer at no additional charge and even tried to help with available medicines


It was past noon, we finally embarked on our return journey, got some required medicines for Baishakhi from a village pharmacy after a few kilometres. Its the same village where we met with a protest during the onward journey.


Roads were decent and we were crusing fine but finding a decent place for lunch was becoming difficult, until fiddling around with GMaps led us to the outer sector of Cuttack. CDA Sector 11 had abundance of restaurants and cafe, something we could not have expected on the highway, the few KM of detour paid off


By 430 pm we resumed our return after spending more than an hour at a Biggies Burger joint over some fried chicken, burgers and mocktails.


Rest of the road continued to be wonderful, except the final few kilometres of stretch from Balasore to Kharagpur where there was road construction going on with diversions and utter frustrating bumpers on the highway


It was preplanned somewhat, our dinner halt was at the newly opened just a month old Aminia of Kolaghat. It was full but not overcrowded at 11-30 pm when we entered so finding parking or even a table for us was not a challenge


For over an hour we savored our taste buds over some piping hot Biriyani and Chaps and Kababs, for starving souls at the middle of the night it was no less than heaven


Rest of the journey was uneventful, dinner was heavy hence before it could make me sleepy rushed the rest of the way back home, with some moderate truck traffic at Dhulagori Toll and Vidyasagar Setu. Dropped Baisakhi at her home by 2 am and we reached home before 2-30 am. A beautiful trip hence came to an end with loads of memories over the past 3 days and an engaging drive of 1147 KM to sum it up. The exemplary service offered by Odisha Tourism at Eco Retreat Satkosia teaming up with Mayfair would be remembered for quite some time. Thank you for reading, hope to come back soon with another journey, until then, signing off !!

[Rehaan]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[RIKUPIKU]

As usual a great travelogue with splendid photos Saikatda . Satkosia is in my bucket list for long and would like to interact with you before I plan. Thank you.

[car-go]

Fantastic travelogue, loved reading it! Brought back memories when we went there (twice) around 12 years back. As far as I remember there was a drive thru Project Tiger reserve (was allowed to take your own vehicle) on the other side of the Mahanadi that takes you by the croc-laden shores of the river. Not sure if that is still allowed or the area exists as such.

[Samba]

What a way to welcome 2023! My memories from Satkosia got refreshed. As-usual a very detailed write-up with some beautiful pics.

Sharing a pic from the shallow water boat ride at Baliput from 2021.



During December 2022, we were contemplating to spend a weekend in Odisha. I was checking the list of all the Eco-retreat camps, & just loved all their properties. I was much tempted to book their Eco-retreat camp at the Pati-sonapur beach near Gopalpur. But then we only had a couple of days in hand, so refrained from driving that far, and we ended up spending a couple of days at the Lotus resort in Konark.

After reading this travelogue, am more than sure, that these properties do offer excellent hospitality, great food & a comfortable stay. An ideal place to spoil ourselves during a short holiday.

[haisaikat]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line

Thank you Rehaan.

Originally Posted by RIKUPIKU

Satkosia is in my bucket list for long and would like to interact with you before I plan. Thank you.

Thank you. Definitely I can help you anytime you plan. Note there are number of tent resorts along Mahanadi at Satkosia, if you plan in advance unlike us then the options will be more even during holiday season. But of you go Q4 or Q1 in the year the beautiful greenish color of the water will be seen. But then again monsoon times can should you complete different outlook with vibrant green farms and clouds on the hills.

Originally Posted by car-go

Brought back memories when we went there (twice) around 12 years back. As far as I remember there was a drive thru Project Tiger reserve (was allowed to take your own vehicle) on the other side of the Mahanadi that takes you by the croc-laden shores of the river. Not sure if that is still allowed or the area exists as such.

Thank you. Day by day more resorts / stay options are coming up in this area so the place is undergoing change for sure. While we visited the Tiger Reserve in a resort provided complementary ride which came till the entrance parking spot only, we did see a few cars entering reserve. And I think they can go till the banks close to the water although it may be areas where crocs are not there. I recall seeing DBHPian Samba taking a similar drive to the banks in his Satkosia TL on this forum.

Originally Posted by Samba

Sharing a pic from the shallow water boat ride at Baliput from 2021.

I was much tempted to book their Eco-retreat camp at the Pati-sonapur beach near Gopalpur.

Thank you Samba. While Satkosia and Bhitarkanika were on our to go lists for quite some time, your 2021 Satkosia TL hastened this visit, this place has an altogether different charm during the monsoon as evident from your visit. We were never aware of Eco Retreat before and it was a sudden discovery for us which we think paid off really well.

[Mile_Breaker]

Thanks Haisaikat for the detailed travel story ! The place and resort looks beautiful. And being not very far from Kolkata it makes a wonderful weekend destination. Will plan for it someday.

[shiv4747]

Wow. mind-blowing pictures and travelogue. added this place to my list. Many thanks for sharing this. Any suggestion on the time of the year in particular to visit this place?

Cheers
SSB

[haisaikat]

Originally Posted by Mile_Breaker

The place and resort looks beautiful. And being not very far from Kolkata it makes a wonderful weekend destination. Will plan for it someday.

Thank you Nil da, this place and the resort are very well mated, would not disappoint you. But there are lot of other resorts too and some are seasonal. November to Feb is the best time although seasonal beauty of the place is unique and varied across the year. You would enjoy the drive in your blue Hexa.

Originally Posted by shiv4747

Many thanks for sharing this. Any suggestion on the time of the year in particular to visit this place?

Thank you, This place offers different outlook across seasons and they are each beautiful in their own way, but you should avoid scorching summers. Winter is excellent like we did but checkout monsoon time ambience from the travelogue of DBHpian Samba. You will miss that green and clouds in the winter.

[ABHI_1512]

Your travelogues are always such fun to read with all those happy faces and superb pictures. Satkosia is indeed beautiful and going by what you have described about the place, it surely calls for a drive during the monsoons and the winters.

The Eco Retreat that you stayed is a wonderful initiative by the Odisha Tourism. Fun part is, they do it only in the winters for three months and it started with three places initially. Chandrabhaga Konark, Bhitarkanika and Satkosia is where it started few years back and now that has spread to many more places including Koraput and Daringbaari. What I saw in Konark and Bhitarkanika was impressive with luxurious tents and exemplary service but somehow the temporary arrangements didn’t cut much ice with me. Glad to know that you enjoyed your stay. The tie up with Mayfair seems to be the cherry on top, I am sure the foodie in you had a blast.

Keep travelling and make many more memories, thanks for the write up.

Regards.