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Travel Tip

Best time to visit:  October to March

How to reach: 
Airports: Bhubaneshwar
Railway Stations: Bhubaneshwar
Via Road: Orissa is very well connected to other parts of the country by road. One can easily get taxis and buses for traveling to the neighboring cities. The national highway in Bhubaneshwar links Orissa with Kolkata and Chennai.

Interesting Facts About Madhya Pradesh

• Odisha is very ancient & the oldest rocks (from Mayurbhanj) date back to 3 billion years (Our planet is believed to be 4.5 billion years old)
  
• Chandragupta Maurya was hesitant for 60 long years to attack Kalinga (old name of Odisha) as the Kalinga army of 60,000 managed to annihilate one lakh enemy soldiers, a quarter of the empire’s army.
• Over 62 distinct tribal groups live in Odisha, each one with its own culture and traditions different from the other
• At Puri Jagannath temple kitchen, 7 pots are kept one on top of another and cooked on firewood. In this process, the contents in the top pot get cooked first & then the bottom one.
• The Jagannath temple kitchen is reputed to be the largest kitchen in the world, with 400 cooks working around 200 hearths to feed over 10,000 people each day.images
• The Chandipur Beach is a hide and seeks beach of Odisha that appears and disappears with every high and low tide to approximately 5 km.
  
• Bhubaneswar, the capital city was the home of over 600 magnificent temples in medieval times. It is called the “temple city” of India. The only city in the world with such highest number of temples inside
• A 23-feet giant Estuarine crocodile in Odisha has been crowned the world’s largest.
  
• Odisha is popular for having 3 mass nesting beaches of rare Olive Ridley Sea Turtles including world’s largest nesting ground of Olive Ridley Sea Turtle, Lepidochelys Olivacea. Largest wetland of Asia (Chilika) now designated as a Ramsar site in Orissa.
• Puri Temple is the only Dharma (pilgrimage) in India where Folk, Shaiva, Sakta, Vaishnava cult of worship is done.

Some tips : 

• Always carry an identity proof with you.
  

• If you are an international traveller, We recommend you to get onto India's time zone before you leave your home town and try to eat and sleep on Indian time. This helps you to get adjusted fast to start enjoying your trip. India's time zone is GMT/UTC +5.30.
• Bring winter clothes along with you in winter and cotton outfit, hats, sunglasses in summer. For your safety, try to carry minimal costly ornaments.
• If you are planning on spending time at the beach, don’t forget to carry sunscreen. Even if you forget, dont worry as there are many medical stores and pharmacies where you can purchase the same.
• While travelling keep enough water with you. In summer, temparature hits 45+ degree celcious in some parts of odisha. Keep yourself hydrated with water and other juices when you are on tour. water will be available in most of the shops.
• Do carry your medicines and few tablets for fever, cold, head ache, vomiting etc. If you have the habit of vomiting during traveling, inform your driver in advance. If you get the feel for vomiting during travel ask your drive to stop the vehicle and do not vomit inside the vehicle or through the windows
• There are plenty of ATMs all over the odisha there by avoiding carrying more cash with you. In cities debit/credit cards are widely accepted. Banks are open from 10:00AM till 4:00PM.
• Entry for non-Hindus is not permitted by some temples. You have to leave the footwear outside the temple which is a strict rule in most of the temples. You may have to leave mobile, camera or any similar gadgets before entering. There are govt/private cloakrooms set up for same outside those temples.
• Avoid hugging or kissing at public places which attracts public attention, being the orthodox attitude of people around you
• Liquor consumption is permitted in odisha. But you won't find any liquor shop within 500 meters of the national and state highways. Consumption of liquor in open space or public area is prohibited. Always prefer bar/restaurant for same.
• Smoking is banned in public places in Odisha by court order and you are liable to be prosecuted if you smoke in public.
• In beaches always listen to the lifeguard and tourist police. The waves may be good for bathing and surfing, but there may be rocks underneath and they could hide a current or a sudden depression. Some beaches are not good for bath because of quicksand (chorabali).
• In cities/ towns, there won't be any issues of mobile network. But in hill stations, sactuaries & National Parks you may not get a good network connectivity. Keep smart phone with you to make your journey hasslefree with best apps.
• People of odisha are very friendly and helpful.
• If you want to drive a vehicle in odisha and you are a foreign citizen, keep your international driving licence with you. Please follow basic guidelines while driving. Safety is of prior importance and we recommend you to use seat belts while driving.
• Buses and Trains are the cheapest mode of transport in Odisha. But if you have time constraints, then hire a cab as there are no frequent buses to all tourist places.
• Avoid travelling to remote ares in night hours. It is always advised to stay the night in a good hotel or resort and continue the journey next morning.
• Hindi and English language are understood by locals. Use simple words while communicating with them.
• In most of the tourist places ticket booking is not an issue. If you are planning to travel sancturies/ national park, then collect info regarding booking process.

What to pack: 

• Cotton clothes

• Sun glasses

• Sun block

• A torch

• Woolen clothes if you are travelling during winter 

• Heavy woolen clothes & wind cheaters if visiting Himachal or Kashmir during winter

• Mineral Water

• Medication as required to get rid of Altitude sickness/ motion sickness

• Lip balms and moisturizers

• Batteries

• Wind proof jackets for Shikara rides

• Walking shoes (Shoes and jackets are available on rent)

• Umbrella