Love Long Drives And The Coast? Sign Up For This 4-Day Jaunt To Chilka Lake

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Hit the road with this driving tour which will take you through some of the most picturesque coast-hugging roads in eastern India.

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The route will be from Kolkata to Chilka Lake via Puri, Udaygiri, and Khandagiri. The drive through the east coast of India is bound to be absolutely gorgeous. The destination – Chilka Lake – is one of those sights you have to see in India. It is supposed to be the largest salt water lake in Asia. A brackish water lagoon covering an area of over 1,100 sq km, it is spread over the Puri, Khurda and Ganjam districts.

It’s a heaven for birdwatchers – the largest wintering ground for migratory birds on the Indian sub-continent, the lagoon hosts over 160 species of birds in the peak migratory season. Birds from as far as the Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal, Aral Sea and other remote parts of Russia, Kirghiz steppes of Mongolia, Central and southeast Asia, Ladakh and Himalayas come here. These birds travel great distances; migratory birds probably follow much longer routes than the straight lines, possibly up to 12,000 km, to reach Chilika Lake!

It is the first Indian wetland of international importance to come under the UN’s Ramsar Convention.

Team WHEELS, the veterans of city-centric motoring magazine Kolkata on WHEELS leads the motoring convoys on these long drives with its pilot vehicle showing the way, and a marshal vehicle guiding the route directions and the service crew taking care of the technical snags during the drive. The folks at the mag organise driving tours through the year to promote motoring in eastern India. The idea is to explore weekend destinations through these.

Anything Else?

The tour is from October 1 to 4. For more info, you can contact the organisers on 9830370371, 9051331138, and on 033-24559200. Or email at info@kolkataonwheels.com. The fee for twin-sharing basis in AC rooms is INR 8,800 per head {all inclusive} and INR 8,000 per head {on triple-sharing basis}.