South Odisha & Ganjam · Eastern Coastal Plains
How to reach
By air
- Biju Patnaik International Airport, Bhubaneswar (BBI) — About 170 km north of Berhampur; the usual arrival point for the region.
- Visakhapatnam International Airport (VTZ) — About 280 km south, and the better option for the Gajapati hills and the southern coast.
By rail
- Brahmapur (BAM) — On the Howrah–Chennai coastal main line, and the busiest station between Bhubaneswar and Visakhapatnam. Almost everything on that trunk route stops here.
- Chhatrapur (CAP) — For Gopalpur, the Rushikulya mouth and the coastal beaches.
- Palasa (PSA) — The first major station south of the border, useful for the bilingual belt and for Ichchapuram.
- Naupada Junction (NWP) — The junction for the branch line up to Paralakhemundi and Gunupur — long one of the last narrow-gauge lines in eastern India and under conversion to broad gauge. It leaves the coastal plain in Telugu and arrives in the hills in Odia.
By road
NH 16, the coastal trunk road from Kolkata to Chennai, running the length of the regionThe Berhampur–Digapahandi–Taptapani–Mohana ghat road up the scarp to GajapatiBerhampur–Bhanjanagar–Phulbani, the road into the Kandhamal hillsChhatrapur–Gopalpur and the coastal link road behind the dunesThe Rambha–Balugaon lakeside road along Chilika's southern arm
By water
Gopalpur, a working minor port with a deep-water berth alongside the old anchorageChilika boats from Rambha to the islets and the outer lagoonFishing landings at Gopalpur, Aryapalli, Sonapur and the Rushikulya mouth
Getting around
Buses and shared autos radiate from Berhampur's bus stand; the coast is easy and the ghat roads are slow. Berhampur to Gopalpur is about 15 km, to the Rushikulya mouth about 35 km, and to Paralakhemundi about 100 km over the scarp. Turtle-nesting access is controlled by the forest division and is not something to arrange on arrival.
How to reach South Odisha & Ganjam by air, rail, road and water, and how to get around once there. (6)