Bhubaneshwar to Nagpur: Temples, Tribal Villages and Tiger Safari

Lingaraj temple (non-Hindus are not allowed to enter inside the main temple sanctum). Also excursion to visit Khandgiri, Udayagiri Jain caves and Dhauli Rock Edicts. Evening enjoy Dhauli light & sound show at Dhauli (Closed on Monday).

While on the way, you can witness an array of smaller hills covered with luscious Sal forests and visit some of the Oriya villages. The view along with the surroundings will surely amaze you! Arrive Baliguda, check-in at hotel. Rest time free and easy to relax.

This tribe is one of the oldest and largest tribes of Orissa. Once known for their ‘human sacrificing rituals’, the kutia Khond are now known for their lively traditions and colourful cultures. The reason the women tattooed their faces was to make them appear ugly to men from other tribes. These identifying marks ensure they will recognize each other in the spirit world. The women are readily identifiable by their geometric facial tattoos that on close observation bear striking similarity to tiger's whiskers. Also observe the lifestyle of the tribal people of the region. They are humble, generous and all through their lives, they stay dependant on the nature for food and other amenities for livelihood. While spending time amidst the Kutia Khond people, learn some of the ‘Kui’ language; language spoken by this tribe, and enjoy a picnic-lunch in the village.

Rest time free and easy to relax.

dh’ tribe in Chatikona (must be Wednesday). Highly ornamented Dongria Kondh and Desia Kondh villagers from the nearby hills bring many products to sell. The Dongaria Kondh tribe are one of the fascinating tribes in these locales, who still follows animism and worships the Mother Nature. This tribe lives in the higher slopes of the Niyamagiri Hills.

In the museum, you can find variety of tribal culture and many objects of tribe people such as utensils, tools and clothes, as well as some paintings. Some of these things are on sale. There is the exhibition of the whole Jagannath Puri Temple including all the interiors, the sculptures and most important – the gods. At the back of the temple, there is a series of statues of Jagannath in his various costumes.

re to visit the weekly marketplace of the Bonda tribe (must be Thursday). Bonda women loves to ornate themselves with silver bands across their neck, strings of colourful beads on their torsos, bangles on their arms and apply castor oils on their hairs. Alcohol is an important ingredient in their social event. It is an extreme delight to be with this tribe!

On the first look, the Gadaba tribe might appear similar to the Bonda tribe, but they are not. Some differences in the lifestyles of Gadaba tribe differentiates them form the Bondas. Women in this tribe are keen lovers of colorful attires and also love to decorate themselves with various types of traditional jewelry.

Explore the biggest tribal marketplace Kunduli and get astounded by the ‘Sana Paroja’ and ‘Mali’ tribes of Orissa. They broadly divided into two sections such as Bada Paroja & Sana Paroja. Men usually wear lion cloths, napkins and women wear coarse and cheap sarees. Children up to 3-4 years of age go naked. You can also get souvenirs and mementos from the marketplace.

of 32 steps, also known as ‘Batrisa Simhasana’ which is believed to be built by the great Vikramaditya. The village is also flanked by some small streams. Towards the northern end of this village, one can find two massive boulders. One of them contains beautiful sculptures and the other has an elephant engraved in it. A little further in the same direction lies the shrine of Lord Sarveswar which too has some inscriptions engraved in it. Seeing these sculptures and inscriptions one can visualize the glorious past of this village.

Spread over an area of approximately 200 square kilometres consisting mainly of hilly terrain, the park derives its name from the Kanger River, which flows throughout its length.

Major wildlife of the Kanger Valley National Park are tigers, leopards, mouse deer, wild cat, chital, sambar, barking deer, jackals, langurs, rhesus macaque, sloth bear, flying squirrel, wild boar, striped hyena, rabbits, pythons, cobra, crocodiles, monitor lizards and snakes. The avian fauna at the park includes hill myna, spotted owlet, red jungle fowl, racket-tailed drongos, peacocks, parrots, steppe eagles, red spurfowl, phakta, bhura teeter, tree pie and heron among many others. The flora in the park consists chiefly of mixed moist deciduous type of forests with predominance of sal, teak and bamboo trees. In fact, the Kanger Valley is the only region in the Peninsular India where one of the last pockets of virgin and untouched forests are still left.

Later visit some of the local Bison – Horn Maria tribe, renowned for their spectacular ceremonials dancing. You will be entertained by a performance of the tribal people, before returning to your hotel.

e different tribal groups of Chhattisgarh.

da, where all tribal groups gather from South Bastar. Also visit Chitrakote waterfall the Niagara-like horseshoe waterfall created by Indravati River nearby.

Situated by the river Doodh and surrounded by dense jungles and extraordinary tribal cultures. It is more of a heritage jewel famed for its unique traditions and a rich tribal history. There are exotic craftworks and artistic handicrafts which are essentially a part of this place’s unique talented artisans.

Visit Gadiya Mountain, a heritage city which dates back to the times when Dharma Dev who is a renowned Kandra King, triumphed over Kanker. He announced this mountain as his main territory as well as the capital. There is a secretive and mysterious cave to this place which was used as a hiding place for the king of Kanker and his family. Moreover, a tank is found here which never gets short of water and has its parts named on the two daughters of the ruler Dharma Dev.

Rest time free and easy to relax and personal activities.

Lunch, dinner and overnight at resort.

Tadoba north range, Kolsa south range, and Morhurli range, which is sandwiched in between the first two. There are two lakes and one river in the park, which gets filled every monsoon, the ‘Tadoba Lake,’ ‘Kolsa Lake,’ and ‘Tadoba River.’ These lakes and rivers provide vital ingredients needed to sustain the park’s life.

Some of the famous and wildly seen flora of this park include, Teak, Ain, Bija, Dhauda, Hald, Salai, Semal, Tendu, Beheda, Hirda, Karaya gum, Mahua Madhuca, Arjun, Bamboo, Bheria, Black Plum, and many others. Apart from this the list of animals noted in this part include, Tigers, Indian leopards, Sloth bears, Gaur, Nilgai, Dhole, Striped Hyena, Small Indian Civet, Jungle Cats, Sambar, Spotted Deer, Barking Deer, Chital, Marsh Crocodile, Indian Python, Indian Cobra, Grey-headed Fish Eagle, Crested Serpent Eagle, Peacock, Jewel Beetles, Wolf Spiders, etc.

Morning game drive gypsy safari in the tiger reserve. After lunch drive to Nagpur airport to board flight for onward destination.