Chilika Lake

On India's east coast, in the districts of Puri, Khurda, and Ganjam, in the state of Odisha, near the mouth of the Daya River, which empties into the Bay of Bengal, lies a brackish water lagoon known as Chilika Lake that spans more than 1,100 km2. It is India's second-largest lake after Vembanad Lake. After the New Caledonian barrier reef, this lake is the largest brackish water lagoon in the world. It is also the largest coastal lagoon in India. It is on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is India's largest saltwater lake.

In addition to being the biggest coastal lagoon in the nation, Chilika is also the second-largest lagoon in the globe. The lake supports a variety of endangered species of animals and plants, and several migratory birds winter there. Take a dinghy right away to this lagoon if you enjoy watching birds. The best time to visit the lake to admire the magnificence of the migratory birds is actually during the winter months of November to February. Avoid the rainy season, which lasts from June through September.

During the height of migration, the lagoon is home to around 160 different bird species. Birds travel here from places like the Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal, Aral Sea, and other remote regions of Russia, as well as the Kirghiz steppes of Kazakhstan, Central and Southeast Asia, Ladakh, and the Himalayas. These birds cover a lot of ground; some of them may cover up to 12,000 kilometers to get to Chilika Lake.

Location: Odisha, India