Bhitarkanika National Park

Bhitarkanika National Park is a protected mangrove ecosystem in Kendrapara district, Odisha, along the Brahmani-Baitarani delta near the Bay of Bengal. Notified as a wildlife sanctuary in 1975 and national park in 1998, it covers about 145 sq km within the larger Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary. It is notable for India's second-largest mangrove forest, dense saltwater crocodile population, rich birdlife, and proximity to Gahirmatha Beach, a major Olive Ridley turtle nesting site.

Visitors can expect boat safaris through narrow mangrove creeks and estuaries, dense mangrove forests, mudflats and islands. The park offers sightings of saltwater crocodiles, spotted deer, wild boar, monitor lizards and numerous resident and migratory birds. Facilities include forest jetties at Gupti and Khola, watch towers, interpretation centre at Dangmal, and crocodile breeding centre. Exploration is mainly by licensed boats with forest guides.

Declared as Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary in 1975 covering 672 sq km and notified as Bhitarkanika National Park in 1998 covering 145 sq km. The area was formerly the hunting ground of the Kanika princely state. It was designated a Ramsar Wetland in 2002 for its mangrove biodiversity and estuarine ecosystem.

The mangrove forests support traditional fishing and honey-collection communities around the delta. The park area includes the Dangmal area and historic Hukitola island with colonial-era structures, reflecting the region's maritime and forest-dependent cultural landscape.