Bhubaneswar, Aug. 7: This monsoon, you need not spend a bomb to visit far-off Goa or Kerala for a nice weekend getaway. Rather, you could try visiting Chandaka Dampara Wildlife Sanctuary near the capital. The trip, apart from being an economical option, would offer quality living and nature trail options.

Vehicular movement is banned inside the park and one has to walk through designated zones and the nature trails. If you are lucky, you may be able to spot wild animals on the way.

Divisional forest officer (DFO) Akshaya Patnaik said: “We get tourists throughout the year. Travelling in the monsoon is catching up with people. Those who don’t want to waste time travelling long distances are choosing this place to experience nature with friends and family. This also involves budget tour plans as the travel plan for exclusive zones even in the monsoon season is bit costly.”

Debasish Mohapatra of K7 Tours and Travels, a city-based travel consultancy, said: “Many travellers, especially students, are not aware that a good budget destination exists so close to the city. On the other hand, knowledge-based tourism, especially for youths and students are now possible with excellent facilities provided by the state government and the forest department with provision of guides and experts in the subject.”

The tourists can also observe from a distance the kunki training centre at Kumarkhunti inside Chandaka sanctuary where four elephants are undergoing training. Kunki, an Assamese term, refers to an elephant used to prevent marauding herds from destroying crops and property. Nandan, an elephant that was kept in confinement at the Nandankanan zoo after it killed its own mahut in 1997, came to the training centre on October 25, 2010. Following the training, its behaviour has undergone a distinct change. Then another elephant, Rajkumar, came from the Similipal Biosphere Reserve and, according to forest department officials, both the elephants have developed a nice bonding. Now, two more elephants from other parts of the state have joined the training.

“Kunki training centre can be compared to commando training of the police. Here, the elephants are trained to manage rogue elephants. So, this training centre is a special place for the tourists to watch,” said a forest official.

Not just wild animals, migratory birds are also sighted inside Ekamrakanan lake, which is inside an extended part of the sanctuary under the Regional Plant Research Centre (RPRC), where bird lovers can spot several species of migratory, seasonal migratory and rare birds. The lesser whistling teals are the most common and they have been coming in large numbers for the past several years.

Apart from the teals, migratory birds such as gadwal, pin tail, common pochard, common sandpiper and little stint are also sighted here in winter. Also, rare birds like pheasant-tailed jacana and common migratory birds like the river tern are seen in the winter months.

A senior forest official said: “Ekamrakanan is an extended part of the Chandaka-Dampara Wildlife Sanctuary and the water body attracts birds, most of which may have been diverted from their common route to Chilika. As the city is now is restricted to the patch of forests in the Chandaka area alone, the presence of such birds in winter inside the city speaks about the quality of environment inside Ekamrakanan.”

The DFO said the water body inside Ekamrakanan attracts more than 10,000 birds in the winter months. According to the waterfowl census conducted in other water bodies inside the reserve forest area, the RPRC campus attracts the maximum number of birds. According to the census, there were 14,293 birds last year, 8,610 in 2009, 12,927 in 2008 and 13,544 in 2007 at Ekamrakanan while the entire sanctuary counted 36,883 birds last year, 12,229 in 2009, 35,794 in 2008 and 35,615 in 2007.

Ornithologist and honorary wildlife warden of Puri district, Gahar Abedin, said: “Though the lesser whistling teal is the leading species at Ekamrakanan lake, it is also home to many other migratory birds and the entire sanctuary boasts of 68 species of birds, according to last year’s bird census.”

Chandaka is known for its elephants. To spread awareness on elephant conservation, the sanctuary has recently introduced a caller tune in collaboration with the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited.

“Of late, elephants have been coming out of the sanctuary either in search of food like paddy as wildlife experts feel that at times, food materials such as, fodder grass and foliage, become scarce in the forest due to climate change. However, more plantation of fodder species like banyan and peepal and creation of a belt of bamboo forest in Bharatpur Reserve Forest area has controlled the movement of the pachyderms to some extent. Now the new caller tune will help us in spreading a more friendly environment for the elephants,” the DFO added.

Just 20km away from Bhubaneswar, the sanctuary has ancient monuments, water bodies, picturesque small dams, bamboo huts, log houses and watch towers to see animals from close quarters. “While the 2010 census says there are 23 elephants here, we have noticed around 40 elephants during our field visits inside the sanctuary. As elephants are long-ranging animals (animals that travel long distances), there might be a change of numbers due to their movement through elephant corridors,” said a sanctuary official.

The protected area boasts of 38 species of mammals, 16 species of lizards, flap-shell turtles, mugger (marsh crocodiles), 39 species of snakes and 174 species of birds, sources said.

The sanctuary authorities are planning to release a complete documentary on the habitat that would be on display at a proposed tourist interpretation-cum-information centre at Godibari. “There will be two touch-screen monitors at the entrance where the visitors can get complete details on the park and see the documentary.

The Godibari interpretation centre would also have state-of-the art display rooms on herbal and fodder plant species, bamboos and berries of the sanctuary.

There would be information on two nature trails, an eco-theatre, lily and lotus ponds, play corner and information centre on adventure sports like trekking.