How to get there

Take the overnight Jagannath or Puri Express from Howrah, which arrive in Puri early next morning. Take a bus from there to Satapada, about 50 km away. Rajhans Island is an 18-km boat ride across Chilika Lake from Satapada.

Where to stay

Satapada Yatri Nivas, at Rs 150 for a double room. Bookings at Utkal Bhavan (Orissa Tourism), 55 Lenin Sarani, 22443653, 22441195

An island small enough to roam in a day, bordered on one side by a lagoon and on the other by an ocean, with a forest and mountains in between.

Venture out on a boat and do some dolphin-spotting, swim in the sea and sunbathe on a sandy beach, or trek up into the hills where the temperatures are almost hill station-like.

For all this, you don’t have to go very far, only up to Orissa, about 70 km from Puri. The reason you haven’t heard of Rajhans Island is because it doesn’t figure on too many travel brochures. It remains one of the few well-kept secrets, where the birds, crabs, dolphins and other wild and waterlife roam free and unafraid and where fishing is still the main source of income.

This idyllic paradise is located where Chilika Lake and the Bay of Bengal meet, and you can get the best of both worlds. The sandy shore is lined with casuarina trees and dotted with crabs poking their heads out of holes in the soil or scurrying around.

There are hundreds of species of plant and animal life, with over 150 migratory birds from northern Asia, including Siberia and the Ural mountains, making it their home in winter. Chilika is also the second-largest lagoon in the world where Irrawaddy dolphins are sighted. There are about 100 of them. The boat-ride across the lake on the way from Satapada to Rajhans will give you a glimpse of them.

But the monsoons are a special time to visit this piece of Orissa. Chilika is the largest freshwater lake in Asia only in the rainy season. It covers an area of 11,000 sq km, which, during the other seasons, turns brackish due to the waters entering it from the Bay of Bengal. This is an intriguing incentive to go there when it’s rainy weather.

Survival Kit

• Sandals • Towels • Beach umbrellas

And the sight of the rains approaching from the bay is a spectacular sight. But if at times you feel like Robinson Crusoe — or the Swiss family Robinson if it’s a group holiday — then bargain with the boatmen and take a trip to the surrounding islands.

They have fascinating names like Honeymoon, Breakfast, Kalijayee, Garkrishnaprasad (the ruins of the palace of Rambha Raja are a must see) and Birds Island. Speedboats can also be hired for sightseeing nearby.

And if you walk through forested hills, on the other side awaits the verdant beach, where there are umpteen jelly fish and sea shells on the shore and the ocean is a cool contrast to the blazing sun.

With all the water around, not trying the prawn and lobsters at mealtimes would be an opportunity missed. All-in-all, a sight for sore eyes and solace for tired souls.