One can venture out on a boat for dolphin-spotting, or swim in the sea and sunbathe on a sandy beach, or trek up the hills where temperatures are almost hill station-like.

For all this, you don’t have to go very far, only up to Orissa, about 70 kms 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, one gets to see the best of both the worlds. The sandy shore is lined with casuarina trees and dotted with crabs scurrying around or poking their heads out of holes in the soil.

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 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 during the rainy season. It covers an area of 11,000 sq km, which, during the other seasons, turns brackish owing to the water entering it from the Bay of Bengal. This is an intriguing incentive to go there during the rainy season.

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.

While walking through forested hills towards the verdant beach, jelly fish and sea shells awaits one on the shore. The ocean remains 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.