Sunabeda Wildlife Sanctuary

Sunabeda Wildlife Sanctuary, tucked in Nuapada’s dry deciduous plateau on the Odisha–Chhattisgarh frontier, is a sprawling 600 km² of undulating ridges, gorge‑cut valleys and seasonal waterfalls that few tourists even know exist. The real draw is the elusive tiger, which the forest department hopes to cement with a future reserve status, but sight‑ing one is a long‑shot; better bet on dhole packs prowling the Indra nullah corridor or a solitary sloth bear ambling near the Udanti River banks at dusk. The only viable base is the modest forest‑department lodge at Sunabeda Airstrip (no Wi‑Fi, but you’ll appreciate the silence), or a roadside guesthouse in Baliguda if you prefer a cracked‑air‑conditioned room. Arrive in late October to early March when the Jonk River’s dam‑fed pools are full and the canopy is still glossy, avoiding the monsoon deluge that turns the gorges into treacherous torrents. Hire a local guide from the forest office – they know the safe crossing points at Badamba and Raghunath gorges – and plan a 4‑hour trek to the waterfall at Kesharsingh, an over‑photographed spot that is worth a brief glance but not a day‑long jaunt. Skip the generic jeep safaris advertised from Bhubaneswar; they start before sunrise and end before the wildlife is awake, leaving you with overpriced snacks and a half‑filled water bottle. Instead, schedule a night‑walk on a full moon when the forest’s nocturnal chorus is audible, and you’ll hear leopards snarling far off, a reminder that this place is still very much wild, not a sanitized safari park. Two days is honest for a genuine encounter; three lets you linger at the Jonk dam’s bird‑watching hide and perhaps catch the rare Indian giant squirrel leaping between teak giants.

Source · Wikipedia · Sunabeda Wildlife Sanctuary · CC-BY-SA

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