It has been quite a few years since we had visited Chandipur. But the glitters of this wonderful beach has kept our memories alive. My wife lovingly calls it Glittering Chandipur. It is a secluded and exquisite beach of Orissa.
Nearest railway station is Balasore. From there one has to hire car or auto for Chandipur. It took around 45 minutes.
According to us the best option for stay is Pantha Nivas by O.T.D.C. It is the nearest to the sea in all of Chandipur. It is a bit costlier than the other hotels. But still you will get a sea view room in Rs. 1500/-. There is also a forest department guest house located just on the beach but it seemed deserted and not maintained. Pantha Nivas has both sea view and non sea view rooms. Only opt for sea view rooms to see the sunrise from your bed. They also have a playground with slides and swings for children.
The unique feature of this beach is the coming and leaving of the waterline. In full tide water reaches the boundaries of the beach. But during low tide water is nowhere seen. You will not be able to find water even in the horizon. It has reccessed for almost four miles. This is a phenomenal activity of the sea.
In the dawn of the morning you will see that the whole sea bed has a golden shimmer which turns into silvery glitters as the day progresses.
In the early morning you may walk until the confluence where River Buribalam met with the Sea. You will witness the activities of the fishing harbour. There is a whole-sale fish market there. A wide range of fish are being traded in huge quantity. It is quite a sight. You may also buy Prawns or Pomfrets or any other fish from here. Then you may tell any local restaurant to fry those or make a curry out of it for your lunch. It will taste delicious.
Pantha Nivas has also very good fooding option. I still remember the fine quality of their chicken stew even after all these years.
You may walk inside the sea for a couple of miles in search of the water line during low tide. Although I didn’t tried as it seemed a little risky to me. But I saw several others walking inside the sea and fading in the horizon. During high tide you can soak your knees at the best because water level is very low. So it is not quite a bathing beach.
There is a sand dune created just opposite the beach. You may climb it to get a top view of the beach.
In the evening there is nothing much to do. You will have a relaxed and leisure time with your family.