It’s time for a holiday is what I believe in all my life, each and every day. We all look forward to a good holiday. So, if you looking for a holiday in an offbeat destination then, let me take you on a journey where you can experience Paradise. When I reached Similipal I was awestruck by the unexploited, enchanting beauty that this place had to offer.
Similipal is a tiger reserve in the Mayurbhanj district in the state of Odisha, India. Surrounded by greens of all shapes and sizes captured my heart in no time. As I took my steps inside the jungle, my phone assured me that there is no signal or connectivity. Over here people can engage in conversations, quality time with each other. Families can come here to bond a little more. Taking an escape from their busy life in the city. When I looked around I saw how peaceful and wonderful a place can be. This place not only connects with your soul but takes you on a journey with yourself. Nature has its own way to restore you. Forest therapy is what you will receive in here in abundance.
Similipal situated in the heart of Odisha, this tiger reserve is more than just a forest. It is a place where you will find yourself, or I can put it as where you will find your soul. In today’s world I was surprised to find a place there is so much peace and silence all around where there is zero connectivity with the outside world. But there is so much to learn and experience. Simlipal is the only forest which is the largest sal blearing forest. It is also home to many wild animals. barking deer, the giant squirrel is easily spotted at every bend and corner if you’re lucky enough. It is the second largest in terms of flora and fauna.
You will find more than 1300 plant species and 94 types of orchids. This place is home to more than 362 species of birds more than 62 species of reptiles and numerous species of insects.
It is not a tourist place, it is a place where you can call home, where you have to respect nature. Over here suddenly it felt like all my six sense were working loud and clear. I could hear my thoughts and breathe fresh air. The crystal clear water running down the stream somehow managed to be the mirror of my soul. It was a joyful feeling to be where I was.
In the middle of the Jungle that is this beautiful resort, the only Resort with all the amenities you can think of in such surrounding.
It is a must visit the place in Lulung I could not even imagine that a place like Aranya Nivas can be found inside the dense forest of Similipal. This place has blended in so well with the forest, that it will be hard for you to believe that it was there all this while.
Lulung Aranya Nivas is your ideal get away from the city ‘shor’ in this modern era letting you connect with mother nature. Lulung Arya Niwas takes you on a journey, truly a magical journey. If you’re wondering how to reach this place the distance from places like Kolkata, Jamshedpur and Bhubaneswar aren’t very far. Each of these places takes about 4 to 6 hours of journey in total. Trains, buses and cars are easily available for you to take the journey till Baripada, which is the main Junction. If you are coming by car the resort helps you to locate the place, if not they take down all your travel details and send trusted local auto drivers for convenient pickup. On arrival in the reception, we were also given wet towels and welcome drinks. This small gesture means a lot in the hospitality department. It does makes you feel special and wanted.
This place is a noise-free zone existing on a 14-acre land. This resort has everything that you can think of from beautiful cottages to a swimming pool. Name all that you can for you to relax and they have it organised for you in the resort. This resort has about 19 cottages divided into three different types such as – River view cottage, meadow cottage and family cottage with green lawns and much more each room has the finest and modern amenities.
I stayed in the River view Cottage and I could hear the river flowing right outside my balcony all day.
They have in house restaurant which offer cuisine like Indian, Continental and Chinese this multi-cuisine restaurant is an all-day dining AC restaurant overviewing the hill. The type of food that has been served here will leave you speechless as it will take you to a journey of food fiesta.
Different indoors and outdoors activities throughout the day is planned for you. You can opt for anything that suits your personality and taste. Some of the outdoor activities like riding a bicycle around the campus, playing games like football, volleyball, badminton, frisbee, cricket with your friends and family.
You can also climb on to the machan which is made out of bamboo, typical ethnic style; on a 30 feet height. You can just sit and enjoy the forest view. For all the fitness lover they also have an open-air gym.
For the book lovers like me, they have a library with a good collection of interesting books of different genre and DVDs about Lulung Simlipal.
This place caters to all kind of people.
For yoga and meditation, this can be one of the best locations in India. It has all you need from silence to space to the healing power of nature.
All the staff taking care of the resort are from the nearby villages they have been given proper training, knowledge and understanding to run this place as their own. Each one of them has undergone various training for months to take up the right positions in the resort. It was overwhelming to know how glad each one of them is to be employed in their hometown and giving the right opportunity to shine. So you will be greeted with a warm smile throughout the day no matter what’s the temperature is around you.
This place is all season as it has its own beauty and charm in every season. Apart from the infinity swimming pool, that remains closed from 6 p.m. in the evening. It is the only swimming pool in and around this place. Only in house guest are allowed to enjoy the benefit of it.
The resort also organised tribal dance to interact and to learn and be one with the villagers. This is surely one of the fun things that I have done in a long time. The art of tribal dance is so graceful yet so difficult but the villagers do it with such ease was a treat to watch.
They are including some more facilities in the resort such as hydro room, massage room and other adventurous sports like zip-lining, etc. This place is also surrounded by many waterfalls and dams.
There are 6 nearby must visit place around this resort such as – Bharamkund, Sita Kund, Barehipani waterfall, falling from a height of 400 mt, it is the second highest waterfall in India. More places like Dev kund, Baldhuha dam and Baripada market should be visited during your stay.
This place has also taught me how to live in peace and harmony with each other. I was taken back to see dogs and chicken playfully running in the lawn every morning the cattle and the pets stay together there is no barrier between any of them.
This place taught me to look deeper into the true meaning of life what it takes to disconnect from the world but connect with yourself, your family, your loved ones to be lost in nature to find yourself.
How often do we do this or how often do we treat ourselves with the true meaning of life?
When I say no connectivity I thought my life took a pause but the truth was I was living and not running to cope up with the city rush.
If you have been staying in and around Odisha and haven’t visited this place then you are surely missing out on something spectacular. This was my first awesome trip which was organised by http://www.webfrnz.in/itstimeforholidays/
They have great trips curated for you, for your family and friends. the best part about this trip organisers is that they offer offbeat destinations in India. They also have amazing handcrafted international packages. These packages are well planned and well thought off. So enjoy your travel, while I set for another expedition.
You can book LULUNG RESORT Aranya Nivas – http://www.simlipalforestresort.com/
Address – Mayurbhanj, Bhanjpur, Baripada, Odisha 757002, India
Telephone no – + 91 9333929670 / + 91 8480276951 + 91 8480276931 + 91 8480276737
Email id – info@simlipalforestresort.com
Explore Odisha tourism, explore Simlipal. If you haven’t yet make sure you do. It is a must visit.
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Hey! Do we have to pay extra for experiencing various activities or it’s included in the room tariff?
Hey, some of the activities are included. It depends on how many people and different rooms. Also the thinks you want to experience
Nice write up. Do they organise a safari in the core area of the jungle? And did you sight any Tigers?
Yes, they did and thankfully we did ight two tigers. We did go far nd beyond as we where all photographers.