Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary: Odisha’s best-kept secret

Traditionally, Odisha’s tourism has been defined by its temples and beaches, located on its east coast. You begin in Bhubaneswar, the temple city; head south to Puri for the Jagannath Temple and its beach, and finally to Konark. This forms the state’s classic Puri-Konark-Bhubaneswar tourist circuit, or Golden Triangle. Chilika Lake remains a popular add-on. But head west, and the state offers something quite different.

Land at Jharsuguda Airport, in Odisha’s west near the Chhattisgarh border. Neighbouring Sambalpur is renowned for its ikat textiles, but industries define much of the surrounding landscape. Mining fuels the local economy but also pollutes the environment. Drive two hours through industrial towns, however, and the scenery begins to shift. Forested ridgelines rise above the Mahanadi, as you reach Zero Point, the entry to Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary, now being developed as an eco-tourism destination.

The newly renovated souvenir shop at Zero Point is buzzing, and so is the cafe next door. Modelled on a European castle, the shop has become a favourite backdrop for locals filming Instagram Reels. Inside, travellers browse racks of khakis for the jungle safari.

“A maximum of 53 vehicles is allowed into the sanctuary each day, based on its carrying capacity. Weekends are almost full,” says Anshu Pragyan Das, divisional forest officer, Hirakud Wildlife Division.

Starting from 2021-22, conservation efforts were undertaken, which include e-locating around 400 families from four villages that once stood inside it, leaving no human settlements. Some of the vacated land was then restored as grassland. Today, Debrigarh is home to over 800 gaur (Indian bison) as of 2026, both gaur and the four-horned antelope, or chausingha, being Schedule I species. Visitors may also spot sambar deer, wild boar and peacock, and with luck, even leopards.

It also offers activities such as trekking and bird trails.

Visitors can also take a boat ride across the Hirakud Reservoir, formed by the dam on the Mahanadi, to Bat Island. Ridgelines rise around the water, which, in turn, looks calm and clear. A few fishers’ huts stand on the island, along with a small cafe serving tea, coffee and mach bhaja, Odia-style fried fish.

For lodging, visitors can choose cottages or community-run homestays in Dhodrukusum village, at the foothills of the sanctuary. Twenty luxury tents were added recently. With no city lights nearby, stars shine bright, and the patchy mobile network only adds to the sense of being away from it all.

“Visitors are also liking the experience, which is translating into numbers,” says Das.

Rising footfall

In 2025-26, the sanctuary received 1.5 lakh visitors and earned Rs 6 crore, up from Rs 5 crore in 2024-25 and Rs 2.5-3 crore the year before.

"If we compare August-September this year with last year, footfall is up 10 times," says Das. "We are also getting foreign visitors over the past one or two months, from two or three countries. When we asked how they'd heard of us, they said Instagram Reels."

She credits eco-tourism upgrades that began last year and were completed in August. The work included refurbishing existing facilities and adding eight safari vehicles, a luxury boat, a theatre and a cafe. Notably, the Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary is also included in Centre’s Swadesh Darshan Scheme to develop sustainable tourist infrastructure.

Das credits the turnaround as much to infrastructure upgrades as community participation.

Community participation

Maithili Bhuyi (40) is no less than a star at the sanctuary. Visitors stop her for selfies. A tribal woman, resident of Dhodrokusum village, she was praised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the August 2026 episode of Mann Ki Baat for moving from forest dependence to forest conservation.

“Earlier, my family was dependent on the forest for firewood, kendu leaves, mahua flowers, bamboo shoots (karadi) and tubers,” she says. Bhuyi joined eco-tourism in 2023. And her salaried work, which gets her Rs 9,500 every month is more sustainable than being dependent on forest, she says.

Starting by working at a restaurant, she has now emerged as a community leader. She travels from village to village encouraging women to reduce their dependence on forest and forest produce and opt for sustainable livelihood options.

Community participation has grown from 50-60 villagers to 150, about 50-60 of them women, most from local tribal communities. "We tried engaging women because more of them go to the forest to collect firewood, kendu leaves and mahua," Das says.

Margaret Baro (21) joined as a safari driver in 2024. “Before that, I was at home,” she says. With deep love for driving, it seemed the right opportunity to her. She works from 6 am in the morning to 6 pm in the evening, seven days a week. “I earn Rs 13,500 every month,” she says. And what was her family’s reaction to her being a safari driver? “They were very supportive,” she says.

Back at Zero Point, the exit, the crowds are still there, taking selfies, filming Reels and sipping chai. Weekday or weekend, the sanctuary seems geared to welcome many more. What happens if the crowds keep growing is a question it has yet to answer. For now, it is content to show off its upgrade.