The Port of Paradip is primarily a port for ocean-going cargo, so it is not a well-known tourist destination. However, as the port grows, more tourists have come to visit. The Mahanadi River delta mangroves support a wide range of fish, reptiles, and other wildlife, making the Port of Paradip an increasingly popular destination for eco-tourists, adventurers, and nature lovers. The Port of Paradip offers a clean beach, beautiful sea views, and abundant evergreen forests and creeks.
Located in the coastal belt, the Port of Paradip's climate is influenced by the sea. The months of April and May can be very warm and humid. Summer lasts from March through June. The rainy season is from July to September, and winter is from October to February. Temperatures range from highs of 35-40 °C (95-104 °F) during the summer to lows from 3-4 °C (37-39 °F) in winter. Monsoon season lasts from July to September, and the wettest month of the year is July. January and February are dry and comfortable.
Some 128 kilometers northwest of the Port of Paradip is the Satkosia Gorge, created by the Mahanadi River as it moved toward the Bay of Bengal. The 795 square kilometer Satkosia Gorge Sanctuary features the 22-kilometer-long gorge dividing two distinct ecological areas of moist and dry deciduous forests and moist peninsular sal forests that are home to tiger, leopard, elephant, gaur, deer, sloth bear, wild dog, many resident and migratory birds, and a many species of reptiles. Visitors enjoy boating in addition to the natural wonders of the Satkosia Gorge.
Gahirmatha Beach is about 34 kilometers northwest of the Port of Paradip on India's eastern shores. The beach divides the Bhitarkanika mangroves from the open waters of the Bay of Bengal, and it is the most important nesting beach in the world for Olive Ridley Sea Turtles. The beach lies within the Gahirmatha Marine Wildlife Sanctuary, the only marine wildlife sanctuary in the state of Orissa. The beach is also home to rare white crocodiles and a wide range of deer and migratory birds. Very near Gahirmatha Beach is the Bhitarkanika National Park, a 367 square kilometer crocodile sanctuary that has been operating since 1975. Criss-crossed by rivers and creeks, the mangrove forest supports a variety of wildlife and birds as well.
About 100 kilometers southwest of the Port of Paradip is the Hindu Jagganath Temple in the holy city of Jagganath Puri. "Jagganath" means the lord of the world, and this city is a place of pilgrimage for worshippers who come to the shrine of lord Jagannath. Each year before the monsoon season, the annual Rath Yatra festival is held here. Recently-discovered copper plates report that the temple was begun by Anantavarman Chodaganga Dev, the ruler of Kalinga, in the 11th Century. In 1174 AD, the temple was rebuilt to its current form. Surrounded by a high wall, the temple covers 37 thousand square meters and contains over 120 temples and shrines. The Jagganath Temple is a special holy place, and foreigners and non-Indian Hindus are not allowed to enter the grounds.
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