Satapada to Janhikuda by Vessel inside Chilika Lake
Vessel runs between Satapada and Janhikuda to transport local people and their vehicles. By road Satapada is connected to Puri ( 49 KM ) and at other side Janhikuda is connected to NH 5 ( 55 KM ). This vessel reduces journey time between Berhampur ( southern Odisha ) and temple town of Puri.
It takes 40 minutes to complete one way journey. There is no seating arrangement on the deck of the vessel, usually local people seat on or inside their vehicle. There is no toilet available on this small and open ferry. While travelling from Satapada side, you can see islands on both sides and sea opening at your left side. The vessel travels in a channel marked by concrete pillars on both sides. Chilika Development Authority ( CDA) maintains this channel by dredging as water level recedes during summer season.
During festivals seasons extra rush will be there so vessel timings are not followed. There will be extra trips for the vessel in rush seasons. There is a chance of cancellation of the trip particularly in afternoon if sufficient vehicles are not there. The main purpose of this vessel is to carry vehicles ( four wheelers ) as passengers have the option of travelling by local boats along with their two wheelers which are always available.
Capacity of the Ferry
There are different capacity of Ferry available with Chilika Development Authority. Several vehicles can be loaded to the ferry. We could see nearly 10 three wheeler auto rickshaws, 10 motor bikes , two cars , three small pickup vans and one medium size truck loaded on the ferrey. All vehicles were parked close to each other to accommodate maximum number of vehicles.
After reaching Janhikuda you can travel a distance of 55 KM to reach NH 5 at Poluru Junction . The road from Janhikuda to NH 5 is well maintained two lane tar road and it passes through several villages before joining NH 5 at Poluru Junction. After reaching NH 5 you can take right ( north ) direction to reach Barakul, Khurda or Bhubaneswar. YOu can take left ( south ) to travel towards Berhmpur, Visakhapatnam .
This ferry is mostly used by locals and few tourist use this ferry. If you have plan to take your four wheeler or bus then reach the jetty in advance so you can park your vehicle on the vessel. The employees are friendly and they will do everything to guide you or park your vehicle and to take it out of the vessel after reaching other end. One ferry only runs throughout the day so it takes time to load the vehicles at both ends.
As one side ramp is used for entry and exit of the vehicle so first in last out system is followed.