Treks Near Bhubaneswar: Chandaka Forest Walks, Mahendragiri and Deomali, Odisha's Highest Peak

Trekking near Bhubaneswar: forest on the doorstep, mountains in the south

Bhubaneswar sits about 45 m above sea level, so the hikes near the city are low: rocky hills with caves and stupas, and the rolling forest of the Chandaka-Dampara sanctuary on its western edge. Odisha's real mountains are in the Eastern Ghats of the south, where Mahendragiri in Gajapati district and Deomali in Koraput district rise above 1,500 m. Plan short walks for weekday mornings and keep the peaks for long weekends.

Which of these suits you depends on how fit you are today, not on how far you can drive. A rough guide:

• New to walking uphill: start with the Khandagiri and Udayagiri loop on a weekday morning. If you can do it twice without stopping, you're ready for more.
• Comfortable with an hour's brisk walk: join the Chandaka Nature Walk, which the organisers say needs only basic fitness, and add Dhauli at sunrise.
• Able to climb stairs for 15 minutes non-stop: plan Mahendragiri, where the 5 km of track from Burakhat pass is a sustained climb on loose stone.
• Training for the Himalaya: use Deomali and Mahendragiri as checkpoints, and do most of your preparation at home, because no hill near Bhubaneswar is long enough on its own.

Chandaka-Dampara: Bhubaneswar's forest trek, with elephants

The Chandaka-Dampara Wildlife Sanctuary is the nearest real forest to Bhubaneswar and the first answer to anyone searching for hikes near Bhubaneswar. It covers 175.79 km² of rolling tableland and small hillocks across Khordha and Cuttack districts, and was declared an elephant reserve in December 1982. Elephants are its flagship species, alongside chital, sloth bear, wild boar and langur, and the Kumarkhunti reservoir draws migratory ducks in winter. Deras dam lies inside the reserve.

The easiest way in is the Chandaka Nature Walk, run by the Bhubaneswar Development Authority with the Forest Department's Eco Tour programme. It starts every Sunday at 6:30 AM from Godibari gate, and the organisers say a basic level of fitness is enough. For a full day, Odisha Tourism sells a Chandaka (Deras) day trip from Panthanivas in Bhubaneswar or Cuttack: an open-jeep safari from Deras to Godibari, lunch, then a short jungle trek or cycle ride, back by 5:30 PM. It was listed at ₹11,700 for up to six people plus 5% GST, with no refund on cancellation (checked October 2026).

Khandagiri, Udayagiri and Dhauli: hill hikes inside Bhubaneswar

For a climb before work, Bhubaneswar has two historic hills. Udayagiri and Khandagiri are a pair of adjacent hills about 3 km from the city with 33 rock-cut caves, 18 on Udayagiri and 15 on Khandagiri, most carved in the 2nd or 1st century BCE under King Kharavela. The Hathigumpha inscription is here. Paths and steps wind between the caves, so a loop of both hills makes a steady hour of up and down with the city laid out below.

Dhauli, about 8 km south of Bhubaneswar on the Daya river, is widely believed to be the site of the Kalinga War that turned Ashoka to Buddhism. Its Major Rock Edict has an elephant carved above it, and the white Shanti Stupa on top was built in 1972 by Japanese and Kalinga Buddhist sanghas. The climb is short, so ride or run out at dawn and walk to the top, which turns a sightseeing stop into a proper session.

Mahendragiri: Odisha's sacred mountain in Gajapati

Mahendragiri, in Gajapati district, is a 1,501 m summit of the Eastern Ghats and one of the highest mountains in Odisha. Legend says the Pandavas lived here in exile, and the top holds temples named after Bhima, Kunti and Yudhishthira, described by Odisha Lifestyle as among the oldest surviving temples of the Kalinga school. A Parashurama temple stands at the foot in Tumba village. The mountain was declared a Biodiversity Heritage Site in 2022, with more than 1,300 plant species recorded, and it is busiest at Maha Shivaratri.

Mahendragiri is approached from Brahmapur. Odisha Lifestyle gives the road from Brahmapur to Paralakhemundi as 115 km via Ichchhapuram and Palasa, or 126 km via Jarada. The base is Burakhat pass, and the final stretch to the top is about 5 km of rough track: park at Burakhat and walk it, or hire one of the few vehicles that ferry pilgrims up. That walk, uphill on loose stone at 1,000 m and more, is the trek. There's an eco resort and nature camps for a night's stay.

Deomali: hiking Odisha's highest peak from Koraput

Deomali, in the Chandragiri-Pottangi subrange of the Eastern Ghats, is Odisha's highest peak at about 1,672 m, the figure given by Incredible India and most other sources; the Koraput district site gives a different number. It rises near Barabandha village in the Kotia panchayat, about 70 km from Koraput town via Semiliguda. The state tourism department has connected it with tar roads and built a hilltop amenities centre, drinking water points and watchtowers, so you can drive most of the way and hike the final scramble to the top.

Deomali is a long-weekend trip from Bhubaneswar. Koraput has its own railway station, and the nearest major airport is Visakhapatnam. Around the peak are forests, brooks, deep valleys and waterfalls, and the villages belong to the Kandha, Paraja, Bhumia and other tribal communities, so ask before photographing people. Trekking, mountaineering and hang-gliding are listed as activities. Mornings are cold at this height in winter, so pack a warm layer even if you leave Bhubaneswar in a T-shirt.

Best time for trekking near Bhubaneswar: November to February

Bhubaneswar has a long monsoon and a hot spring, which leaves a short trekking season. These are IMD normals for 1991–2020 at Biju Patnaik International Airport; the record high is 46.7 °C, set on 5 June 2012. The southern hills are cooler than the city, but the same seasons apply.

An eight-week training plan for Mahendragiri and Deomali

Both southern peaks reward strong legs: a rough uphill track at Mahendragiri and a steep scramble on Deomali's summit, each followed by a descent that punishes weak quads. The city's own hills are too short to prepare you on their own, so build strength at home and use Khandagiri and Dhauli as weekly tests. For the general approach, read our national guide on how to prepare for a trek.

Bhubaneswar trekker's checklist

• Book through official channels: the BDA nature walk and Odisha Tourism trips for Chandaka; check road and weather conditions locally for Mahendragiri and Deomali.
• Start early: on the trail by 6:30 AM from March to June, when the city's average highs reach 36–38 °C.
• Water: 2 litres for the city hills, 3 litres or more for the southern peaks, where shops are few.
• Layers: a light jacket for Deomali's and Mahendragiri's winter mornings.
• Respect: temples on Mahendragiri and Khandagiri, and the tribal villages around Deomali.

Between trips, Personal Home Training in Bhubaneswar builds the same strength with a coach on live video in your own room, and Personal Gym Training in Bhubaneswar does it at your gym in Chandrasekharpur or Nayapalli. If you'd rather ride than walk, see our guide to cycling in Bhubaneswar; for fuel on long days, see healthy food in Bhubaneswar. Check your starting point with the BMI calculator, and find everything else on online personal training in Bhubaneswar.