Luxury houseboat ‘Garuda’ sails in Barkul, Chilka lake

Bhubaneswar:  After much awaiting, ‘Garuda’, Odisha’s first luxury houseboat finally sails and sets to give tourists the best experience of Barkul, Chilka lake.

Launching the much awaited houseboat on Thursday, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said that the initiative will certainly improve the tourism profile of Chilika lake and attract national and international tourists to this state. 

“Chilika lake is a major biodiversity hotspot in the country. It is one of the jewels of our tourist sector and has the potential to transform Odisha into an attractive tourist destination. We are keen to position Odisha as an ecotourism destination of the country,” he added.

The luxury houseboat has been indigenously designed, developed, and manufactured at Barkul at an investment of over Rs 3 crore and will be operated by Vikash Eco Resorts. 

The luxury houseboat consists of two floors with two suite rooms, four premium rooms, a bar and restaurant, and an Open-Air Lobby on the upper deck for meetings/conferences.

The packages consist of overnight stay along with full board meals, activities, and cruising covering different islands in Chilika.