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ITINERARY (Full Day)
Konark Sun Temple
Puri Sea Beach
nugget’s Advice
Prepare in advance
I would recommend purchasing a worldwide hot spot for this trip. Our international plan with Verizon was difficult to use and hot spots were hard to come by. I had thought of picking up an international hot spot before the trip and regretted that I did not buy one.
Good to know
Having a Hindi speaker in your group will be very helpful wherever you go in the state of Odisha. This part of India is far off the beaten path for western tourists. I am sure we would have figured things out in English, but our friend spoke Hindi and it made everything much easier.
Recommended day/time
Beat the heat by going in the morning. It should help beat the crowd as well.
Recommended time of the year
We went in early April and it wasn't crowded at all. It reminded me of a US national park in the West in the summer -- plenty of people, but not crowded.
About This Day
If your family loves to travel off the beaten path, a visit to Konark Sun Temple is a must when visiting India with kids. Make the coastal town of Puri your homebase, and take a day trip to this stunning historical site. We got up in the morning, had breakfast in town and grabbed 3 tuk-tuks (auto rickshaws) that took us out to Konark. Your kids will love the tuk-tuk ride. It was about an hour drive from Puri to Konark Sun Temple, but the countryside was beautiful and there were plenty of places to stop along the way. Once you get to Konark, it's hard to not be in awe of the work that took place at this temple. Every building on the site is covered in intricate carvings that have lasted more than 800 years! After visiting the temple, head back to Puri and let the kids have a few hours to play in the water before sunset.
Konark Sun Temple
Unnamed Road, Konark
$$$
The Konark Sun Temple is an 800-year-old temple that has been beautifully restored. The carvings are amazing, intricate and numerous. It will absolutely leave you in awe of the work the artisans did here hundreds of years ago. I am always drawn to these types of places and love seeing ancient architecture.
DIRECTIONS Konark is about 45 km (28 miles) from Puri. Unless you have a car, I would recommend getting a taxi or tuk-tuk (auto rickshaw).Everyone will know how to get you to the temple. We had a large group and took 3 tuk-tuks; it was about R2500 total.
TIP If you are hungry, there are vendors along the way from Puri and at Konark.
Puri Sea Beach
, Puri
FREE
After visiting the Konark Sun Temple, reward your kids with time to play in the water. But be careful, the waves are pretty high, and when we visited, we noticed a strong undercurrent that ran parallel to the beach. It tired me out, as I took kids into deeper water and everyone drifted in that direction as the day went on.
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