Tampara Lake is a 300-hectare freshwater lake on the right bank of the Rushikulya River, a few kilometres from Chatrapur town. The lake is surrounded by casuarina plantations and open wetland that attracts migratory waterbirds in winter — egrets, kingfishers, painted storks, and occasionally greater flamingos pass through. A small tourist complex on the bank has boats for hire.
The setting is peaceful in a way that much of coastal Odisha is not. Fishermen work the water early in the morning in narrow dugout canoes, and the birdwatching is best at dawn and dusk. It makes for a good half-day excursion from Chatrapur town.