The Mahanadi River fans out into the Bay of Bengal through a complex of channels, mangroves, and wetlands that surround Paradip. This delta ecosystem is rich in birdlife — kingfishers, herons, egrets, and migratory species from Central Asia winter here. The mangrove channels can be explored by boat, and local fishermen sometimes take visitors out on the river.
For more serious wildlife, the drive north to Bhitarkanika National Park is well worth making: it has the second-largest mangrove forest in India, enormous estuarine crocodiles, and one of the world's largest nesting sites for olive ridley sea turtles at Gahirmatha beach.