Planning a trip to India and looking for something truly unique? Read my guide to Odisha, one of the most incredible tribal regions in the country.
Odisha is one of the most intense and underrated regions in India for travel photography. It is not an easy place to travel to, and it will require long drives, but if you are interested in documenting tribal life, weekly markets, and rural India that still feels raw and unfiltered, this is one of the best places you can visit.
This itinerary focuses on southern Odisha, moving from the coast into the tribal districts around Rayagada, Jeypore, and Baliguda. It is designed around weekly markets, early mornings, and slow travel, with photography as the main priority rather than sightseeing.
Why Visit Odisha for Photography
Southern Odisha offers something that is becoming rare in India. Tribal markets, villages where people are still living in a traditional way, and landscapes that quietly frame daily life.
You should visit Odisha if:
- You are interested in documentary and street photography
- You want to photograph tribal communities in real settings, not performances
- You are comfortable with basic accommodation and long drives
- You prefer slow observation over ticking landmarks off a list
This is not a destination for everyone, and it’s probably an ideal itinerary if it’s your second or third visit to India.
Best Time to Visit Odisha
As I explained in my previous articles, the best period for this itinerary is November to February. During these months, temperatures are nice, especially in tribal areas, and roads are generally in better condition.
From March, it gets very hot, and the summer heat makes long market days exhausting. Monsoon season can make some roads unreliable and markets less predictable. I truly don’t recommend coming at any other time of year.
How to Visit and Move Around
There’s no right or wrong way to explore Odhisa. I chose Visakhapatnam as my starting point because it has an airport and it was easily reachable from the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, my previous stop. From here, you move inland towards Rayagada and Jeypore, but many people arrive in Bhubaneswar first and slowly move south: both itineraries work.
For this itinerary, self-driving is not recommended unless you have experience driving in rural India. I strongly suggest arranging a car with a driver, someone who is familiar with tribal market schedules. If you need recommendations for a local travel agency specialising in this part of India, send me a DM on Instagram. They can recommend the best day to start the trip based on the local markets’ weekly schedules. This is something you should really consider if you decide to visit this beautiful area. Another thing to consider is that most accommodations are not available on Booking or Trip but only on local Indian platforms.
Detailed Photography Itinerary
This is the itinerary that I followed. This might not be the exact same route you want to follow, but it will give you some inspiration for planning your trip in Odisha.
Visakhapatnam to Rayagada
This is the first travel day of the itinerary, and it is longer than it looks on the map. I suggest leaving Visakhapatnam early in the morning, ideally after an overnight stay close to the airport or the railway station. Once you leave the coast, the scenery slowly changes.
The road climbs inland through greener areas and small settlements, and you start to see fewer urban signs and more rural life. From a photography point of view, tea stalls, roadside villages, and people going about their daily routines often offer better images than any planned stop.
Rayagada itself is not an interesting town, but that said, it’s the base for exploring tribal areas in southern Odisha. It’s quite a long drive from Visakhapatnam, especially if you stop from time to time, and it will likely take most of the day.
Rayagada to Chatikona to Jeypore
This is one of the most important days of the entire itinerary, and also one of the most intense. You can leave early in the morning and head to the Chatikona weekly market, which is one of the most interesting tribal markets in southern Odisha. The market is commonly held on Wednesday, but market days can occasionally change due to local festivals or events, so be sure to reconfirm the day with your driver or local contacts the evening before. This market is known for the presence of the Dongria Kondh and other tribal communities.
The Dongria Kondh are deeply connected to the forest around them. Their life revolves around farming, gathering from the forest, and worshipping Niyam Raja, the hill deity. The hills are sacred, and their traditions strictly protect the land: trees aren’t cut, and mining is forbidden. They gained global attention when they successfully resisted bauxite mining to defend their ancestral land. Even today, they keep their rituals, clothing, and festivals alive, offering a rare glimpse into a way of life that has barely changed over time.
Once the market starts winding down, continue the drive towards Jeypore. The road passes through hilly and forested areas, and while this stretch is not about dramatic viewpoints, it offers quieter photographic opportunities. Small villages, roadside houses, and layered landscapes can work well, especially if the light remains soft.
While visiting the small villages along the route, you’ll notice that each one specialises in producing something different: some weave bamboo baskets, some make pottery, and others simply raise buffaloes and chickens. Some of the villages worth visiting are called Mali and Minapai.
Jeypore is a good base rather than a destination. The town is busy and chaotic, but its location makes it ideal for visiting several important markets in the region.
Jeypore to Onkudelli to Jeypore
This day revolves around the Onkudelli weekly market, one of the most well-known and also most sensitive tribal markets in Odisha. It is commonly held on Thursdays, but like all markets in this region, the exact day should always be confirmed locally the evening before.
The market is associated mainly with the Bonda tribe, and because of this, it mainly attracts photographers and tourists who visit off-the-beaten-path places. Leave Jeypore very early. The first hour is usually the most interesting.
The Bonda are one of India’s most isolated tribal communities. They are known for their distinctive appearance: women wear thick necklaces and traditional beadwork, and men carry simple weapons and tools. Life for the Bonda revolves around farming, hunting, and gathering in the forest, with customs and rituals preserved for generations. Their isolation has helped them maintain their language, clothing, and ceremonies, making them one of the few communities in India still living largely untouched by the modern world.
Some people are open to being photographed, others are not, and reactions can change quickly. Many women in the area are addicted to alcohol, and they can become very aggressive. I recommend talking to them and paying a few rupees to take pictures, rather than trying to take them without consent.
After the visit to the market, you can head back towards Jeypore. This is where you’ll sleep for the night before heading to Kunduli.
Jeypore to Kunduli to Rayagada
This day centers on the Kunduli weekly market, which is usually held on Fridays; as always, it is best to reconfirm locally the day before. Compared to Onkudelli, Kunduli has a calmer, more spread-out atmosphere, which makes it easier to photograph without feeling intrusive. The market is dominated by the Paraja tribe.
The Paraja are a tribal community living in the hills and forests, known for their strong connection to nature and traditional way of life. They practice subsistence farming and gather forest produce, while their rituals and festivals revolve around the seasons and the land they depend on. Their homes, usually made of mud and thatch, blend into the forest, reflecting a lifestyle that has changed very little over the years.
Also, in this case, I recommend arriving early, around sunrise if possible, to capture the market as it wakes up. Light will be softer, people will be more relaxed, and the market will be less crowded. By late morning, the atmosphere becomes busier, and it’s easy to lose the intimate moments.
After spending a few hours in Kunduli, head toward Rayagada. This drive is shorter than previous stretches, so you have time to stop for roadside photography if you spot interesting villages or landscapes.
Rayagada to Baliguda: meeting the women with face tattoos
This area is one of the most interesting from a photography perspective. Most people here belong to the Malia-Kondh ethnic group, and the women are famous for their face tattoos. Since I was a bit familiar with this custom (I photographed the last Dulong women in China with face tattoos), I thought it was gonna be quite difficult to see them: I assumed the tradition was long dead, but I was wrong. Some villages in the area have quite a few women in their 40s and 50s who still have these tattoos.
The Malia-Kondh are a tribal community known for their strong cultural identity. Among them, women are recognized for their distinctive facial tattoos, a traditional marker of belonging within the Kondh people community. These tattoos are tied to ideas of beauty, protection, and spirituality, and were often applied at a young age as a rite of passage into adulthood.
The facial tattoos of Malia-Kondh women are closely tied to identity, protection, and long-standing traditions within the Kondh people community in eastern India. There are many explanations for why this practice existed.
Some say tattoos have historically been a clear marker of belonging. Others say it was considered a form of beauty, not in a modern aesthetic sense, but as something that strengthens social identity and cultural continuity. A few more believe that tattoos protect the soul, especially after death. In some interpretations, they allow ancestors to recognize the individual in the afterlife, ensuring that her spirit is not lost.
Another explanation, often passed down through oral history, is that facial tattoos helped protect women from abduction by outsiders. By making them less conventionally attractive to invaders, the tattoos may have deterred invaders. Interestingly enough, this explanation is the most widely accepted for the Dulong women, and one of them actually told me this.
Finally, tattooing was traditionally a rite of passage. It was often done at a young age and marked the transition into adulthood. The process was painful and permanent, which reinforced its importance within the culture.
Today, the practice is rapidly disappearing. Younger generations are increasingly choosing not to get tattooed due to social change and outside influence, leaving a relatively small number of women who still carry this tradition.
Baliguda to Bhubaneswar
This is the longest driving day of the trip, taking you from the hills of Kandhamal down to the plains of Odisha. You’ll see small villages and roadside temples, and you will arrive in Bhubaneswar by afternoon or evening. The city is the cultural and architectural heart of Odisha, and it’s surprisingly interesting even for photography.
Bhubaneswar is called the “City of Temples” for a reason. Lingaraj Temple is the most famous, with intricate stone carvings that look unreal.
If you have a free evening, consider walking around the Madhusudan Park area or near the Utkal University grounds.
Final Thoughts
This Odisha trip is not for everyone. It requires waking up early in the morning, driving for many hours, and patience, but that’s what makes it special for photography. The markets and villages you will visit are real places where people live and work, and you’ll have the chance to see and meet some incredible people.
Like everywhere else in the world, even there, things are slowly changing, though at a slower pace, so I recommend visiting before this way of life inevitably ceases forever.
If you are looking for more information to arrange your first trip to India, don’t miss this travel guide to the Golden Triangle (Delhi, Jaipur, and Agra), this ten-day itinerary to northern India, and my Varanasi travel guide. Here are some more pictures I took in India and Odisha.
As always, don’t forget to get travel insurance and an eSIM before leaving home.
