Mayurbhanj: The Similipal Tiger Reserve in the Mayurbhanj district of Odisha welcomed visitors again on Thursday after a four-month closure.
Similipal offers a rare chance to discover one of India’s most biodiverse national parks, housing Bengal tigers, elephants, leopards, and a plethora of over 200 bird species. It stands as an ideal spot for wildlife aficionados and nature admirers.
According to reports, Similipal Tiger Reserve authorities greeted tourists at the Pithabata gate in Baripada and at Kuliani in Jashipur. From 6 am to 9 am, 35 four-wheelers are permitted to enter the forest via the Kuliani gate in Jashipur, and 25 vehicles through the Pithabata Gate in Baripada.
Visitors can obtain entry permits at the booking counters located at both gates. The entry fee has been set at Rs 100 per visitor.
To maintain the cleanliness of the sanctuary, bans have been placed on plastic items, drugs, non-vegetarian food, and combustible materials. Tourists are encouraged to book in advance on the website (www.ecotourism.com) for overnight accommodations in Similipal’s guest houses.
Typically, tourist entry to the reserve forest is barred from mid-June each year due to the monsoon season disrupting road access within the sanctuary. The national park, a prominent Odisha tourist attraction, generally reopens in the first week of November.
This reopening schedule coincides with the Durga Puja holiday, allowing visitors to revel in the natural splendour of Similipal, especially when the waterfalls and streams are brimming.
Sources indicate that the sanctuary saw a decline in visitor numbers in the 2023-24 fiscal year. The national park hosted 41,346 tourists in 2022-23, but this figure fell to 25,846 in 2023-24.
