Kendrapada: After a three-month hiatus, the Bhitarkanika National Park in Odisha’s Kendrapada district will reopen for tourists from Thursday.
Visitors were barred from entering the national park from May 1 to July 31 for the mating and nesting season of saltwater crocodiles. Female reptiles lay eggs near the water bodies of the mangrove forest and guard them till the emergence of hatchlings during this period and can become more violent when disturbed by sound of mechanised boats ferrying tourists and forest officials.
“Around 114 crocodiles laid eggs this year,” assistant conservator of forests (ACF) Manas Das told the media.
He further informed that the Forest department has built a 600-metre-long skywalk/wooden canopy bridge, which is 15 metre above the ground, inside Bhitarkanika at a cost of Rs 40 lakh to provide visitors a close-up view of the forest and wildlife. “The canopy bridge has been built between the mangrove nursery ground and the spotted deer meadow within the Dangamal forest range of the park,” he said, adding that watch tower and hunting tower have been renovated.
For safety reasons, only 20 visitors will be allowed on the wooden skywalk at a time.
Tourists and visitors intending to visit Bhitarkanika can log in to the website and make bookings. There are rest houses in Dangamala, Habalikothi and Gupti.
According to reports, the Antara River Cruises will also start its services on the four main rivers of the national park—Brahmani, Baitarani, Dhamra and Patasala on the National Waterway 5, with two cabin catamarans. The services, covering, Gupti, Dangamal and Habali Kathi, will be offered from Rs 29,000 per person per night on twin sharing basis. There two itineraries on offer. The 2 nights/3 days cruise ( Amazon of the East) will be available every Thursday and Saturday and 3 nights/4 days cruise (Cruising in Bhitarkanika) every Monday, according to Antara’s website.
