Odisha’s Similipal National Park To Reopen For Tourists From Nov 1

Baripada: The Similipal National Park in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district will be reopened for visitors from November 1 after a closure of over four months due to monsoon, reports said.

The national park was closed for visitors from June 15 with the onset of the monsoon season and now, tourists will be allowed to enter the sanctuary from two gates at Jashipur and Pithabata, according to Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) Field Director T Ashok Kumar.

A total of 35 four-wheelers will be permitted to get entry into the national park through the Jashipur checkpoint and another 25 vehicles through the Pithabata gate between 6 AM to 9 AM every day from November 1. Use of plastics inside the sanctuary has been banned.

Tourists can stay at night at cottages inside the park located at Jamuani, Ramtirtha and Kumari, he said.

Visitors are not allowed to enter the forests and hilly regions inside the sanctuary during the rainy season every year.

Spread over 2,750 square kilometre, the Similipal National Park has a variety of 1,076 plant species belonging to 102 families and 96 orchid types.

It is home to 42 species of mammals, 242 varieties of birds and 30 reptile categories, the official said. Besides rare melanistic tigers, leopards, Asian elephants, sambar, barking deer, gaur, jungle cat, wild boar, four-horned antelope and giant squirrel are seen here.