Similipal National Park to Open For Tourists From Tomorrow

Baripada: With the arrival of the season of tourists, the Similipal National Park in Mayurbhanj district will be thrown open to tourists on November 1.

The park will be opened after remaining closed for three-and-a-half months. Wildlife sanctuary authorities have made all the preparations in this regard. The entry point of the Similipal National Park is Kaliani gate, which is 14 km away from Jashipur National Highway-49. 

This year, online booking facility is available for the tourists. “We are very excited to visit Similipal National Park. We are especially interested in seeing the Barehipani waterfall there,” said Tapan Kumar Mishra, a tourist from Dhanbad.

Similipal National Park ranger, Ramakanta Majhi said, “We are opening the park on November 1. We have already finished all the preparations for the tourists. Repair work of roads has already been completed. A notification to this effect was issued by the District Information and Public Relations (I&PR) office recently. According to the notification, the tourists will be allowed to enter the park premises from Pithabata and Kalipani check gates. A maximum of 35 four-wheelers and 25 two-wheelers will be allowed to enter the park every day through Kaliani and Pithabata gates respectively. For entry into the park, the tourists have to collect the entry pass from the booking counters at Pithabata and Kaliani gates between 6 am and 9 am with an undertaking that they will abide by the rules of the
Forest Department. No tourist can stay inside the park after 4 pm, thenotification added.

The park had remained closed since June 16 this year in view of the monsoon. Spread over 2,750 sq-km, Similipal National Park is famous for its pristine beauty coupled with varied flora and fauna along with waterfalls and vast species of wild animals. The park is considered to be the largest tiger reserve in the country. The rare Melanistic tiger or black tiger has been photographed in the core area of the Special Tiger Reserve (STR) in the recent past.

Likewise, two eco-tourism spots for the tourists in Balasore district will also be opened on November 1. Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary near Nilagiri in Balasore district and Bichitrapur Mangrove Reserve near Subarnarekha river mouth will be opened for the tourists.