Similipal National Park To Open On Nov 1

Baripada: After remaining closed for three and half months, the Similipal National Park in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district will be thrown open to tourists on November 1.

A notification to this effect was issued by the District Information and Public Relations (I&PR) office here on Saturday.

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 four-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, the notification 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.

Rare Melanistic tiger or black tiger has been photographed in the core area of the Special Tiger Reserve (STR) in the recent past.