Baripada: Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) in Mayurbhanj district will reopen for tourists from November 1 after remaining closed since June due to the monsoon season, as per an official notification issued Thursday.
According to the notification issued by STR Field Director Prakash Chand Gogineni, a maximum of 60 vehicles with a ground clearance of at least 180 mm will be allowed inside the reserve daily. The reserve was closed to tourists on June 29.Tourists can enter the national park through the Jashipur gate between 5 am and 9 am and through the Pithabata entry point in Baripada division between 8 am and 9 am.
Visitors must leave Joranda and Barehipani waterfalls before 4 pm and exit the reserve by 6 pm on the same day. Every tourist vehicle must be accompanied by a guide while inside the park.Entry permits can be obtained through www.similipal.org. Visitors must produce valid identity proof at the entry gate and submit a written undertaking to comply with the prescribed regulations.
Any violation of the rules will be punishable by law, the notification said.Tourists can also book open-jeep wildlife safaris through www.ecotourodisha.com. The safaris will operate from Gudugudia, Pithabata check gate in Baripada, Jamuani check gate, Talabandha check gate and Barehipani. Morning safaris will begin at 5.30 am and last five hours, while evening safaris will start at 2 pm and continue for four hours.
Overnight accommodation at lodges in Kumari, Gudugudia, Talabandha, Barehipani and Jamuani can also be booked through the ecotourism website.Spread over 2,750 sq km, the tiger reserve has various plant species and 96 types of orchids.
It is also home to 42 species of mammals, 242 varieties of birds and 30 reptile categories. Besides rare melanistic tigers, Royal Bengal Tigers, leopards, Asian elephants, sambar, barking deer, gaur, jungle cat, wild boar, four-horned antelope and giant squirrels are found in it.
