Similipal National Park reopens for public after monsoon-break

Baripada: The Similipal National Park in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district reopened for visitors on Saturday, after remaining closed for four months due to monsoon, officials said.

This year, the park was opened early instead of the usual November 1, they said.

On the first day, 13 vehicles with 73 tourists entered the park. These tourists, 50 from Odisha and 23 from other states, were welcomed at the gates with flowers.

While 35 vehicles are allowed through the Kaliani gate in Jashipur, 25 vehicles can enter the park from Lulung in Baripada every day, officials said.

Tourists are allowed entry into the park between 6 am and 9 am, and have to leave from Barehipani and Jaranda by 3 pm and from Chahala by 4 pm, they said.

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

Similipal has been declared a plastic-free area, officials said, adding that plastic bottles, liquor, non-veg food and inflammatory items are not allowed in the park.

Self-help groups have been roped in to offer cooked food to the visitors, they said.

Spread over 2,750 sq km, Similipal is one of the largest tiger reserves in India, and home to rare melanistic tigers, leopards, elephants, sambars, barking deers, gaurs, jungle cats, wild boars, four-horned antelopes and giant squirrels, among others.

Similipal also has a wide variety of flora and fauna, striking meadows and breathtaking waterfalls.