After remaining closed during the monsoon months, the Similipal Tiger Reserve in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district reopened for tourists on Saturday, an official notification said.
Spread over 2,759 sq km, the tiger reserve was closed from June 30, 2025, to October 17, 2025.
The prime attractions at the Similipal Tiger Reserve are rare melanistic tigers, the Royal Bengal Tiger, leopards, Asian elephants, barking deer, four-horned antelopes and giant squirrels.
It also has a variety of plant species, 96 types of orchids, 242 categories of birds and 30 reptiles, an official said.
According to the notification issued by STR Field Director Prakash Chand Gogineni earli, a maximum of 60 vehicles will be permitted inside the national park daily.
These will be distributed across the two main entry points. Maximum 35 vehicles will be allowed from Jashipur checkgate, while 25 vehicles will enter the STR through Pithabata checkgate in Baripada.
Tourists can enter the National Park from the Jashipur entry point from 5 AM to 9 AM, while the Pithabata entry point in the Baripada division allows access from 8 AM to 9 AM.
The tourists must come out of the Similipal Tiger Reserve through the exit gates by 6 PM on the same day, the notification stated.
Besides regular entry, tourists can also tour the national park via open jeep safari. The morning wildlife safari will begin at 5:30 AM and continue for 5 hours, and the evening wildlife safari will start at 2:00 PM and concludes after 4 hours.
As many as 38,483 tourists, including 12 foreigners, visited Similipal in the year 2024-25, generating a revenue of Rs 4.26 crore, according to Gogineni.
