STR to open for tourists from Oct 10

Baripada: Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) in Mayurbhanj district will reopen for tourists from October 10, an official notification said on Monday.The tiger reserve was closed for tourists from June 12 due to monsoon, an STR official said. According to the notification issued by STR Field Director Prakash Chand Gogineni, a maximum of 60 vehicles, with ground clearance of 180 mm or more, will be allowed inside the STR daily.

Tourists can visit the National Park from Kaliani entry point in Jashipur from 6 am to 12 pm and Pithabata entry point in Baripada division from 11 am to 1 pm.

It has been made mandatory for every tourist vehicle to take one guide with them while entering the park. The tourists will have to exit from the park through Kalikaprasad check gate by 6 pm, it said.If a tourist car develops any mechanical snag inside the park, the occupants of such vehicle will have to pay Rs 4,000 and avail vehicles provided by the STR.