Baripada: Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) in Odisha will be closed to tourists from July 1 because of monsoon, an official order said Sunday.
In a notification, STR Field Director Prakash Chand Gogineni stated that the exact date for reopening of the national park would be announced later and published in newspapers.
However, the ecotourism complex at Jamuani, Gurgudia, Kumari, Barehipani and Ramtirtha will remain open for tourists, he said.
Gogineni said in all 38,483 tourists, including 12 foreigners, visited Similipal in 2024-2025, generating a revenue of Rs 4.26 crore.
“While Rs 1.22 crore was earned from jungle safaris, Rs 2.75 crore was collected from nature camps inside the national park and Rs 29 lakh from entry permits,” he said.
Spread over 2,750 square kilometres, the reserve has a variety of plant species and 96 types of orchids. It is also home to 42 species of mammals and 242 varieties of birds.
PTI
