Jamshedpur: Geography will soon be history for tourists trying to book guest houses at Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary as online booking starts from March.

So far, tourists had to personally visit Dalma range office in Mango and deposit a token sum to confirm booking. Outstation tourists sent friends, relatives to the office.

With online booking, the process will become hassle-free. High in demand during vacations, Durga Puja and winter, especially by nature enthusiasts from Calcutta, the 192sqkm wildlife sanctuary, which is also one of India's famed elephant corridors, will offer booking services on the lines of those at Palamau Tiger Reserve that started last year.

State forest department asked Dalma range office to open a bank account to be linked to a payment gateway.

"The online payment gateway is the key factor to start online bookings. Hotels have the same facility. We will start it within a month. This will boost bookings. A link will be uploaded on the state forest department website soon," said L.R. Singh, principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF), Jharkhand.

Once the link is active, tourists can book it through www.forest.jharkhand.gov.in which also has the link to www.palamutigerreserve.in.

As of now, Dalma offers a guest house with two rooms at Rs 800 per room per day in Pinderbera hilltop; four AC cottages at Rs 1,100 per cottage per day and three rooms at an old guest house for Rs 600 per room per day at Makulakocha foothills. Makulakocha cafeteria offers meals while Pinderbera tourists take grocery items to be cooked by forest staff.

R.P. Singh, range officer, Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary, said they had been asked to open bank accounts specifically for bookings. "Tourists really wanted it and kept asking on travel websites such as Tripadvisor on when we would open an online facility. It isn't possible for everybody to come and deposit token money."

The terrific combination of nominal cost and scenic ambience in the lap of nature is loved by tourists from Jharkhand, Bengal and Odisha.

Dalma fans welcomed the news. "This was sorely needed," said Sabyasachi Bose, a businessman residing in Khardah near Calcutta. "Without online bookings, visiting Dalma was tough. Now, we will also visit Dalma."