Bhubaneswar, Aug. 20: Authorities of the Chandaka-Dampara Wildlife Sanctuary plan to procure about 10 small buses, which will ferry tourists on sightseeing tours.

"As the entry of private vehicles is banned inside the sanctuary, tourists find it difficult to visit various attractions here such as the Ambilo watch tower. They come here mostly for picnics because of the absence of vehicles," said divisional forest officer Kedar Kumar Swain.

The sanctuary, which extends over an area of 193sqkm, has a number of tourist attractions, including Deras, Jhumka, Godibari and Kumarkhunti. It also has 32 small hillocks known for sighting elephants. Besides, it is famous for a number of wild nut trees. Earlier, the authorities introduced elephant ride for the tourists. A 90-minute ride with six tourists costs Rs300.

The sanctuary authorities are planning to rope in Nandankanan zoo and Athagarh forest division to attract more tourists.

"We are planning to introduce a single tariff for these three places. These vehicles will be helpful for the tourists to visit all the three places," said a forest official.

He also said that the forest department would rope in trained guides to accompany the tourists. The sanctuary has 23 natural water bodies, including Deras and Jhumka reservoirs, which spread over nearly 10acre. Besides being the main source of water, both these reservoirs attract thousands of tourists during winter.