The forest rest house. Telegraph picture

Balasore, Oct. 26: Kuldhia Wildlife Sanctuary will be thrown open for tourists from November 2. It had been closed for the monsoon.

Spread over an area of 272.4sqkm, the sanctuary is home to wild animals such as leopards, elephants, deer and other threatened species such as porcupine, bison and pangolin. Pythons too are found in the sanctuary.

Since Kuldhia and Similipal are connected, the animals move back and forth between these two places via Natu, Satkosia and Hathgarh sanctuaries.

“The sanctuary area is a polythene-free zone and we will only allow the vehicles that have a pollution clearance certificate,” said Balasore divisional forest officer Harsh Bardhan Udgata.

Many people come here on day trips. But if they so desire, tourists may stay overnight at the sanctuary and there are facilities for that.

“Tourists, mainly from Bengal, want to stay overnight inside the sanctuary. We have four tents equipped with solar light facilities,” said Kuldhia range officer Rabindra Mohapatra.

“It is common to see elephant herds near the salt pits in the mornings and evenings. Other wild animals are also seen near the water tanks. Tourists need to go around 30km inside the sanctuary to see these. Motorable roads are there,” he said.

Last year, around 5,300 visitors came to the sanctuary despite Phailin as compared to 4,280 the previous year.

The department has four tented accommodations inside the sanctuary and tourists can avail the facility by booking in advance by paying Rs 400 for each night.

The entry to the sanctuary is through the Tenda beat house.

For each four-wheeler, tourists have to pay Rs 100.

The individual entry fee is Rs 20 and it is Rs 10 if there are 10 or more persons in a particular group. Entry fee is Rs 1,000 for foreigners. Additionally, visitors need to pay Rs 25 if they are carrying still cameras and Rs 50 in case of video cameras.

Guides are also available to help out visitors. Trained local youths, called eco-guides, can be hired by the tourists at a nominal charge.