Baripada, Oct. 29: The Similipal wildlife sanctuary will reopen its gates to tourists from November 1 after being closed for four-and-a-half months.

Authorities of the Similipal Tiger Reserve said the sanctuary, which was closed during the rains from June 16, will open Tuesday.

"The monsoon makes travelling difficult for tourists as road communication within the region gets disrupted. Conversely, the rainy season is ideal for the breeding of wildlife," said the reserve's deputy director Ajit Satpathy.

"Besides, we also undertake projects to develop infrastructure at the sanctuary during this period," he said.

There are facilities for night stay inside the sanctuary - one at Kumari and another at Jamuani. The facility at Kumari can accommodate 12 tourists, while 18 tourists can stay the night at Jamuani.

"We have several facilities to accommodate tourists, including tents and cottages. Besides, they can stay in the dormitories as well. We can accommodate 44 tourists at different stations," said Satpathy.

The tourists are allowed entry into the sanctuary only through two authorised gates at Pithabata (Baripada) and Gudugudia (Jashipur).

Tickets to visit the sanctuary are available from the booking counters at Kaliani (Jashipur) and Pithabata between 6am and 9am.

Besides the rich flora and fauna, tourists can also enjoy beautiful waterfalls at Jaronda, Barehipani and Chahala.

Tourists visiting Jaronda and Barehipani have to leave by 3pm,while those visiting Chahala need to return by 4pm, the sanctuary authorities said.

In the event of a tourist vehicle breaking down, the department will drop the tourists at bus stops. Each vehicle charges Rs 3,000 for a tour of the sanctuary.

Further, any private vehicle of travel agencies that are found flouting guidelines inside the sanctuary will not be allowed to enter the reserve any more. All vehicles will be thoroughly checked before being allowed to enter the sanctuary, the official said.