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Location :
Mayurbhanj
District, Orissa
Coverage Area :
2,750-sq-km
Main Attraction :
Tigers, Leopards, Elephants & Mugger Crocodiles
Best Time To Visit
: The reserve is open
to tourists from 10th November to 15th June in every season.
Accommodation
:
Arrival
Information :
-- By
Rail : Balasore
railhead is situated 56-km from Baripada and Tata railhead is 115-km from
Jashipur.
-- By Air : Bhubaneswar Airport is situated
270-km from the national park. Other airports include Baripada, 330-km and Jashipur Calcutta Airport, 320-km. Baripada is located 280-km from
Jashipur.
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By Road :
--
Nearby Excursions :
--
Nearby Cities :
Simplipal is located in the centre of Mayurbhanj district of Orissa. The Simlipal National Park, one of the earliest to come under Project Tiger. It has spread over an area of 2,750 sq
kms. It was declared as one of the nine tiger project reserves in the country in 1973. It was declared a sanctury in 1979.
Flora and Fauna :
This sprawling ecosystem, thanks to the mega conservation
efforts, has close to a 100 tigers. Other mammalian species like leopards,
sambhars, langurs, deer, gaur (Indian bison), elephants, antelopes, chitals,
chevrotains, wild dog, wild boar, sloth bears, monkeys, hyenas and porcupines
are also found here. There are around 230 species of birds in these forests. The
ones officially recorded include the red jungle fowl, hill myna, peafowl,
alexandrine parakeet, crested serpent eagle, gray hornbill, Indian pied
hornbill, Malabar pied hornbill and Indian trogon. Most of these bird species
may be spotted in the park. s Newana area. There is a sizable population of
reptiles as well, which include snakes and turtles. The population of crocodiles
has increased considerably since the inception of the Mugger Management Program.
Simlipal National Park is a floral treasure as well. It has close to 501 species
of plants belonging to 102 families. Eighty-two species of orchids have already
been identified here along with the omnipresent sal trees. Innumerable medicinal
and aromatic plants are found as well that are a source of earnings for the
local tribal population.
The beauty of the park brings the person into the state of hypnotic sleep. It is
a god gift to this sanctuary. It would take several days to go around the park.
The glory of the park is increased by the water falls, tribal settlements and
mountain peaks.
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