My friends and I planned a 4 day trip last year in December. Mainly we wanted to stay inside jungle rest house and experience jungle during night. So we searched many forest destinations, and at last we decided to go to Simlipal National Park. But we planned the four days such that we could visit Chandipur and Bhubaneswar.
First of all, I would like to give a short description about simlipal.
Simlipal National Park is a tiger reserve situated in the Mayurbhanj district of Odisha in India. Simlipal tiger reserve is an ecosystem complete with forest vegetation (mainly Sal trees), fauna and the adjoining Santhal tribal settlements. The park has a total area of 2,750 square kilometers (1,060 sq mi). The average elevation is 559.31 meters (1,835.0 ft).
Summers are very hot with temperatures around 40 °C whereas the temperature during winter months can be as low as 14 °C. The rainfall ranges from moderate to heavy. Similipal is usually open for visitors from the beginning of November till the onset of the monsoons.
| Location | North Odisha (Orissa) |
| Famous for | Tiger, Asian Elephant ,Deer, Waterfalls |
| Best Time to Visit Simlipal National Park | Mid November to Mid June only |
| By Road | 240 from Kolkata and 60 km from Balasore |
| Nearest Railway Station | Baripada , Balasore (60 km from Baripada) |
| Nearest Airports | Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Jamsedpur and Ranchi |
Lodge/Rest house at Simlipal Forest
- Sitakund Rest House
- Toshali jungle lodge
- Chahala rest house
- Nawana Forest Rest House and Dormitory
Hotels at Baripada
- Ambika Hotel
- OTDC Panthanivas-Baripada
- Swagat
- Durga hotel
- Mahapatra
DAY 1:
We started our journey from Kolkata. At 5.30 we gathered at Howrah station. We boarded Dhauli Express at 6 am.
We reached Balasore at 9.50.We wanted to visit Chandipur Beach so we hired two auto rickshaws (4 person per auto) to take us chandipur beach and back to Balasore Bus Stand cost for 400.
We reached at chandipur beach after 40 minute, the sea is so far that time, but we enjoyed a lot at beach.
After staying 2 hour, we returned to Balasore Bus stand. After completing our lunch there, we took an express luxury bus (50 rupees/person) for Baripada.Actually there are two types of bus- Normal and express bus. The fare of normal bus is cheaper but it would take more time than express bus.
Our bus took 1 hour 7 minutes to reach at Baripada at 4 pm. From there we went to AMBIKA hotel (walking distance). The hotel is Very near from bus stop. You can access a SBI ATM which was in close proximity of the hotel. It has its own dining facility and you can have different types of food there. Room conditions were good, neat and very clean.
The rest of the day we took some rest and relaxed at our room.That evening we asked the hotel manager for the arrangement of the jungle safari tomorrow. He told us that total 4200 (approx) would require for the safari and he gave us a forest permit which we needed to fill up. Everyone should carry photo id proof and passport size photo.
Day 2 :
Next day we woke up at 6 am. The morning was really cold and we had a tough time while we were getting ready. However, we packed up dry foods, fruits and paratha for lunch inside forest. As there is no fooding facility inside forest, so you have to take your food from Baripada. At 7.30 am our car (Mahindra max) came and we started our journey to Simlipal.
We first stopped at Pithabatha check post. Our driver went to office to get the permission. This is a picturesque place. A river is flowing beside the check post. We went there and clicked some snaps.
After completing their checking, we again started our journey and entered the core jungle area. The forest is covering with sal trees and small mountains, height approx 2000ft to 5000ft.We were very excited to see mountains. Although the atmosphere and texture of the area was dry, It was really a nice experience altogether.
Our first destination was Joranda Waterfalls. The Joranda Falls has a total height of 150 meters (490 ft). The water plunges over a lofty cliff in a single drop, spreading out slightly as it falls.
After that our guide took us another waterfall named Barehipani Falls. It is a two tiered waterfall. The Barehipani Falls has a total height of 399 meters (1,309 ft).It is the second highest waterfall in India.
Around 1 pm our driver stopped at watch tower near Chahala.He told us to eat our lunch there. It was an unique experience to have your lunch at a watchtower .
After finishing our lunch we reached Chahala village, amidst the Sal forest, resounded by the voice of birds, like hill myna, frequented by herbivores like Elephants, Deer.
Around 3.30 pm our driver requested to return hotel, because we had to get out from forest by 4 pm and also it would take 3 hours to reach our hotel from there. Our entry point to the forest was from pithabatha but our exit point was from Jashipur.
It was very unfortunate that we could not see any tiger as no one is allowed the tiger reserved project area. As the area of this national park is huge, the core area is much more distant from the core area. That’s why it can be difficult to have a glimpse of any wild animal. However, the experience of a car trip within a jungle was one of the unforgettable experiences in our lifetime.
This was our trip to Simlipal national park and next day we boarded a train to Bhubaneswar. We will get back to you with all the details of Bhubaneswar trip and our unique experience.
Thinking Facts 