Hike in rates: Jungle trips to cost more from now
‘Entry to Singalila National Park, which was earlier priced at Rs 120 per person, will now cost Rs 200 per person’
Tourists visiting forests will now have to pay more as the Forest department of Bengal has hiked the conservation charges for protected areas. The department has fixed a new tariff for Protected Areas (except for the Sundarbans Tiger Reserve) whereby the cost of entry fee, safari, and guide charges have been increased.
The forests will open for tourists after a gap of two months on September 16 and the new tariff will come into effect from that day onwards.
Rajendra Zakhar, Chief Forest Officer of Wildlife, North Bengal while talking to Millennium Post, said: “The costs have increased slightly as the maintenance costs have increased. Price of elephant food and the cost of mahouts has increased. Ancillary costs have also gone up due to which we were compelled to go in for a hike.”
As per an order of the Directorate of Forests, Government of West Bengal, entry to Singalila National Park, which was earlier priced at Rs 120 per person, will now cost Rs 200 per person. The same fee is applicable for Neora Valley National Park, Gorumara National Park, Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary, Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary.
Entry fee for Buxa Tiger Reserve and Mahananda Sanctuary will be Rs 150 per person now. The Forest department will charge Rs 50 per person to enter the Tiger Hill of Senchal Wildlife Sanctuary in Darjeeling and Rs 150 per person for other areas in this Sanctuary excluding Tiger Hill.
Rs 120 per person will be charged to enter the Raiganj Sanctuary and Rs 100 per person for entering Bethuadahari, Bibhutibhushan, Ballavpur, Chintamoni Kar, and Ramnabagan Wildlife Sanctuaries.
The cost of the elephant safari at Jaldapara National Park has been increased to Rs 1,000 per person from Rs 900. For Gorumara National Park, the safari cost has increased to Rs 1200 per person from Rs 1020.
Charges for guides in Gorumara, Jaldapara, Buxa Tiger Reserve, Senchal WildLife Sanctuary have increased to Rs 350 from Rs 300. Apart from this, the Forest department will charge Rs 1,200 per day if a guide is booked with a trekking group of six people in Neora Valley, Singalila and Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary.
“The price increase will definitely pinch pockets, especially for large families. However, there is not much that can be done about it as the price of everything has increased over the years. Despite a hike, we are expecting a tourist rush during the Durga Puja season,” stated Pravin Sharma, a tour operator from Siliguri.
