Amended order to keep the park closed …..

Due to the NTCA guidelines, the Forest Department has amended the order to open the park.Chief Wildlife Warden Arindam Tomar has issued an amendment order under which Ranthambore National Park will not be opened for tourists from 1 June 2020.

Order to open the park from June 1 ……

The jungle safari is going to resume from June 1 after a gap of two months in Ranthambore National Park. Ranthambhore National Park was closed to tourists during the peak season on 18 March to prevent the spread of coronaviruses.

The government has officially announced opening of National Parks / Sanctuaries / Zoological Parks / Biological Parks / Safaris for tourism from 1 June 2020. Administration has been instructed by the Forest Department to reopen Sariska Tiger Reserve, Jhalana Forest Reserve, Ranthambore National Park, Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary and others.

On Saturday, in the wake of preparations for the reopening of Ranthambore Tiger Reserve to tourists, department officials held a meeting with representatives of the drivers and guides of Ranthambore National Park, where the new rules were discussed.

A senior forest officer at Ranthambore National Park said in the meeting that all jungle safari tourist vehicles would be stopped for sanitizing before and after the park tour as a precaution due to infection with coronavirus. Sanitizer will also be arranged for tourists. 

As per the initial standard operating procedure (SOP) submitted to the government, Safari vehicles of 50% capacity will be operated in the park. Wearing masks will also be mandatory for the drivers, guides and tourists. Online booking of Jungle Safari will also be started soon. An official source has said that plans have been initiated to reduce safari rates for tourists although no concrete decision has been taken on this. Booking of tickets for Ranthambore Jungle Safari will be online to the maximum extent.

People associated with the tourism business have breathed a sigh of relief from the decision to reopen Ranthambore National Park to tourists from 1 June. After the cancellation of most of the hotel bookings at Ranthambore, the tourism industry in Ranthambore has already suffered heavy losses due to coronavirus in the past. 

Ranthambore National Park is open for tourists from 1 October to 30 June for jungle safari and November to March is the best time to visit Ranthambore. The month of March was the peak tourist season for wildlife when the park was closed due to coronavirus. Hopefully, this decision will help the Ranthambore tourism industry recover soon.