Indravati Tiger Reserve plans to open to tourists, but its officers now point to year-end, not 1 November

Update — 25 September 2026: the reserve’s officers give a later date

The opening date is now uncertain. On 19 September The Week reported the Field Director of Indravati Tiger Reserve, Uttam Kumar Gupta, as saying the department hopes to launch the first phase around the New Year, subject to the completion of preparations and necessary approvals. The Deputy Director, Sumedh Surwade, told the magazine: “We are hopeful to make it possible at least by the end of this year.” Neither mentioned 1 November, the date the state’s Principal Chief Conservator of Forests gave Hindustan Times on 15 September (reported below).

The Week also gives the first details of the plan: a 30-kilometre safari route in the first phase, with the main gate likely at Ullur near Bhopalpatnam and a second at Mattimarika, near the Indravati river. Booking, fees and safari timings have still not been announced. Treat any 1 November date as unconfirmed until the forest department publishes a booking system. Our report of 15 September follows unchanged.

What is planned

Chhattisgarh’s forest department is preparing to open the Indravati Tiger Reserve in Bastar to tourists on 1 November 2026. Hindustan Times reported this on 15 September and Deccan Chronicle on 16 September, both quoting the state’s Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Arun Pandey. He told HT that the department was purchasing vehicles for safari and preparing routes, and that the reserve would primarily offer two or three destinations for tourists.

It would be the first organised tourism in the reserve in about four decades. Deputy Director Sumedh Survade told HT that Left Wing Extremism had restricted forest staff’s access to around 70 per cent of the reserve. HT puts the reserve at 2,799 square kilometres. Both reports note that it is home to the endangered central Indian wild buffalo.

What has not been announced

No booking system, entry fees, safari timings, entry gates or permit rules have been announced, and neither report gives them. We have not found an official forest department notice yet. Treat 1 November as the target date announced by the department, not as a date you can book against. We will update this article when booking details are published.

What it means for travellers

If the opening goes ahead, it adds a new, little-visited tiger reserve to central India’s winter safari season, alongside the better-known parks of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Do not book travel to Bastar for a safari until the department publishes how to book and what it costs. Our India pages cover the wider region.

Sources

This report is based on the following published sources. Rules and schedules change — confirm with the issuing authority before you travel.

• Indravati Tiger Reserve to reopen to tourists after four decades from Nov 1 — Hindustan Times, 15 September 2026
• C’garh: Indravati Tiger Reserve In South Bastar To Reopen After 4 Decades On November 1 — Deccan Chronicle, 16 September 2026
• Indravati Tiger Reserve prepares to open to tourists — The Week, 19 September 2026