Chhattisgarh’s Indravati Tiger Reserve is set to open to tourists on 1 November
The state forest department says it is buying safari vehicles and planning routes to open the Bastar reserve on 1 November, after about four decades. Booking and fees have not been announced.
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
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