Assam’s Orang National Park to reopen from Sept 30

The Orang National Park (ONP) in the Darrang and Sonitpur districts of Assam will reopen for tourists on Thursday after remaining closed for several months due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the monsoon, an official said.

All COVID-19 protocols and safety guidelines will be followed for the visitors, ONP Divisional Forest Officer Pradipta Baruah said in a notice.

Only a portion of the safari route inside the park will be opened for tourists at present due to the poor condition of roads owing to the recent flood, the DFO said.

“The remaining part of the route will be opened after repairing the roads and it will be notified in due course,” he added.

The national park is located 32 km from Tezpur and 140 km from Guwahati.

It is known for wild animals like Royal Bengal Tiger, Indian Rhinos, and wild elephants.

All wildlife parks and sanctuaries in Assam are closed for tourists during the monsoon.

This time, the parks were shut before the normal schedule because of the outbreak of the second wave of the COVID-19.