This Chhattisgarh Tiger Reserve Is Reopening for Safaris After 40 Years: Spot Tigers & Rare Otters

For nearly 40 years, wildlife lovers could visit tiger reserves across India, but organised safaris at Indravati in Chhattisgarh remained out of reach.

The reason was not a lack of wildlife. It was the danger of travelling through the forest.

Located in Bastar’s Bijapur district, Indravati was declared a tiger reserve in 1983. But as Maoist insurgency and armed conflict affected the region, travelling through large parts of the forest became risky. Even forest officials struggled to reach certain areas for patrolling and wildlife monitoring.

With safety a major concern, organised tourism remained suspended for nearly four decades.

Now, that is beginning to change.

As security conditions improve, the Chhattisgarh forest department is preparing to welcome tourists again, with 1 November 2026 announced as the target reopening date.

For visitors, it could mean the chance to finally explore a forest that has remained largely outside India’s wildlife tourism circuit. But what makes Indravati worth discovering after all these years?

What has remained hidden from tourists for 40 years?

Spread across 2,799 sq km, Indravati is one of Central India’s largest tiger reserves.

Its forests shelter tigers, leopards, sloth bears, gaurs, wild dogs and deer. It is also an important habitat for the endangered wild water buffalo, Chhattisgarh’s state animal.

According to figures presented by the forest department, the reserve has six tigers, although a fresh population assessment is underway.

With security improving, forest officials are now able to patrol and study areas that were previously difficult to access. And recent research has already revealed something remarkable.

In 2025, researchers studying the Indravati River, which runs along the reserve’s boundary with Maharashtra, came across an animal that local villagers had been telling them about.

They called it neer billi, meaning ‘water cat’.

Following information shared by local communities, researchers surveyed stretches of the river. One February morning, they spotted 10 smooth-coated otters feeding on fish.

When the animals noticed the researchers, one raised an alarm and the group quickly slipped into the water.

The discovery provided the first photographic evidence of these otters in the reserve in roughly 25 years.

Smooth-coated otters are classified as Vulnerable, and their presence offers encouraging clues about the river’s ecosystem. However, researchers also found evidence of hunting and snares, highlighting the need to protect these animals and their habitat.

With tourism now being planned, protecting this wildlife becomes even more important.

How will safaris return without putting wildlife at risk?

The forest department is starting small.

Instead of opening the entire reserve, officials are preparing two or three safari destinations. Vehicles are being procured, while proposed routes are undergoing wildlife and security assessments.

The number of tourists and vehicles allowed inside will also be restricted according to how much disturbance the forest can safely handle.

Some areas may remain closed to visitors.

The reopening could also bring new opportunities for families living around Indravati. Officials are exploring ways to involve local people as guides, drivers and hospitality providers, along with possibilities for homestays and selling locally made products.

For communities that have lived alongside these forests for generations, tourism could become another source of income, provided these plans translate into opportunities on the ground.

After nearly 40 years, Indravati is preparing to welcome a new kind of visitor.

And while spotting a tiger or a rare otter may be exciting, the real success of this reopening will lie in something bigger: ensuring local families benefit while the animals continue to have a safe home, long after the first safari vehicles arrive.

Sources:

Indravati Tiger Reserve-National Tiger Conservation Authority:Project Tiger

‘Chhattisgarh Indravati Tiger Reserve Reopens To Tourists After 40 Years’: By Vaishnavi Dixit, Published On 24 September 2026

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