This wild life sanctuary includes areas from the four districts of Angul, Budh, Cuttack and Nayagarh. The Angul sub division comprises of the mountainous parts of the Satkosia Basipalli Sanctuary. The vegetative cover of the sanctuary consists of moist deciduous, dry deciduous and moist peninsular sal forests.
The 22 km long Satkosia Gorge has been cut by the River Mahanadi across the Eastern Ghats. The essentially undulating topography of the Satkosia Basipalli Sanctuary poses challenges and the trekkers find it very thrilling and exciting to brave it. Tikarapada which is located right in the middle of the gorge should not be missed out on by nature admirers. From here one can get absolutely lovely views of the surrounding landscape.
There is no denying that the Satkosia Basipalli Wildlife Sanctuary is indeed a very scenic sanctuary. Beautiful flowers bloom - the flaming red Genwa, the crab like red Khalsi all contribute immensely to its picturesque surrounding. And the sight of this amazing variety of flora and fauna delights all visitors.
Some of the animals that can be sighted here are Tiger, leopard, elephant, gaur, wild goat, sambar, spotted deer, mouse deer, nilgai, four-horned antelope, red panda and sloth bear. Set out for the Satkosia Basipalli Sanctuary and you will get a chance to see all these animals in their natural habitat.
Different reptiles like the gharial, mugger crocodile, fresh water turtle and poisonous and non-poisonous snakes are also to be included in the list of Fauna.
Another added attraction of the Satkosia Basipalli Wildlife Sanctuary is boating in the river. It can be visited at any time of the year. The following information may prove useful when planning a visit to the Satkosia Basipalli Sanctuary.
- Nearest Railway station is at Angul at a distance of about 60 km.
- Nearest airport is at Bhubaneshwar which is 210 km away.
- It is also well connected by roadways with Angul
If you were so long content with merely seeing animal planet on television or reading about animals in books and magazines this is your chance to witness a part of the rich wild life of the country. So do make sure that you do not miss out on it.