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........

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