Simlipal

It holds the world's greatest concentration of melanistic (black) tigers, a rare genetic variation documented at this scale nowhere else

Area

2,750 km²

Protection category

UICN II

Parque nacional — what the IUCN categories mean

Declared in

1980

Region

South Asia (Odisha)

Climate

Tropical, Árido / desértico, Polar / frío, Montañoso

Best time

November to March

Biosphere Reserve

Plan your visit

Best time: November to March
Area: 2,750 km²

Highlight

It holds the world's greatest concentration of melanistic (black) tigers, a rare genetic variation documented at this scale nowhere else

Declared in 1980 and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 2009, Simlipal holds the world's greatest concentration of tigers with pseudo-melanism, a rare genetic mutation that produces broad, merged stripes and leaves the affected animals looking almost entirely black — a phenomenon documented at this population scale nowhere else in the world, and one that has drawn considerable international scientific attention over the past decade.