Adventure tourism attracts the mind! Want to trek to Sandakphu or Falut to see Kanchenjunga, Mt Everest, Lhotse and Makalu Peaks in freezing weather during Puja holidays! But from now on, it will not be possible to go without money. Know, this time you have to spend the money and get permission. That means tourists will have to pay a travel pass from now on.
Singalila National Park reopened on September 15 after a monsoon closure. After that the forest department decided to levy the fee. Incidentally, earlier the state government had temporarily suspended collection of fees in reserved forest areas. It's back on. Tourists going to Sandak Phu and Phalut naturally have to pay the fee again from now on. It is learned that Indian tourists will have to pay Tk 200 per head and foreign tourists will have to pay Tk 500 per head for traveling to Sandakphu and Phalut. Besides, a separate fee of Tk 480 per vehicle per day will be levied.
Down the Sandakphu route, ie from Manebhanjan to Tumling or Tonglu, tourists are charged a fee of Tk 20 per head. But the issue of entry fee or fee is nothing new. Earlier, the state government had temporarily suspended collection of tourist fees in reserved forests. Recently, the high-level committee has been working on a new system of tourist fees for protected areas. As an interim measure, the forest department has introduced that. Singalila National Park opened on 15 September. The decision was taken after that.
Known for Sandakphu trekking and Land Rover routes, Singalila National Park is thronged by adventure-loving tourists during October-December. Officials of tourism organizations think that the crowd will be more this time. However, according to some of them, the re-introduction of the entrance fee may increase the overall cost of the trip to Sandak Phu. Because, there is the cost of travel, overnight stay, food and other services. According to Singalila Land Rover Association, October is the peak season for trekking and travel in Sandakphu and Singalila National Parks. Thousands of tourists and trekkers visited Sandakphu last year. This time the crowd will increase.