The Royal Shukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve spreading over an area of 305 square kilometres has remained neglected despite of its immense possibility of becoming a popular tourist destination.

Apart from its magnificent and astonishing landscapes, the reserve is also a home to the Asia’s biggest herd of antelope. It is also a wildlife reserve with a high density of wild animals in a relatively small area.

There is an estimated 3,000 herd of antelopes in the reserve and 23 adult tigers have been identified through ‘camera tapping’ though the administration claims that there are 32 wild cats inside the Royal Shukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve.

The very peaceful and non-polluted reserve is also home to above 300 species of birds, 25 to 30 wild elephants and nine elephants owned by the reserve and five rhinoceros.

With the objective of publicising the uniqueness of the wildlife reserve, Kanchanpur DDC has established an information centre at Gaddachowki, the transit point for entrance to Nepal from India.

Tourism entrepreneurs however complain that the absence of good resorts and the expensive service charge has hindered tourism development in the region.

The number of tourists coming to visit the reserve has increased this fiscal year in comparison to the previous years but this number is very low in comparison to those visiting other wildlife reserves and national parks, says Surya Bahadur Pandey, chief of the wildlife reserve.

So far 1,300 tourists have come here on a package tour and there is a great necessity of publicity in order to increase the number, adds Pandey.

The state of law and order as well as the absence of high-class hotel and resorts for tourists in the region are said to be the main obstacles to the development of tourism in the region.

The construction of the 22 bridges along the Karnali-Attariya section of the Mechi-Mahakali highway should boost tourism in the region but the organisations concerned like Nepal Tourism Board have not give any attention towards carrying out any feasibility study or promoting tourism in this part of the country, say the locals.

Airports here open only when any member of parliament (MP) from the western region becomes the minister for tourism. Tourists willing to come here have no choice than to travel the lengthy bus drive. This too has added to the despair of tourism entrepreneurs here.

Apart from the Royal Shukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve, the Beltok Lake, the Jhilmila Lake, the Kalikich Lake and the traditional culture of the local Tharu community as well as the ‘Hudeko’ dance are additional attractions of the region.

Local people here are of the view that the local people’s representatives have also not done enough to promote tourism in the region.

A larger number of Nepali tourists go to the neighbouring Nainital, Masuri, Ranikhet, Roorkee, Bareli and Deradhun of India but the wildlife reserve that lies on the way to the entry point to India has not received any attention of the domestic tourists as well, said Surya Bahadur Pandey, protection officer of the reserve.

He also feels that development of joint package programmes with tourism entrepreneurs in India could prove fruitful in enhancing the number of tourists to the reserve.