One of Odisha's smaller sanctuaries, it still offers visitors a perfect opportunity to see elephants, tigers, panthers, sambars, from the watch towers placed strategically near the watering holes or board a jeep. About 45-km from Sambalpur, the nearest forest rest house is at Badrama situated just 3-km away from here. A spot of an altogether different hue is Ushakothi wild life Sanctuary, 43 Kms. North-East of Sambalpur on NH.6. Stretching for more than 130 Kms., the Sanctuary harbours Elephants, Tigers, Gours, Sambars, Black Panthers, Deer, Spotted Deer, and Wild Bears etc. The two watching towers located near the saline tank inside the Sanctuary enable the visitors to catch a view of these animals. To the west of the Sanctuary lies Hirakud dam. Principally comprising of dry deciduous forest type, floral species like sal, sandalwood, arjun, neem, acacia, casuarinas are of frequent occurrence. The fauna includes, amongst others, tigers, elephants, sambar leopards and bison. Presently there are about 15 tigers and 35 elephants in the sanctuary. It is rich in avifaunal wealth and the main attraction of this sanctuary is racket tail drangos and flying squirrel. For night halts there is one two-roomed forest rest house inside the sanctuary. The reservations can be done through the Divisional Forest Officer of the same sanctuary, distict Sambalpur. The nearest town and railway station is Sambalpur and the nearest airport is at Bhubaneswar about 300 kilometers away. The best time to visit the sanctuary is between October and May.