Want to be woken up by birdsong and then spy elephants at a watering hole? Hard luck.

Till August, forget getting rooms at the plush air-conditioned cottages at Makulakocha on the foothills of the scenic Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary, 24km from Mango in Jamshedpur.

Tourists from Jharkhand, Bengal and Odisha have reserved the four AC cottages for the next three months. The three non-AC rooms inside the compound hosting the cottages are also booked till then.

A source in the forest range office said all cottages and rooms at the 192sqkm elephant abode, which spans both East Singhbhum and Seraikela-Kharsawan districts, were booked from June 9 till August-end. “Visitors can look forward to a comfortable stay as right now neither electricity nor water supply is erratic,” he said.

The tariff for each cottage with washroom, refrigerator and TV, is Rs 1,100, including Rs 100 for maintenance, per night. The tariff for non-AC rooms is Rs 600 per night. A cafeteria inside the compound serves vegetarian and non-vegetarian food.

Dalma range officer R.P. Singh said they were happy with the interest that Dalma evokes among visitors.

“People have always loved these hills, its flora and fauna. And now, we do provide quality service to tourists for a comfortable stay,” he said.

Apart from the sanctuary, where one can catch the sight of elephants ambling along or monkeys swinging from branch to branch, tourists also pay a visit to the Shiva temple at the hilltop. Trackers (village youths recruited on daily wage) also act as guides for tourists. “Right now, around 80 elephants are anchored at Dalma, so tourists can expect to get really lucky,” the forester said. “But very often, some visitors simply prefer to relax inside the cottages and enjoy the food,” he smiled.

Packed rooms means many disappointed tourists. Sunil Mishra, a resident of Baridih in Jamshedpur, said he wanted two cottages by mid-June. Now I have no option but to wait,” he added.