The mud cottage with five-room facility inside the scenic Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary are more popular than other accommodation options at the landmark tourism destination.

The facility at Makulakocha has emerged as a favourite stay option for the tourists, especially those from Bengal, who are visiting the 192sqkm sanctuary, 30km from Jamshedpur, in hoardes to enjoy the winter amid flora and fauna.

Scores of tourists from Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhatisgarh flock the elephant hub and most prefer the mud cottage built by the state forest department at an estimated cost of Rs 7 lakh.

An employee with the Dalma range office in Mango said people are going crazy for the mud cottage and most prefer the facility at the time of booking.

Tourists look for other accommodations — plush AC and non-AC cottages at Makulakocha, forest guest house at the entrance, and staff quarters at Pinderbera — only when the mud cottage is full.

Dalma range officer (west) Dinesh Chandra said the craze for the mud cottage could be gauged from the fact that it has already been booked till February.

“Visitors enjoy the quaint comfort in the lap of nature. The facility has become a favourite for tourists,” he added.

The five-room facility with attached toilets, ceiling fans, bed, mattress and blankets is built on a plot owned by a Makulakocha resident Shambhu Nath Singh. A committee of villagers runs the facility and the earnings is shared among the villagers. The tariff of mud cottage is Rs 600 per night, including Rs 100 for maintenance.

Village youths act as night guards at the facility.

“It was a very nice experience. We found ourselves in a comfort zone and food was excellent. Villagers cook food – both non-vegetarian and vegetarian. We enjoyed the winter night to the hilt,” said Baikunt Pandey, a Sakchi resident.