Karanjia is about 230 kilometres from Bhubaneswar and 120 kilometres from Jamshedpur. The most common approach is by bus from Baripada (about 3 hours), which is itself connected to Bhubaneswar by train. A few direct buses run from Bhubaneswar, taking around 5–6 hours.
From Karanjia, shared jeeps and private vehicles run to the Pithabata (northern) entry gate of Similipal. For the southern Jashipur entry, most visitors come from Baripada rather than Karanjia. The nearest major train stations are Baripada (on the Howrah–Puri line via Kharagpur) and Jamshedpur (well served from Kolkata). Renting a car or jeep in Baripada gives the most flexibility for covering both zones of the park.