About Kaziranga National Park in Assam :
Welcome to the land of Rhinoceros Unicornis. The great Indian one-horned rhino, more than two tons of frightening muscle and tank-like belligerence. With its armour-plating hide and its 24” long horn- which really isn’t a horn, but compressed hair- the Indian rhino once ruled the roost in the wetlands of north-east India. Hunted mercilessly, it was on the brink of extinction when conservationists awoke to its plight. The result, and a successful one at that, is Kaziranga National Park, in Assam.
Stretching over an area of 430sq km on the south bank of the Brahmaputra river, Kaziranga is one of the last refuges of the Indian rhino. A vast stretch of coarse, tall elephant grass, marshland and dense tropical forests, it has managed to survive the onslaught of poachers, urbanization and burgeoning human populations. Plans are already afoot to extend the park’s boundaries to include the Brahmaputra river to the north and a part of the Mikir hill ranges to the south.
Fairly early on- in 1908, in fact- Kaziranga was declared a reserve forest and was officially closed for shooting; at the time it could boast of only a few dozen rhinos. By 1950 the area was a wildlife sanctuary, and in 1974 it was designated a national park. Bounded by the misty blue hills of Barail and Karbi Anglong to the south, the national park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. Today it’s one of the few places in India where it’s possible to see the rhino out in the open- an awesome sight indeed. And, what’s better still, the rhino population of Kaziranga now numbers more than a thousand of the creatures. Endangered, no doubt, but protected too.
Kaziranga is home also to elephants, sloth bears, tigers, leopard cats, jungle cats, hog badgers, capped langurs, hoolock gibbons, pigs, jackals, porcupines, pythons, wild buffaloes, Indian bison, swamp deer, sambhars and hog deer. Besides these, the park has a respectable avian population, which increases considerably in the winter, when migrating birds visit the park.
The Ecosystem of Kaziranga Wildlife Sanctuary :
The Landscape
The land is quite level all over Kaziranga Wildlife sanctuary, which is mostly covered by dense and tall elephant grass. These large stretches of elephant grass are intermixed by small wetlands left behind by the receding floodwaters of the river Brahmaputra. The park, although quite flat in nature, is set against a backdrop of hills like the Mikir and Karbi Anglong.
The Flora
These picturesque wetlands have an abundant cover of water lilies, water hyacinth and lotus. The vegetation that breaks the monotony of these grasslands are large clumps of semi-evergreen forest. The Kaziranga park is mostly covered with elephant size grass, making it a perfect habitation for the one-horned rhinos.
The Fauna
Indian One-horned Rhinos (900), tigers (50), leopards (20), elephants (700), barasingha or swamp deer (700), barking deer (300), wild boar (700), para or hog deer (7000), Bison (22), Sambar (400), leopard cats, otters(300), Hoolock Gibbons, golden Langurs, Wild Buffaloes (600), Slow Loris, pygmy hog, capped langur and bears (50).
The Birds
Grey headed fishing eagle, Pallas’ fishing eagle, Crested serpent eagle, Swamp partridge, Red jungle fowl, Bengal floricab, Bar headed goose, Whistling Teal, Pelicans, Rose breasted Parakeets, Black necked Storks, Adjutant Storks, Open Billed Storks, Egrets, Herons and White wired wood ducks are among the major number of bird varieties visible in the parks.
The Reptiles
Rock Pythons and many more varieties of snakes, Monitor Lizards and Turtles are abundant in the park.
Trip within the Kaziranga National Park :
Kaziranga tourism is possible in the interiors on the back of one of two available modes of transport. The modes – Elephant and Jeep.
Elephant Rides
The first and more preferred mode is on elephant’s back. Elephant rides allow you to get up very close to the wild animals and make you feel totally one with nature due to the lack of any sound of an engine. These rides are taken out thrice in a day from Mihimukh, which is located 3 km from Kohora. There are only around 5 elephants available for touring purposes and it is definitely advisable to book your ride well in advance. These advance bookings can be made at the Bonani Lodge at Kohora.
Jeep Safaris
Jeep Safaris are also available and can be booked at the various lodges and through local operators.
Staying near Kaziranga National Park in Assam :
Most of the accommodation available at the Kaziranga park is located along the NH 37, which runs along the southern border of the park. The main locations of accommodation facilities are at Kohora and Baguri. There is a variety of accommodation types to choose from which consist of Forest rest houses, Bungalows, Lodges and Hotels. Even though the number of rooms available is good, the demand is more than the supply and it is advisable to make your bookings well in advance to avoid last minute harassment.
Best time to visit :
The best season to visit Kaziranga is the winter- approximately November to April. The weather’s hot and humid through much of the rest of the year. During the monsoons (June to September), when there’s heavy rainfall and the park is closed.
How to get there :
Air : The nearest airports are at Jorhat, 97-km and Guwahati, 217-km away from the park. Jorhat has direct flights to Kolkata.
Rail : The nearest railhead is Furkating, situated 75-km away from the park and Jorhat.
Road : The main gate for Kaziranga, at Kohora is on the National Highway. ASTC and private buses stop here on their way to and from Guwahati, Tezpur and Upper Assam; some private buses retain a seat quota for Kaziranga passengers. The 4-hour drive from Guwahati along the Bramhaputra south bank on the NH37 passes Dispur, Nowgong and Bagjan to the park entrances at Kohora and Baguri.
Location : 217-km East Of Guwahati, Assam
Coverage area : 430-sq-kms
Main attraction : Elephant Safari & One-Horned Rhino
Best time to visit : Mid-November to Early April
Accommodation : Wild Grass Lodge , Wild Grass Tented Camp