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SANCTUARY SPOTLIGHT
Kaziranga National Park
Kaziranga was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. That's how important the home of the one horned rhinoceros is. Once believe to have been found across the Himalayan foothills, the Indian rhino is found today only in a handful of sanctuaries across the country.
Declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1940, the Kaziranga National Park boasts of the largest population of one-horned rhinos. Its dense forests have not only protected these mammals which are poached for their horns, but also has become a safe haven for other animals. As early as in 1908, Kaziranga was declared a reserve forest and hunting was banned here.
The vegetation consists of tall elephant grass, marshland and dense tropical forests. The best way to check out the wildlife is by taking a elephant safari which begins at dawn. Herds of wild elephants migrate between Kaziranga, Darrang and the Mikir Hills. Kaziranga is also a good place for bird lovers. Lakes inside the park are home to nearly 5,000 birds, the most important being cranes and flamingos.
Plans are afoot to extend the park up to the Brahmaputra to the north and part of the Mikir hills to the south. There is a tourist centre at the Bonani Tourist Lodge at the entrance of the park where visitors can register.
Also visit: Majuli, the largest river island in the world, and Jorhat, the tea capital of the world.
Area: 430 sq.km. in Assam
Best time to visit: November to April. The park remains closed from mid-April to mid-October.
The Brahmaputra bursts its banks during the monsoon, and floods the low-lying grasslands forcing the animals to migrate.
Mammals: Rhinoceros, tiger, elephant, hyena, Indian deer, sambar, nilgai, chinkara, chowsingha, long-tailed langur, swamp deer, hog deer, sloth bear, leopard, jungle cat, hog, badger and crocodile.
Birds: Oriental honey buzzard, black-shouldered kite, black kite, brahminy kite, pallas's fishing eagle, white tailed eagle, grey-headed fishing eagle, hoolock gibbon, hornbill, adjutant stork, ibis, cormorant, egret, heron, Himalayan griffon and a many other migratory birds visit in winter including greylag geese, bar-headed geese, ruddy shelduck, gadwall, duck, red-crested pochard and northern shoveller.
How to get there: Guwahati by road. One can also take a boat ride down the Brahmaputra.
Road: Bokakhat (23 km). The main gate lies at Kohora on the NH 37Assam. Buses ply regularly from Guwahati, Jorhat, Tezpur and Upper Assam.
Rail: Furkating (75 km)
Air: Guwahati (239 km) or at Jorhat (96 km)
Where to stay: At accommodations provided by the ITDC or the Forest Department.
Contact: The Joint Director of Tourism, Kaziranga, P.O. Kaziranga National Park, District Jorhat, Assam, ph: 037626 52444
Director, Kaziranga National Park, PO Bokakhat, District Golaghat, Assam, ph: 3776 68095
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