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Whistling through the reeds
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SANGEETA BAROOAH PISHAROTY suggests vacationers with a limited budget to try out Kaziranga National Park this September
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The elephant ride was even better. We could go close to the grazing rhinos, unmindful of our presence, not at all bothered by the storks who had just landed on them
PHOTOS: SANGEETA BAROOAH PISHAROTY
VISTAS A view of the Bonani Lodge, the road leading to the Lodge and the Unicorn Cottages.
Our domestic tourists have increased over the last few years but the idea of venturing into the country's North East for a vacation has still not seeped into the general mindset. The State governments are to clearly responsible for it but a bit of the blame should also rest on the general disinclination among tourists from the rest of India to look at NE as a possible holiday spot. For one reason or the other. Over the years. The oft-heard one now is the fear of militancy. But so far, not a single case of militants causing harm to tourists has come from the region.
Fresh from the experience, my ground to suggest the region for a holiday has double benefits if not more. First, to enjoy nature at its sprawling best, and to have a pocket-friendly vacation. That the locals are warm towards outsiders is a dividend. That you would know about a different India that exists here is an added bonus.
Actually, North East is for vacationers for whom time is not a constraint, maybe funds are. Still, if you can spare three days, NE won't let you down. For the hard-on-time type, the best place would be the well-connected Kaziranga National Park in Upper Assam, famous for its one-horned rhino. A little Internet surfing will fetch you a low-cost ticket to Guwahati any day. Or else, change flight to Jorhat from Kolkata and then take the one-hour road trip to Kaziranga. For rail travellers, there are many daily trains that connect Guwahati from major cities.
What we did
We flew to Guwahati and then motored down the 200 km route to Kaziranga, through hills and dales, through breathtaking views of endless paddy fields arched by hills, dotted with farmers wearing huge rimmed bamboo hats, through lush-green tea plantations, often stopping to have chai at the roadside dhabas. Because a part of the stretch is pot-holed, it took us close to four hours to touch Kaziranga from Guwahati. Before setting off from Delhi, we booked ourselves in the state-government-owned Bonani Lodge inside the park area at an off-season rate of Rs.280 for a spacious double room. Besides a regular flow of foreign tourists and wildlife enthusiasts visiting the park, September is the time that local tourists, and budget travellers from West Bengal pour in here, coinciding their vacation with the annual Durga Puja holidays.
Eager to begin the nature trail, we settled for a jeep safari at Rs.1100 for the next day. The driver came sharp at 5.30 a.m. We picked a forest guard at the entry gate. Interestingly, there seemed to be not many guards available and so quite a few jeeps were clubbed together "for security reasons" (For the fear of wild animals). On and on we went, through tall elephant grasses, over rickety wooden bridges, passing concrete watch towers, spotting wild orchids, two one-horned rhinos and the back of the third, some wild hens, many herons, storks, some deer, wild buffaloes, elephants, wild geese, a bison, and heard the unusual sounds of many a chirping bird. Though Kaziranga is known for hollock gibbons, we failed to spot any.
In that early morning solitude, and even as the first beams of the sun forced their way through a canopy of trees, even as a lonely stork with a fish in mouth found our gaze unwanted, our journey seemed worth it.
The next morning, we did the elephant safari. Easily available during season (from mid-November to early April), you have to specially ask for it at this time of the year. The elephant ride was even better. We could go close to the grazing rhinos, unmindful of our presence, just not bothered by the storks who had just landed on them.
Wild Grass and Unicorn Cottages
The rest of the day was spent poking around the area. Besides three government-owned lodges, there are now dozens of cottages available for stay just outside the park. For the high-end vacationers, the ultimate place is Wild Grass and for low-budget travellers, it is definitely Unicorn cottages. We also went a little far to try out the famous poori-aloo and boiled chilli chutney at Bokakhat town.
The quiet sunset is a heavenly view but do carry an indoor game or a book for the evenings. There is nothing to do here after sun down. For the nature lovers, do tune in your ears to listen to the rhythmic singing of jhili (an insect heard only after the sun sets). Or if you are keen on the local stories about Kaziranga and its rhinos, do meet the award-winning forest ranger of the park, Dharanidhar Boro.
Though we packed our bags after three days, those with time can take day-trips to Nambor reserve forest, Fatasil waterfalls, Garampani hotwater spring, Bagori and Negheriting temple, etc. Or, perhaps a trip to a nearby tea estate. Also, if you start early, you can see the Ahom monuments in Sibsagar. If you make Guwahati a base, then do visit the famous Kamakhya temple, and go up to Shillong, Cherrapunji, Barapani, and even Arunachal Pradesh.
On hindsight, keep a tube of mosquito repellent in your bag and loose cash handy. Most places don't except credit cards.
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