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Whistling through the reeds

SANGEETA BAROOAH PISHAROTY suggests that vacationers with a limited budget can try out Kaziranga National Park, this season

PHOTOS: SANGEETA BAROOAH PISHAROTY

VISTAS A view of the Bonani Lodge,

The number of domestic tourists has 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 clearly responsible for it. But, the disinclination among the tourists to look at the region as a holiday destination is also to be blamed. The oft-heard reason is the fear of militancy. But so far, not a single case of militants causing harm to tourists has been reported.

Fresh from my visit to the region, I feel that here you can enjoy Nature at its sprawling best and also have an affordable vacation. Besides, the people here are warm.

North East is for vacationers for whom time is not a constraint, maybe funds are. For those hard on time, if they could spare three days, North East won't let them down. The best place for them to visit 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. Or else, take a 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 with 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 and 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 reach Kaziranga. Before setting off from Delhi, we booked ourselves in the state-government-owned Bonani Lodge inside the park at an off-season rate of Rs.280 for a spacious double room. Besides a regular flow of foreign tourists and wildlife enthusiasts, September is the time that local tourists, and budget travellers from West Bengal pour in, timing their vacation with the annual Durga Puja holidays.

Eager to begin the Nature trail, we settled for a jeep safari at Rs.1,100 for the next day. The driver came sharp at 5.30 a.m. We were joined by a forest guard at the entry gate. As there were not many guards, quite a few jeeps were clubbed together "for security reasons" (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 birds. Though Kaziranga is known for hollock gibbons, we failed to spot any.

In that early morning solitude, and even as the first rays 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.

Elephant ride

The road leading to the Lodge and the Unicorn Cottages

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. 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. Nature lovers, tune in your ears to listen to the rhythmic singing of jhili (an insect heard only after sunset). Or if you are keen on the local stories about Kaziranga and its rhinos, 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. Or, perhaps a trip to a nearby tea estate. If you start early, you can see the Ahom monuments in Sibsagar. If you make Guwahati a base, visit the famous Kamakhya temple, and go up to Shillong, Cherrapunji, Barapani, and even Arunachal Pradesh.

On the hindsight, keep a tube of mosquito repellent in your bag and loose cash. Most places don't accept credit cards.

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