Kaziranga National Park

Kaziranga National Park is spread over 858 sq.kms and is located in the floodplains on both sides of the Brahmaputra. Patches of mixed deciduous forests are interspersed with vast stretches of savannah grasslands, wetlands and chars of river islands formed by the shifting course of the Brahmaputra.

The park is divided into five ranges - Central (entry point at Kohora), Western (entry point at Bagori), Eastern (at Agratoli), Western-most Burha Pahar (at Ghorakati) and Northern. The first four lie on the southern side of the river while the last is on the northern bank.

A memorable way of exploring Kaziranga is on eleplant-back as these gentle creatures tread through the tall grass. The park's prized possessions, the rhinos, are usually found in good numbers grazing with deer and buffaloes.

Another option is to see the park is to take the jeep safari which is also highly recommended, as it offers the added benefit of covering a vast expanse in a relatively short span of time.

While on safari, visitors to the park are well advised not only to abide by park etiquettes but also to bear in mind its conserbation history, officially counted as the most successful conservation initiative in the sub continent in the 20th century (Kaziranga Centenary: Celebrating the Century's Greatest Success Story, 2005)

Originally established as a reserve forest in 1908, Kaziranga was declared a sanctuary in 1916 to counter extensive poaching of the rhinoceros. In 1974, the Indian Government demarcated the present area as a national park. Then, in 2007, it was declared a tiger reserve under the Central Government's Project Tiger scheme.

The Park is the abode to more than 70% of One Horned Rhinoceros in the world. Highest density of tigers' prey including the large prey biomass of tiger found in the country. Harbours more than 60% of India's wild buffalo population along with the only population of the Eastern Swamp deer and seven species of turtles and tortoises. The other important wildlife found are - Leopard, Fishing Cat, other Lesser cats, Large Indian
Civet, Small Indian Civet, Sambar, Barking deer, Hog deer, Gaur, Hog Badger, Hoolock Gibbon, Capped Langur, Assamese Macaque, Rhesus Macaque, Sloth Bear, Gangetic Dolphin and Otter etc

The park also has a sizeable population of birds. Home to 25 Globally Threatened and 21 Near Threatened species of birds. Huge flocks of pelicans and rose-ringed parakeets can be spotted here besides crested serpent eagles, grey-headed fishing eagles, red jungle fowl, Bengal floricans, bar-headed geese and whistling teals.

More than 150 perennial water bodies are located inside the Park, where water level fluctuates temporally resulting in the generation of a very rich aquatic floral diversity. More than 32 species of flora have so far been identified.  More than 60 species of fishes have been recorded and is the breeding ground of many of the local species.

 

How to Reach : Rowraiah (Jorhat) is the nearest Airport which is 97 Kms. away and LGBI Airport (Guwahati) is 239 Kms. away. The road distances from nearest cities & towns to Kohora are : from Jorhat is 89 Kms., from Nagaon is 96 Kms., from Guwahati is 219 Kms., from Golaghat is 73 Kms. and from Bokakhat is 21 Kms.
Contact Person: Director, Kaziranga National Park
Contact Numbers: +91 3776-268095 / +91 3776-268086
Best season to visit: November to April.