Where is the Kaziranga National Park?
The Kaziranga National Park is located in the northeastern state of Assam
in India. Covering an area of around 430 sq km, the park lies on the banks
of the Brahmaputra river. Guwahati, the capital of the state, lies at a
distance of 215 km from here.
What is it famous for?
The Kaziranga National Park is the one of the few places in India where the
Indian one-horned rhino can be seen in its natural habitat. Apart from rhino
(Rhinoceros Unicornis), it is also known for the Indian elephants. The
Kaziranga National park was declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in
1985.
How will you gain access?
Jorhat (96 km) is the closest airport from the sanctuary. However, there are
more flight services from Guwahati's Borjhar Airport, which is 239 km away
from Kaziranga. By rail-route, Guwahati has direct links with cities like
Kolkata, New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Cochin and Trivandrum. There
is an excellent road-network connecting both Jorhat and Guwahati to the
neighbouring states of West Bengal, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland
and Arunachal Pradesh. Buses and taxies are available from Jorhat and
Guwahati to get to Kaziranga.
What is the best time?
The best time to pay a visit to the Kaziranga National Park is in winter,
between the months of November and March. For the remaining part of the
year, the weather remains hot and humid.
What constitutes the flora, fauna and avifauna?
The flora of the park constitutes of alluvial inundated grasslands,
tropical wet evergreen forests and tropical semi-evergreen forests, with the
characteristic feature being the dense and tall elephant grass. The aquatic
vegetation of the region includes water lilies, water hyacinth and lotus.
The animal inhabitants of the park include tigers, elephants, sloth bears,
leopard cats, jungle cats, hog badgers, capped Langurs, Hoolock gibbons,
pigs, pythons, jackals, porcupines, swap deer, Indian bison, swamp deer,
Sambhars, hog deer etc.
When it comes to bird-watching, the park proves to be birding paradise. The
bird species include Oriental Honey buzzard, black-shouldered kite, black
kite, Brahmini kite, white-tailed eagle, fishing eagle, Himalayan Griffon,
grey-headed fishing eagle etc. Among the migratory birds, there are names
like bar-headed geese, ruddy Shelduck, Gadwall, Falcated duck, northern
Shoveller and crested Pochard.
What are the nearby attractions?
»
Kakochang Waterfalls
At a distance of 13 km from Bokakhat lies the enchanting Kakochang
Waterfalls. While paying a visit to the Kaziranga National Park, these
waterfalls are a must-see for everyone.
» Numaligarh
Not far from the park, one can find the ruins of the ancient Numaligarh. It
has great archaeological importance and invites a good number of tourists.
» Tea Plantations
The tea gardens of Hathkhuli, Methoni, Difalu, Behora Borchapuri are the
other local attractions of the place. The coffee and tea plantations behind
the tourist lodge are no less attraction.
