Excited about visiting Kaziranga, but don’t have much information about it? Let’s know about this wild spot in detail! To start with, Kaziranga National Park is a wild area in Assam and this spot is famous among people because of wildlife sightings. It's in the Golaghat and Nagaon District and is one of the Unesco World Heritage Sites because it has the World’s ⅔ rd population of Wild One Horned Rhinoceros. This park has the best landscape that provides the best living space for Rhinos with huge grassland, tall elephant grass, rugged reeds, marshes, and shallow pools.
bird species
species mammals
Tiger population
Little human activity is allowed in this scenic area and this park is a home for one-horned rhinoceroses, tigers, elephants, panthers, bears, and thousands of birds. Unlike other national parks, this area remains open only from October to April. Other than this, it remains closed because of heavy rains in the area. The area of this park is around the Brahmaputra river and during rains, the forest land gets under the flood water of Brahmaputra.
It’s a nice tourist spot and many wildlife enthusiasts come here for animal sightings. Other than animal sights, it has a variety of flora, and nature enthusiasts love to visit this place a lot. Furthermore, birdwatchers can spot a good number of birds here. One can enjoy spotting these things by enjoying a jeep and elephant safari ride in this floral park and also they can enjoy a boat cruise on the Brahmaputra River along the park to see the water species.
Kaziranga National Park’s story starts in the early 20th century. Late back in 1904 the beautiful Mary Curzon who was the wife of the Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon visited this area. She hoped to see the famous Indian One-horned Rhinoceros, and while searching for them, she was impressed by the natural beauty and wildlife of this place. But the sad news was that even after days of searching, she found none. They were endangered at that time and she was unable to see them, as a result, she persuaded her husband to take urgent measures to protect the one-horned Rhinoceros.
Then in the next year which is in 1905, Lord Curzon proposed this area as a reserved forest with an area of 232 km2. As the years passed, the boundaries of this park expanded to protect more land and conserve more wildlife. This area finally became Kaziranga Reserve Forest in 1908 and at that time hunting was prohibited.
Till 1940, it became a haven for wildlife but in 1950, it was designated as a wildlife sanctuary. This step was crucial in protecting the rich biodiversity from human interference. Then in the year 1947, the central government recognized the park’s importance, and this placed the status of a National Park.
The beauty and significance of this place didn’t go unnoticed. In 1985, UNESCO declared this spot as a World Heritage Site. UNESCO recognized the significant conservation efforts of this place and the presence of unique and endangered species, particularly the Indian one-horned rhinoceros. Because of being a World Heritage Site, it gained more recognition and thus gathered support and funds for further protection.
Now, this huge park is home to the largest population of one-horned Rhinoceros, about two-thirds of the World's Population. Along with Rinos, people can spot here animals like tigers, Elephants, Indian Hog Deer, Wild Water Buffalo, Sambar Deer, Indian Boar, Barasingha, Gaur, and Bengal Fox. This park was even declared a Tiger Reserve back in 2006.
Assam is famous for the production of tea and silk. After a thrilling ride in Kaziranga, you can visit the tea garden of this beautiful place. You can learn about the tea-making process in those tea gardens and also have the unique opportunity to taste the fresh tea of this place.
DetailsThis is a scenic waterfall and it is located close to Kaziranga National Park. Many locals know this place as Kaipholangso waterfalls. This waterfall is best for spending a fun time with family and friends as one can enjoy experiencing a picnic near it. People can just have fun and relax in the natural
DetailsIt’s a scenic park that covers a huge area of 6 acres. It’s another National Park and people call it Kaziranga National Orchid Park. It is in Durgapur which is located just at a distance of 2 km from the wild area. This park is a scenic spot and more than 500 species of wild orchids are found here.
DetailsThe ruins of Deoparbat can be explored near the area of Kaziranga. This place is famous among locals as Deopahar and is located in Golaghat District which is 5 kilometers from Numaligarh. Deopahar means 2 hills and on the top of those 2 hills, one can find an old temple with broken statues scattered over all around.
DetailsThis is a wild place just like the Kaziranga National Park. It’s a wildlife sanctuary which is located in the Jorhat district of Assam. This sanctuary is a home for India’s only Ape family- The Hoolock Gibbons. In India, this is the only sanctuary that is opened and
Details
The common tall grasses of this area include sugarcanes, spear grass, elephant grass, and the common reed. A huge number of Forbes can also be found along with the grasses. The dominant trees of this area are Kumbhi, Indian Gooseberry, Cotton (in savanna woodlands), and Elephant apple which also provide food and shelter for the animals living here.
Thick evergreen forests of this park have trees like Aphanamixis Polystachya, Dillenia indica, Garcinia Tinctoria, Cinnamomum Bejolghota, SyzygiumTalauma, Hodgsonii, and species of Ficus Rumphii. Furthermore, the semi-evergreen forests include shrubs and trees like Duabanga grandiflora, Sterculia Urens, Grewia serrulata, Mallotus Philippensis, Albizia procera, Bridelia Retusa, Leea indica, Lagerstroemia speciosa, Crateva unilocularis, Aphania rubra, and Leea Umbraculifera.
Other mammals that are found here include Indian Elephants, Gaur, Chital, Indian Muntjac, Indian Boar, Indian Hog Deer, Chinese ferret-badger, Eastern Swamp Deer, hispid hare, sloth bear, Chinese pangolin, Indian gray mongoose, small Indian mongooses, particolored flying squirrel, small Indian civets, Bengal fox, golden jackal, Indian pangolins, large Indian civet, hog badger, and Sambar. The big five of Kaziranga that are famous among wildlife enthusiasts are the Indian rhinoceros, Royal Bengal tiger, Asian elephant, wild water buffalo, and swamp deer.
This park was designated as a tiger reserve, so around 118 tigers can also be spotted here with another large cat, the Indian Leopard. Other felids of this huge area include jungle cats, fishing cats, and leopard cats. This is the only place in India where the Golden Tiger was also spotted in the past. Along with them, the Assamese macaque, capped and golden langur, binturong, Asian small-clawed otter, as well as the only ape found in India, the hoolock gibbon calls this park home. In the river, the endangered Ganges dolphin can also be spotted.
Kaziranga also provides the perfect habitat for birds and has been identified by Birdlife Internation for birds such as lesser white-fronted goose, Indian vulture, slender-billed vulture, swamp francolin, Bengal florican, ferruginous duck, Baer's pochard duck, lesser adjutant, Blyth's kingfisher, Dalmatian pelican, Nordmann's greenshank, black-bellied tern, great pied hornbill, wreathed hornbill, bristled grassbird, and the rare eastern imperial, greater spotted, white-tailed, Pallas's fish eagle, grey-headed fish eagle, black-breasted parrotbill, along with the lesser kestrel with many more.
Last but not least, the reptiles found in this wild area include the reticulated python, the king cobra, the Indian cobra, the monocled cobra, the Russell's viper, the Bengal monitor, Asian water monitor, Assam roofed turtle, the brown tortoise, and the common krait with around 52 species of fishes.
The best time to come to the wild area of Kaziranga is from November to February. During this time, a lot of migratory birds can be spotted near this area and also you can enjoy the safari in cool weather. During these months, the climate in Assam is pleasant and also you can enjoy spending time in resorts and hotels. The animals of the park also become active during this time so you can surely have a better sighting experience.
After the rains and floods because of the Brahmaputra river, the park once again becomes lush green and it looks amazing during these months. One can take nice photographs at this park if they come in winter. If you come to Kaziranga during winter then you can fully enjoy the trekking and also you will have a great opportunity to taste authentic and organic fresh tea of Assam in cool weather. You will surely enjoy a great time at this place if you come in winter.
Jeep Safari and Elephant Safari are permitted in Kaziranga to explore the park
Elephant Safari
Elephant Safari in Kaziranga is a fun ride that most of the tourists choose to explore the park.
Through this ride, you’ll get to sit on the back of an elephant and you can explore the wild
area of this park from around
9 feet above the ground. By choosing an elephant safari, you can explore this area without the
disturbing sound of a jeep safari. This ride will provide you peace in the natural surroundings
of the Jungle and also you
can see the animals from close because they don’t feel threatened coming close to an elephant.
Elephant safari can only be done in the morning.
Jeep Safari
This is another exciting and thrilling way to explore the Jungle. These are open-roof gypsies
and are faster than elephant safari so you can explore much area in less time. Jeep offers a
thrilling ride, which is going
inside the wild area on wheels. Jeep safari happens in all zones of this huge park and people
enjoy it a lot. A lot of animals can be spotted while riding on a jeep such as Rhinos,
elephants, tigers, leopards, wild water
buffalos, swamp deer, and many more. This ride can be enjoyed two times a day, in the morning
and evening. You have to book rides in advance as they get booked and slots are not easily
available. Jeep safari takes place
for around 3 hours while elephant safari only happens for an hour.