KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK

Kaziranga National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and hosts two-thirds of the world's Great One-horned Rhinoceroses, tigers, and many other endangered animals. Located in the Golaghat and Nagaon districts of the state of Assam, India, and Its history can be traced back to the beginning of the twentieth century, in 1904.

In 1908, Kaziranga was designated a Reserve Forest. In 1916, it was converted to a game sanctuary—The Kaziranga Game Sanctuary—and remained so till 1938, when hunting was prohibited and visitors were permitted to enter the park.
The Kaziranga Game Sanctuary was renamed the Kaziranga Wildlife Sanctuary in 1950 by P. D. Stracey, the forest conservationist, in order to rid the name of hunting connotations. In 1954, the government of Assam passed the Assam (Rhinoceros) Bill, which imposed heavy penalties for rhinoceros poaching. Fourteen years later, in 1968, the state government passed 'The Assam National Park Act of 1968', declaring Kaziranga a designated national park. The 430 square km park was given official status by the central government on 11 February 1974. In 1985, Kaziranga was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO for its unique natural environment. The area now is 473.71 sq. km, which is spread over the three adjoining districts of Golaghat, Nagaon and Sonitpur.

MAJOR WILDLIFE ATTRACTIONS OF KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK:

RHINOCEROS IN KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK:

A few centuries ago, the Indian one horned Rhinoceros ranged across the north Indian plains in the wetlands of the rivers Indus, Ganga, and Brahmaputra. Today this survivor from the prehistoric times is found only in pockets in the north eastern state of Assam and in Nepal. In Assam, their Rhino habitat is limited to just two national parks - Kaziranga and Manas. 

There are five kinds of Rhinos found in the world - white rhino, black rhino, Indian rhino, Javan rhino, and Sumatran rhino. The white and black Rhinos are live in Africa, while Indian, Javan and Sumatran are Asian Rhinos, found in North Pakistan, Assam in India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. 

The usual weight of an Indian Rhino is 2,000 kg. The one way to distinguish between an Indian Rhino and an African Rhino is the single horn. Both white and black African Rhinos have two horns. Another distinguishing feature of the Indian Rhinoceros is its skin, which is knobby and falls into deep folds at its joints, giving a look like the Rhino is wearing a coat of armour. 

All the Rhinos are vegetarian and Indian Rhinos mostly eat grass, fruits, leaves and crops. Their well developed upper lip helps them to eat out tall elephant grasses, which they like the best. It also helps them to pull out aquatic plants by the roots. Indian Rhinos usually prefer to roam around in the morning and evening hours to avoid the heat of the day and live for about 40 years.

Apart from being a rich natural habitat for the great Indian One-horned Rhinos, Kaziranga Wildlife Sanctuary also has a large population of the Wild Buffalos and Indian Elephants. The other major wild attractions include a sizable population of, Indian Bison, Swamp Deer or Barasingha, sambar (cervus unicolor), barking deer (muntiacus muntjak),Hog Deer, Sloth Bears, Tigers, Leopard Cats, Jungle Cats, fishing cat (felis viverrina), jungle cat (felis chaus), Otters, Hog Badgers, Capped Langurs, Hoolock Gibbons, Wild Boar, Jackal, Wild Buffalo etc.

BIRDS IN KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK:

Kaziranga is a birding paradise with over 450 species. Some of the main species found here include Swamp Francolin, Pale-capped Pigeon, Bengal Florican, Great and Wreathed Hornbill, Jerdon's Baza, Slender-billed Vulture,  Pallas’s Fishing Eagle , Greater Spotted Eagle, Greater Adjutant,Imperial Eagle, Pied Harrier, Pied Falconet, Oriental Hobby, Black-necked Stork, , Hodgson’s Bushchat, White-vented Myna, Rufous-vented Prinia , Black-breasted Parrotbill, Marsh Babbler, Jerdon’s Babbler etc.

REPTILES IN KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK:

Snakes- king cobra, pit vipers banded krait , common kukri snake , copperhead trinket snake, checkered keelback watersnake, common or long-nosed vine snake ,common krait, russel's viper , Black krait , rock python, bengal cobra, reticulated python, rat snake etc.
Lizards- Assam greyish-brown gecko, assam olive-brown skink, Assam greyish-brown gecko, common bengal monitor, common indian skink, dotted garden skink,light-olive assam garden lizard etc
Turtles and Tortoises  Brown roofed turtle, brown hill tortoise, gangetic or Indian softshell turtle, Indian roofed turtle , Indian tent turtle, Indian eyed turtle ,Indian peacock softshell turtle , Assam roofed turtle, indian flapshell turtle, indian black turtle , narrow headed softshell turtle ,spotted pond turtle etc.

GAME ACTIVITIES IN KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK:

ELEPHANT SAFARI IN KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK:

The vast open country makes Kaziranga National Park very accessible and wildlife viewing fairly pleasurable. Here one can leave in the early hours of the dawn for an elephant-back-ride. Authorized and trained Mahouts who guide visitors through the park train the Elephants. One could see wild Elephant herds roaming around or Indian Rhinos browse past visitors unconcernedly. Since Kaziranga National Park is easily accessible, its provides a chance to see animals in the wild at such close quarters, thus making a trip to this National Park a very rewarding experience.

JEEP SAFARI IN KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK:

Jeep safaris are available in the morning and afternoon accompanied by a guide/escort and last for 3-4 hours in the morning and 3-4 hours in the afternoon.

OTHER SIGHTSEEING IN KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK:

Tourists can stroll through the lush coffee and rubber plantations of the nearby Karbi Anglong. Or visit the Karbi villages, meet the Karbi people and observe their way of living. You can also venture through the tea gardens that Assam is so famous for and watch how one gets one's daily cup of tea. Film shows on wildlife can be arranged at the various tourist lodges in Kaziranga, on request

HOW TO GET THERE:

Air:

The nearest airport is situated at Guwahati, which is 217-km away from the park. The other airport is located at Jorhat, 97-km from Kaziranga.

Rail:

The nearest railhead is Furkating, situated 75-km away from Kaziranga National Park.

Road:

The main gate for Kaziranga National Park, at Kohora on the NH-37, consists of a handful of cafes and a small local market. ASTC and private buses stop here on their way to and from Guwahati, Tezpur and Upper Assam. Some private buses also retain a seat quota for Kaziranga passengers.