Kaziranga National Park

Kaziranga National Park is one of the prides of India. Kaziranga is the place where the nature unwinds its pristine form in millions of hues, where wildlife roams fearlessly, where man and nature meets together. This prestigious national park of India is situated in the north eastern part of the country in the district of Golaghat and Nagoan in the state of Assam. Let’s go back to the beginnings of the twentieth century in the year of 1904 when this beautiful wildlife sanctuary was created, and about 68 years later it was declared as National Park.

It is noteworthy to mention that it is the host for two third of world’s population of endangered Indian one-horned rhinoceros and also declared as a tiger reserve in 2006, holding the highest density of tigers in the world. The park is also a domicile for large breeding inhabitants of Elephants, wild water buffaloes and Swamp Deer. It has been declared as a forest reserve in the year of 1908 and wildlife sanctuary in the year of 1950. Covering an approximate area of 430 square kilometers, Kaziranga was declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO for its unique natural environment in the year of 1985. Apart from this, the park has been identified as an important bird area by Birdlife International Society as it is a home to various species of migrating and inhabitant birds. Situated on the banks of river Brahmaputra, the sanctuary is blessed with the four different kinds of vegetation. The Tropical moist mixed deciduous forests and tropical semi-evergreen forests is marked by the 41% of the tall grasses, 29% open jungle, 11% short grasses and rest is covered with the rivers and the water bodies. Its breathtaking array of flora and diverse fauna adds value to the scenic beauty of the park.

Kaziranga National Park is solitary among the foremost National Parks on the earth and also famous as the wonderful wildlife destination of the North East India. Situated in the intense geographical location, the park presents a massive range of natural beauty. Surrounded by Brahmaputra River on the North and the Karbi Anglong mounts in the South, the park offers a splendid scenic sight. The beautiful geographical vicinity of the park makes it heaven for wildlife enthusiasts and nature lovers. The title Kaziranga adopts its name to Karbi, which is the name of a woman who ruled here in ancient time. It is the only ancient park in Assam which wraps a vast region of numerous flora and fauna.
The vast expanse of tall elephant grass, marshland, and dense tropical moist broadleaf forests undoubtedly makes the park look beautiful but it’s the presence of Brahmaputra river, which makes it look enigmatic.

Flora:
Due to the difference in altitude between the eastern and western areas of the park, here one can see mainly four types of vegetation’ like alluvial inundated grasslands, alluvial savanna woodlands, tropical moist mixed deciduous forests, and tropical semi-evergreen forests. Kumbhi, Indian gooseberry, the cotton tree, and elephant Apple are amongst the famous trees that can be seen in the park. Also, a good variety of aquatic flora can be seen in lakes, ponds, and along the river shores.

Fauna:
The forest region of Kaziranga Park is home to world’s largest population of Indian Rhinoceros. Other animals that can be seen in the elephant grass, marshland and dense tropical moist broadleaf forests of Kaziranga are Hoolock Gibbon, Tiger, Leopard, Indian Elephant, Sloth Bear, Wild water buffalo, swamp deer, etc. With increase in tiger population every year, the government authorities declared Kaziranga as a Tiger Reserve in the year 2006. Also here one can find good number of migratory bird species from Central Asia.
Best Time to Visit
Kaziranga Park remain closed from 01 May till 31 Oct every year for the visitors. Therefore November to April is the best time to visit Kaziranga National Park.

Summer (April to May): During this time of the year, the climate remains dry and windy; one can find animals around the water bodies.
Monsoon (June to September): From June till September, the region receives heavy rain, approximately 2,220 millimeters (87 in); thus the climate remains hot and humid. The park remains closed from May to October due to warnings of Brahmaputra river floods.
Winter (November to February): Perhaps the best time to visit the Kaziranga National Park as the climate is mild and dry. Chances of spotting rhinos are more in winter as the grass burn off and the background becomes clearer.

Safari Timings
To promote wildlife tourism in Assam, Kaziranga Park authorities organizes a jeep and elephant safari tour.
- Morning Jeep Safari: 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM
- Afternoon Jeep Safari: 02:00 PM to 04:00 PM

Elephant Safari Timing
- Morning: 05:30 / 06:30
- Morning: 06:30 / 07:30

Safari Gate/Zones
Sprawling over an area of 430 sq km, the park alias the hotspot of diversity is split into four areas; each has its own distinguish feature regarding grasslands, the density of mammals & bird, land topography, terrains. Below are some points of the pre-defined tourist circuits where the jeep safari takes place:
- Mihimukh in Central Range at Kohora
- Bagori in Western Range at Bagori
- Agaratoli in Eastern Range at Agaratoli
- Ghorakati in Burapahar Range at Ghorakhati