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Situated on the south bank of the Brahmaputra river 233 km. North-east of Guwahati, the main sanctuary for the Indian one horned Rhinoceros, was declared a game sanctuary in 1926. there are now about 1100 Rhinos in the park, over half the world's population of Asian Rhinos.
Kaziranga, however, is the exception where one can hope to see most of the mammals for which it is known in a single day. In the 1930's Kaziranga was verualy a closed book and the sanctuary was opened to tourists only around 1038.
Herds of up to 200 wild elephants can be seen migrating from the Mikir hills to the Bheels. Small herds of Bara Singha (Swamp deer) and the odd wild boar are usually among the first animals seen. Leopard cats and Otters are not uncommon, while the odd leopard may be chanced upon. A wide variety of snakes, including rock-python are also found while the pre-historic looking monitor lizard is relatively easily seen.
Birds –The crested serpent eagle is common, Pallas's Fishing Eagle and the Grey headed Fishing Eagle are frequently seen. Dawn is welcomed by the loud calling of the swamp Partridge which shutters the misty silence of the morning while red jungle fowl tentatively step on to a jeep track before taking off at a mad run in front of a jeep. The Bengal florican and a variety of waterfowl, of which the bar-headed goose and the whistling teal are the most frequently seen. Black – necked adjutant and open billed stork, egret and heron of all shapes and sizes can be found around the bheels which are clogged with water hyacinth.
General Information
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Rainfall |
Heavy in summer
(2300 mms |
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Best Season |
Nov. to Mar. Closed Season: Mid-Apr. to
Mid-Oct. |
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Temperature |
Summer- Max.35,
Min.18.3; Winter- Max.24, Min.7.2. |
How to get there
Air
Nearest airport Jorhat (96 km) is connected by flights with Calcutta which in turn is connected with other cities in India.
Rail
Nearest railway station is Furkating (75 km from Kaziranga) on the metre gauge line, directly connected to Guwahati which in turn is connected with the other major cities in India.
Road
Kaziranga (Kohora) to Guwahati 217 km, Jorhat 96 km, Furkating 75 km
Manas Tiger Reserve
This sanctuary, in contrast to Kaziranga, is far removed from the National Highway and the mainstream of
human life passes it by. Manas has a much longer season than Kaziranga, the only wet period being from mid-May to September, but the best period to visit the area is either in November or February.
One of the main attractions of the park is the golden langur, which inhabit the tall flowering trees next to the royal Hunting lodge where the king of Bhutan retreats once a year or so. The lower sandy stretches over herds of wild buffalo, with fishing eagle and ospreys searching the fast flowing streams for fish.
In terms of diversity in animal life, Manas again stands alone. Some species like the hispid hare and pigmy hog are today found only here. The slow loris and the hoolock gibbon also extend into Manas, but sightings are rare.
The area is full of hog deer and sometimes a tiger can be seen plodding along the tracks, looking for a chance to kill. In the canopy above, winged stars steal the show; scarlet minivets flash their orange and yellow towards the watching heavens; a bee-eater clicks its beak as it grabs a bee; magpie robins and bulbuls fill the air with their constant chatter. Red jungle fowl and kaleej pheasants scratch for their food from under the fallen leaves, while the great river offers ornithologists its own brand of avifauna with mergansers and brahminy ducks, egrets, pelicans and herons, eagle, falcons and harriers
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