Kaziranga National Park

Kaziranga tiger reserve sprawls 430 square kilometers on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra, occupies the vast valley floor against a backdrop of the forest-covered Karbi Anglong hills. It is an Eastern Himalaya biodiversity hotspot; the park combines high species diversity and visibility. The Rhino is the main attraction in the park. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and hosts two-thirds of the world's Great One-horned Rhinoceroses. With 2400-plus Rhinos, you are sure to see them on any safari in the park. You will almost certainly also spot some of the park's 1100 elephants, and if you're very lucky, a tiger (over 100 live here). Also commonly seen are two other rare large mammals: the wild water buffalo and eastern swamp deer.

History

The history of Kaziranga as a protected area can be traced back to 1904, when Mary Victoria Leiter the wife of the Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon, visited the area. After failing to spot a Rhinoceros, for which the area was renowned, she persuaded her husband to take urgent measures to protect the dwindling species. On 1st June 1905, Kaziranga Reserve Forest was established. Lying along the mighty Brahmaputra River, the park is replete with swamps and grasslands with tall thickets of elephant grass and patches of evergreen forests that make it a haven for wild animals. The park's contribution in saving the Indian One-Horned Rhinoceros from the brink of extinction at the turn of the 20th century to harboring the single largest population of this species is a spectacular conservation achievement.

Rivers Natural Wonder

Kaziranga is regarded as one of the finest wildlife refuges in the world. It represents the single most extensive undisturbed Brahmaputra Valley floodplain. River fluctuations by the Brahmaputra river system result in spectacular examples of riverine and fluvial processes. Riverbank erosion, sedimentation, and formation of new lands as well as new water-bodies, plus succession between grasslands and woodlands, represent outstanding examples of significant and ongoing, dynamic ecological and biological processes. Wet alluvial grasslands occupy nearly two-thirds of the park area and is maintained by annual flooding and burning. These natural processes create complexes of habitats that are also responsible for a diverse range of predator/prey relationships.

Fauna

Kaziranga contains significant breeding populations of 35 mammalian species, of which 15 are threatened as per the IUCN Red List. The park has the distinction of being home Great Indian One-Horned Rhinoceros, Water Buffaland Eastern Swamp Deer. Significant populations of large herbivores include Elephants, Gaur and sambar. Nine of the 14 primate species found in India occur in the park. Prominent among them are the Assamese Macaque, Capped & Golden Langur, as well as the only ape found in India, the Hoolock Gibbon. Altogether 478 species of birds, both migratory and resident, have been identified in Kaziranga. The list included 25 globally threatened and 21 near- threatened species. Some 25 globally threatened species are: The Swamp francolin, Lesser White-fronted Goose, Ferruginous Pochard, Baer's Pochard, Blyth's Kingfisher, Pale-capped pigeon, Bengal Florican, Nordmann's Greenshank, Black-bellied tern, Pallas's Fishing Eagle, Greater spotted eagle, Imperial Eagle, Lesser Kestrel, White- bellied Heron, Spot-billed Pelican, Dalmatian Pelican, Greater Adjutant, Lesser adjutant, Hodgson's Bushchat, Rufous-vented Prinia, Bristled Grassbird.

Getting There:
The nearest airport is in Jorhat town 96 km in east and Guwahati airport 225 Km away in the west from Kaziranga.

Recommended Circuit:
Big 7: Delhi - Jabalpur - Bandhavgarh - Kanha - Pench - Kolkatta - Kaziranga - Delhi

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