Second in size to the mighty elephant, the rhinoceros in Kaziranga attracts millions of visitors. Located on the banks of the Brahmaputra in Assam, its total extent is 430 sq. km. The swamps and tall thickets of elephant grass make it the most natural habitat for the rhinos. In 1904, Mary Curzon, Baroness and wife of Lord Curzon, was told that the area was abounding in one-horned rhinos. However, her hours of searching for this beast proved futile. Disappointed, she urged her husband to protect the area and conserve these animals. A year later, the Kaziranga Forest Reserve was created with an area of 232 sq metres. In 1968, it was renamed a sanctuary, and in 1985, it was declared a world heritage site by the UNESCO.
Flora
There are three major types of grasslands — tall thickets of elephant grass and short grasses, tropical wet evergreen forests and tropical semi-evergreen forests. But what stands out is the tall elephant grass amid the swamplands caused by the receding floodwaters of the Brahmaputra.
Kaziranga National Park is also famous for its abundant cover of water lilies, water hyacinth and lotus which dot the park. Rattan Cane, which is a type of climbing palm, adds to the natural beauty of the Kaziranga National Park.
Other attractions
The other attractions include elephant, bison, barasingha, bear, tiger, leopard cat, jungle cat, otter, hog badger, capped langur, hoolock gibbon, wild boar, jackal, wild buffalo, python, monitor lizard and more. It is also one of the most frequented birding sites for bird lovers and one can definitely spot the oriental honey buzzard, black-shouldered kite, black kite, brahminy kite, pallas’s fish eagle, white tailed-eagle, grey-headed fish eagle, Himalayan griffon and other migratory birds.
Best Time
The best time to visit is from mid-November to early April.
How to get there:
You can fly in from Guwahati or Jorhat. The closest railway station is Furkating.
Tourists can also
Take a walk through the lush coffee and rubber plantations at Karbi Anglong. One can also visit the Karbi villages and meet the people. Assam is famous for its tea and a visit to the estates will make your trip complete.
