All you need to know about Kaziranga National Park in Assam

Kaziranga National Park, spread across Golaghat and Nagaon districts in Assam, is every wildlife and nature lover’s dream destination and for plenty of reasons. The park, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the very few original natural places in India. Undisturbed by human presence (encroachments), Kaziranga remains a great forest.

Also read: Most offbeat wildlife experiences in India for January

Here are some interesting facts about Kaziranga National Park you need to know.

Kaziranga National Park was first established in1905 as a reserved forest. Later, in 1974, it was declared a national park. Kaziranga became a Tiger Reserve in 2007. It is spread across Nagaon, Golagha and Sonitpur in Assam. The park’s headquarters is in Bokakhat in Golaghat district. However, the tourist centre is in Kohora, just 25 km from Bokakhat.

Kaziranga National Park was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. It is also one of the last and very few unmodified natural areas not only in the Northeast but in the whole of India as well. It is the largest undisturbed area in the Brahmaputra Valley floodplains.

One of the finest wildlife refuges in the world that it is, the park’s efforts towards the conservation of the greater one-horned rhinoceros has put Assam on the world map. The rhinos have come back from the brink of extinction, with their number now reaching 2613, the largest ever concentration of the one-horned rhinos in the world. Second place goes to Chitwan National Park in Nepal (around 700 rhinos).

The greater one-horned rhino, royal Bengal tiger, Indian wild buffalo, Indian elephant, and Eastern swamp deer or barasingha are collectively called the Big Five of Kaziranga National Park.

Kaziranga National Park is also one of the last remaining homes of the endangered and endemic western hoolock gibbon, the only species of apes found in India. Gibbons are one of the most endangered primates in the world. The waters of Kaziranga are also an important habitat for the Ganges river dolphin, also categorised as Endangered.

Kaziranga National Park is home to approximately 478 species of both resident and migratory birds. Out of these, 25 species are globally threatened and 21 are near threatened. Kaziranga National Park is one of the last homes of the critically endangered Bengal florican.

Nearest airports are at Guwahati, Jorhat and Dibrugarh. Jorhat is the best option because from here, the drive to Kohora (Kaziranga National Park) is relatively shorter. Golaghat, which is just 50 km from Kohora, is just 37 km from Jorhat Airport. The drive from Guwahati to Kohora is 192 km (4 - 5 hours); the drive from Dibrugarh to Kaziranga is approximately 251 km. The nearest railway head is Guwahati.

Elephant safaris and jeep safaris are the best ways to experience Kaziranga National Park. The park is divided into four ranges – Kaziranga Range (Central Range), Eastern Range, Western Range, and Burapahar Range.

Trekking in Panbari Reserve and Kukurkata Reserve Forests are a big hit among birdwatchers and adventure lovers. The Brahmaputra floodplains look exceptionally beautiful from the top of Kukurkata Hills inside Kaziranga forest.