Kaziranga National Park, Assam

Location Golaghat and Nagaon

Nearest city Golaghat, Nagaon

Area 430 km2 (170 sq mi)

Established 1908

World Heritage site World Heritage Place by UNESCO since 1985

Declared as the World Heritage site by the UNESCO, this amazing wildlife-rich forest is located in the Assam, a northeastern state of India. The landscape that spreads along the River Brahmaputra on the north side and touching the Karbi Anglong hills on the south constitutes a dense greenery rich forest belt to provide shelter to a large number of wildlife species. The location of the park is well connected through the state roadways and National Highway. With the railway station and airport located not so far, the park can easily be accessed through any part of the country or abroad.

Kaziranga Elephant Festival is one of the famous festivals in Kaziranga which are celebrated yearly. Elephant Festival is held in the Kaziranga National Park of Assam which is dedicated to conserve and protects the Asiatic elephant. This amazing festival is organized by the Forest Department and Tourism Department of Assam. The main objective behind the festival is to emphasize and find ways to determine the mounting man-elephant conflict. Generally in the festivals, hundreds of domestic Asiatic elephants are decorated from head to toe and they used to participate in the program. These decorated elephants take part in numerous activities which include parade, races, football matches and dance activities.

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.

Kaziranga Park remain closed from 01 May till 31 Oct every year for the visitors. The park remains open from November to April months of every year for the wildlife lovers to visit and explore the amazing wildlife that resides in the park by using the safari services organized by the forest officials. Though the forest of Kaziranga can be accessed only through the roadways, but by using the railways and airways, one can reach the nearest point to the park from where the park can be reached using the roadway transport. Below is the detailed information to reach Kaziranga

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.

By Air - There are two nearest airports to the park which are Guwahati International Airport and Jorhat Airport, located at the distance of 217 km and 97 km respectively from the park. There are well maintained connecting roads from both the airports to the park. The Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, located in Guwahati, is the best option to arrive by air from any corner of India or abroad. At the airport, hire the cab or taxi to visit the park directly or you can go to the Bus stand at the Paltan Bazaar which is around 23 km from the airport, and then take the state owned bus service or private bus to reach the park which will be cheaper than the direct cab or taxi.

By Train - The nearest railway station to Kaziranga Park is Furkating which is located at a distance of 75 km from the park. The station is well connected by many trains to the major railway stations like Guwahati, Kolkata, New Delhi, etc. However, travelers can also use the other nearest railway stations which are the Guwahati railway station and Jorhat railway station located at the distance of 240 km and 90 km respectively. Both these railway stations are the major railway stations of the Northeast railways. From the stations, you can further use the roadways to reach the park by hiring the taxi, cab or bus services.

By Road - The main gate of the Kaziranga Park is situated in a small Kohora town lies on the National Highway NH 37 due to which Kohora is connected to all the major cities of Assam such a Guwahati, Tezpur, Jorhat, Nagaon, Golaghat, Dimapur, Tinisukia, Sivasagar, etc. by the state transport buses or the privately run buses and minibuses. Local transport services also run joining Kohora to other nearby small towns. The nearest major cities like Guwahati and Jorhat connect to the other parts of the country by the air, rail and road route. You can visit these cities and then hire the cab/taxi or take the public buses to reach the park conveniently.