Kaziranga National Park

Next to Africa, the best place to see rhinos in the wild is India-- Kaziranga in the northeastern state of Assam to be more precise. Hunted to extinction in the early parts of the 20th century, Kaziranga has slowly nursed them back to a stable population. But the animals are not absolutely safe from poachers. The supposedly magical and aphrodisiacal qualities of the rhino's body parts, specially the horn, have made the animal vulnerable. So anyone concerned about seeing a rhino in the wild must also join the war against trading in animal parts.

Kaziranga National Park presently occupies 430 square kilometres. Surrounded by small hills, the park is located on the bank of the river Brahmaputra and many smaller streams cut through the grassy forest land. Besides the Indian one-horned rhino, there are deer, gaur, elephants, the occasional tiger and a variety of birds like hornbills, pelicans, etc. The best way to see animals in Kaziranga is by elephant back. Jeeps are also allowed on selective routes.

Foreigners need permission to visit Kaziranga. Inquire at the Foreigner's Registration Office at Calcutta, Delhi, Mumbai or Chennai.

BASICS

STD Code: 036776.

Airport: Jorhat; then by road. Guwahati is also another convenient airport.
Rail: Guwahati is an important terminal on the northeastern railway route. There are onward connections to Calcutta, Siliguri, Delhi and several longhaul trains to the southern Indian cities like Bangalore, Cochin, Trivandrum.
Road: Major distances:
Calcutta-- 1336 kilometres
Siliguri-- 730 kilometres
Guwahati-- 217 kilometres
From Guwahati there are limited buses going past Kaziranga. If travelling by bus from Guwahati, get down at Kohora. It is a kilometre long walk through a tea garden from the bus stop to the state government tourist lodge.

Best time: November to April. December/January is a little misty.

Accommodation: There are several forest lodges run by the state tourism department. Booking have to be made through Guwahati or through the tourist information centre adjoining the parks.There is one upmarket private resort-- Wild Grass (Tel: 62437). Their all-inclusive Jungle Plan includes accommodation, meals and trips into the park.

Jungle Transport: Forest department's elephants take visitors round the park. Booking has to be made from the park headquarter at Kohora. Jeeps are also available here.

Contact: Assam Tourism
C/o. Tourist Lodge
Station Road
Guwahati
Tel: (0361) 544475

Information Centre
Kaziranga National Park, Kohora
Tel: 036776-62423