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The Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve is UNESCO's World Heritage Site. Other than a great number of tigers, around 70% of the world's one-horned rhinoceros population live in this natural reserve forest. The park is mainly well known for its rhino safaris and it is one of the most popular wildlife vacation destinations, where tourists can see elephants, water buffaloes, deer, bears, and other mammal species in action. There are also a variety of bird, insect, and plant species, which are worth exploring in the park.
Kaziranga Tourism Zone
The name "Kaziranga" is a mix of two terms from the Karbi language "Kazi" meaning "goat" and "Rangai" meaning "red". Together they mean "Land of red goats (Deer)". However, historians also debate that the name "Kaziranga" could also have been derived from the Karbi phrase "Kajir-a-rong" which means "the village of Kajir".
Kaziranga Forest was established on June 1, 1905, on 232 sq km (57,273.6 acres) of land to save the rhinoceros. It was designated a "Reserve Forest" in 1908 and then renamed "Kaziranga Game Sanctuary" in 1916 and then finally a "Wildlife Sanctuary" in the year 1950. The stunning natural forested area of the Kaziranga National Park now stretches 378 kilometres in northeastern India's Assam state.
The exact location of the sanctuary is on the Brahmaputra River's south bank. It is approximately 100 kilometres (62 miles) west of Jorhat and includes the districts of Golaghat, Karbi Anglong, and Nagaon.
Kaziranga National Park & Tiger Reserve Tourism Zones
The Kaziranga National Park & Tiger Reserve is divided into four main tourism zones. These are the Central Zone (also known as the Kaziranga Zone), the Western Zone (also known as the Bagori Zone), the Eastern Zone (also known as the Agaratoli Zone), and the Burapahar Zone.
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Central or Kaziranga Zone
The entrance gate to the Kaziranga National Park's central zone is situated in the small town of Kohora, which lies in the Golaghat district of Assam. It is about 2 kilometres from the bus stop on National Highway 37. Both elephant safaris and jeep rhino safaris are arranged in this zone. The jeep rhino safari lasts two hours and the elephant safari lasts for one hour. Visitors will be able to enjoy both safaris by acquiring a permit from the central zone tourism office.
The central zone begins at the Mihimukh riding tower, which also serves as the elephant safari spot. So, tourists who have reserved the 1-hour elephant safari would therefore ride the elephant from this very zone. The safari route of this zone passes through Mihimukh, Kathpora, Daphlang, Diphlu River Bank, Mona Beel, and Karasing before returning to the starting point. The total safari length is approx 27 kilometres.
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Western or Bagori Zone
The entrance gate to the Kaziranga National Park's western zone is situated in the Bagori village of the Golaghat district in Assam. The Bagori tourism office serves as the zone's starting point, from which tourists can embark on an elephant safari to explore the beauty of the forest area. The western zone is also the most popular tourist zone in Kaziranga because the landscape offers the best chance to go on a Jeep rhino safari and get up close to the one-horned rhinoceros.
The safari route of this zone passes through Dongabeel, Roman, Rajapukhuri, and Monabeel before returning to the starting point. The total safari length is approx 22 km.
Eastern or Agaratoli Zone
The entrance gate to the Kaziranga National Park's eastern zone is situated in the small town of Agaratoli, situated on the National Highway. This zone's starting point is the Agaratoli tourism office, and the Jeep rhino safaris are also organized here. As there are so many small and large lakes and rivers in this area, visitors can go on boat safaris in addition to the jeep rhino safaris. A variety of native and migratory birds can also be seen in this zone of the natural sanctuary. The safari route of this zone passes through Agaratoli, Sohola Beel, Rongamotia-Maklung, and Turturoni-Dhoba before returning to the starting point. The total safari length is approx 23 kilometres.
Burapahar Zone
The entrance gate to the Kaziranga National Park's Burapahar zone is situated in the Ghorakati F.V village, which is in the Kaliabor, Nagaon district of Assam. The Rhinoland Park serves as the starting point for this zone's Jeep rhino safari. This section of the park is bounded primarily by mountains, making it an ideal place for trekking. This area of the park is also thought to be best for birdwatchers who wish to get a sight of birds flying around or sitting on the tree branches of this densely forested area. The safari route of this zone passes through Ghurkati, Potahi Beel, Difolu, Phuloguri, and Tunikati before returning to the starting point. The total length of the safari is approx 16 kilometres.
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Wildlife Safari of Kaziranga National Park
Kaziranga National Park offers three exclusive safaris: Jeep Rhino Safari, Elephant Safari, and Boat Safari, which provide a complete view of the wild habitat of this tiger reserve.
Jeep Rhino Safari of Kaziranga
The thrilling Jeep Rhino Safari is a popular activity in Kaziranga National Park. This safari takes place across all four ranges: Agoratoli, Bagori, Burapahar, and Kohora. It gets you to the heart of the tiger reserve right through the routes of the deepest and darkest forest areas and tall golden grasslands, where you can sight the park's diverse wildlife.
The forest department organizes a two-shift jeep rhino safari for tourists. The morning shift for Jeep Rhino Safari begins at 7:00 a.m. and ends at 9:30 a.m. The afternoon shift for Jeep Rhino Safari begins at 1:30 p.m. and ends at 3:30 p.m. The jeep rhino safari lasts about 2 hours to 2.5 hours.
A single jeep carries six people and covers a larger area than either the elephant safari or boat safari. Every jeep rhino safari is escorted by an armed forest officer.
Elephant Safari of Kaziranga
Even though the elephant safari does not cover as much ground as the Jeep rhino safari, it provides an equally interesting chance to explore the exotic flora and fauna of the Kaziranga national park. This safari takes place across two ranges: Bagori and Kohora. Tourists can see wildlife from a close proximate while riding an elephant through the dry, tropical deciduous forests and grasslands of the nature reserve.
The morning shift for Elephant Safari begins at 5:00 a.m. and ends at 7:30 a.m. The afternoon shift for elephant safari begins at 3:00 PM and ends at 4:00 PM. This particular safari takes roughly 1 hour to 1.5 hours.
Boat Safari at Kaziranga
The Dolphin boat safari is a 1-hour boat ride close to the Kaziranga National Park at the junction of the Dhansiri and Brahmaputra rivers. Tourists will be permitted to go on two safaris in a single day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. These safaris encourage dolphin tourism from the recently introduced River Tourism Zone at Bhomoraguri. The zone runs parallel to the Brahmaputra River and is approximately 30 kilometres from the Burapahar range. The boat safaris follow three alternative routes. The longest of which extends into the Burachapori Wildlife Sanctuary west of Kaziranga. The perfect location to see river dolphins is near Tezpur's Kaliabhomora Bridge.
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Wildlife of Kaziranga National Park
In 2006, Kaziranga National Park was officially recognized as a Tiger Reserve due to its high population density of 1 tiger per 5 km in comparison to any conserved forest area in the world. As per a recent census, the number of tigers in this tiger reserve has increased from only 83 in 2014 to 118 in 2022. Tourists will occasionally be able to spot the big and mighty Royal Bengal Tigers cooling themselves around the water bodies of this tiger reserve park. Other species of big cats are also found in this park, including leopard cats, clouded leopards, fishing cats, jungle cats, and wild cats.
With a total population of 2613 one-horned rhinoceros, Assam's Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve happen to be the land of rhinoceros, and so as a result - the finest possible option to experience the best rhino safaris in India. The wildlife sanctuary saw an overall rise of 200 rhinos within the last four years.
Apart from rhinos and tigers, the Kaziranga National Park is home to about 1,940 elephants, which is quite a significant elephant population in Northeastern India. Out of the total 5,500 Asian elephants living in the state of Assam, around 1,206 Asian elephants are found in this natural reserve.
The park also serves as a breeding ground for the world's 57% of the Asiatic wild water buffalo. As per the 2002 census, the number of barasinghas (eastern swamp deer) in the Kaziranga national park is 468. The gaur and the sambars are the other two large herbivores. Indian muntjac, wild boar, barking deer, and hog deer are among the relatively small herbivores. The Bengal fox, Chinese ferret badgers, Chinese pangolins, flying squirrel, golden jackal, hog badger, Indian grey mongoose, Indian pangolins, large Indian civet, rare hispid hare, small Indian civets, sloth bears, and small Indian mongooses are all among the list of small mammals seen in this natural tiger reserve forest.
Nine out of fourteen primate species of India are seen on the outskirts of this forest reserve, such as the Assamese macaque, capped and golden langur. Not only that, the country's only ape, the hoolock gibbon, also dwells in this park. When it comes to reptiles and amphibians, the park has the longest poisonous snake in the world, the King Cobra. It is also home to two of the world's biggest snakes, the reticulated python and the rock python. The Indian cobra, the monocled cobra, Russell's viper, and the common krait are among the other snakes found here. The Bengal monitor and the Asian water monitor are two large monitor lizard species which crawl the grounds of this national park.
Other reptiles include fifteen turtle species, including the endangered Assam roof turtle, and one tortoise species, the brown tortoise. The park is covered by four major rivers: the Brahmaputra, the Diphlu, the Mora Diphlu, and the Mora Dhansiri which are home to forty-two different fish species, which include the Tetraodon, a species in the freshwater pufferfish family. Visitors could even be lucky enough to spot the endangered Ganges dolphins as well.
Kaziranga National Park is also an important Bird Conservation Area for a variety of native and exotic birds. As a result, countless migratory birds, predators, scavengers, waterbirds, and other species can be seen here. During the cold winter seasons, the Asian openbill stork, Baer's pochard duck, black-necked stork, ferruginous duck, greater adjutant, the lesser white-fronted goose, lesser adjutant, etc. fly into the park from Central Asia. Blyth's kingfisher, white-bellied heron, Dalmatian pelican, spot-billed pelican, Nordmann's greenshank, and black-bellied tern are among the list of Kaziranga National Park's river birds. The eastern imperial, greater spotted, grey-headed fish eagle, lesser kestrel, Pallas's fish eagle, and white-tailed are all rare carnivorous birds. In the vulture category, the Indian vulture, slender-billed vulture, and Indian white-rumped vulture have all survived in this wildlife sanctuary in Assam. The swamp francolin, Bengal florican, and pale-capped pigeon are all among the game birds. Other prominent bird species found here include the great Indian hornbill, Jerdon's and marsh babblers, and wreathed hornbill. There are Old World warblers like the bristled grassbird, thrush birds like Hodgson's bush chat, and weaver birds like the common baya weaver, as well as the endangered Finn's weavers. The black-breasted parrotbill and the rufous-vented grass babbler are two other endangered bird species.
The breath-taking flora of Kaziranga National Park includes tropical moist mixed deciduous forests, tropical semi-evergreen forests, savanna woodlands, and alluvial grasslands. These four astounding and massive plant life enriches the habitat of the sanctuary with stunning natural elements such as dense forest, elephant grass, and marshland. The tropical moist mixed deciduous forests and tropical semi-evergreen forests, in particular, are distinguished by 41% tall grasses, 29% open jungle, and 11% short grasses. The remaining area is surrounded by numerous small and large rivers, lakes, and lagoons. Sugarcanes, spear grass, elephant grass, and common reed are examples of tall grasses found in the park. Countless forbs and trees help provide cover, shade, and support to these grasses. The dominant species include elephant apple of inundated grasslands, Indian gooseberry, kumbhi, and savanna woodland cotton tree,
This scenic beauty of the place, wildlife animals and plants, and exotic birds, along with the presence of the Brahmaputra river as a whole, adds value for wildlife photojournalists who can come and take stunning pictures.
Kaziranga National Park Tourist Spots and Attractions
The popular tourist spots and attractions of the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve are as follows;
Kaziranga National Orchid & Biodiversity Park
The Kaziranga National Orchid and Biodiversity Park, located in Durgapur village, is a popular tourist destination where Assamese folk dances are performed. It is the biggest orchid park in India with over 600 rare and threatened orchid species.
Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary
Known earlier as the Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary or Hollongapar Reserve Forest, the Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary is an evergreen forest reserve in Assam and one of the best Kaziranga tourist attractions. The sanctuary is home to about approx 106 hoolock gibbons, the only gibbons in India, and extends to the forests of the Dissoy Valley Reserve, a site for nature lovers and animal lovers.
Hathikuli Tea Estate
The name "Hathikuli" is a combination of the Assamese terms "Hathi" (elephant) and "Kuli" (frequent). As the name itself suggests, the area is frequented by elephants. The estate is located on NH-37, which is just next to the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve. This tea garden, which extends for about 15 kilometres along the highway, manufactures black pepper, CTC tea, inorganic fish spawn, organic green tea, and Orthodox tea.
Kaziranga National Park & Tiger Reserve Safari Planning & Reservation
Before entering the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, tourists are advised to obtain information about all of the guidelines. The timings of the Elephant Safari and Jeep Rhino Safaris are from 7:00 a.m. to 09:45 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 02:45 p.m. It must be noted that the times are subject to change during unavoidable circumstances. Not a single vehicle will be permitted in the park without a guide. Tickets for Kaziranga National Park can be purchased at the office located at the entrance to each of the four zones. There is no online ticketing available for the Kaziranga National Park.
Best Time to Visit the Kaziranga National Park & Tiger Reserve
The national park is open from the 1st of November to the 30th of April. The park is also open in October provided the weather is suitable enough. The winter season in the Kaziranga region starts in November and February. Due to the average mildly cool temperature of around 25 °C and low temperature of 5 °C , these months are the most popular times to visit this tiger reserve park and get involved in all sorts of activities, including boat safaris, and elephant safaris and rhino safaris.
The summer season in the Kaziranga region is from March to May, where May is considered the hottest month in this place. In general, due to the very hot season, all animals can be found near the edge of rivers, lakes, ponds, etc. So, such times are ideal for photographers to come and take pictures of wild animals. Assam receives more rain between the monsoon and the pre-monsoon compared to other states in India. Therefore, for safety reasons, this national park is closed to tourists earlier than other major national parks in India. During the peak July and August, the park receives more than 2000 mm of rain and the whole area is submerged because of the rising water level of the Brahmaputra. It is only after October that the rain stops and flood levels slowly come down.
Thus, in conclusion, the best time to visit the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve is from November to April.
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How to Reach the Kaziranga National Park & Tiger Reserve
By Air
The closest airport to Kaziranga National park is the Jorhat Airport, located at a distance of 97 km. Guwahati International Airport, also known as the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, is located at a distance of 217 km.
After reaching the airport, you can get a taxi or cab to visit the park. Otherwise, you can go to the Partan Bazaar bus stop and take a government bus service or private bus to get around the park.
By Train
With a fair distance of 96 km, the Furkating Railway Station, located in the Golaghat district of Assam is the closest railway station to Kaziranga National Park. Other nearest railway stations include the Guwahati and Jorhat Railway Stations. After reaching the station, you can easily get a taxi, cab or bus to the Kaziranga National Park.
By Road
Kaziranga National Park has good connections to all major cities in Assam, including Dimapur, Guwahati, Golaghat, Jorhat, Nagaon, Sivasagar, Tezpur and Tinsukia via National Highway Route 37. A variety of public and private buses run on the road, from almost every town to Kaziranga National Park. You can also take a taxi or cab to reach your destination.
