ou sway to the left and then to the right, as the elephant you are on, trudges through the tall grass (Elephant grass or Pennisetum purpureum) which you can actually touch from your perch. The mahout guides the majestic animal through trails and thickets and orders it to stop. Stop it does - right in front of a famed Indian One Horned Rhinoceros with her calf ! The rhino snorts, looks at you and decides to disappear into the thicket with it's youngling in tow.

Welcome to the Kaziranga National Park, a World Heritage Site. Its 430 square kilometers of swamps and grassland with tall thickets of savannah elephant grass and patches of evergreen forest support the largest number of one horned rhinos on the Indian subcontinent and offer you some of the best views of wildlife from the back of an elephant or from a four wheel drive vehicle.

But Kaziranga is not all about Rhinos. Apart from 60% of the world's endangered One-horned Rhinoceros, the Park sustains half the world's population of genetically pure Wild Water Buffaloes, over 1000 Wild elephants and perhaps the densest population of Royal Bengal Tigers anywhere. Kaziranga is also a bird watcher's paradise andhome to some 500 species of birds. The Crested Serpent Eagle, Palla's Fishing Eagle and the Greyheaded Fishing Eagle circle the skies above the marshes. The Swamp Partridge, the Bar-headed goose, the Whistling Teal, the Bengal Florican, Storks, Herons and Pelicans play in the water. Each monsoon, the mighty Brahmaputra breaches its banks and floods the park, breathing life back into the parched land and replenishing the 200 'beels' or shallow lakes with water and fish.

The easy accessibility to wildlife is the secret of Kaziranga's popularity among wildlife lovers and tourists. With its primeval vegetation, it presents a view of what the Brahmaputra valley must have been years ago, before it was touched by cultivation and civilization. Engaged in wildlife conservation since 1926, the park is on the National Highway 37, which passes along the park and is almost midway between the two major cities, Guwahati and Dibrugarh, amidst the undulating landscapes of the world's oldest tea gardens outside China.

Journey to Kaziranga National Park

National Highway 37 passes along Kaziranga national park which connects three cities of Assam- GUWAHATI, JORHAT and DIBRUGARH. These places are also well connected with other major cities of India. IORA can arrange to pick up guests from the following places on request.

GUWAHATI : Kaziranga national park is 225 kms. (Approx 4.5 hrs. drive) east of GUWAHATI, the largest city in northeast India. Guwahati is well connected to the rest of the country by air, rail and road network. Guwahati airport is about 5 hrs. drive from Kaziranga.

Indian Airlines, Jet Airways, Jetlite, Kingfisher Airlines, Spice Jet, Air Deccan, Indigo operate Guwahati daily from Bagdogra, Kolkata, New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai to Guwahati. Indian Airlines connects Bangkok with Guwahati once a week.

JORHAT : Kaziranga national . park is 90 kms west of Jorhat. Jorhat airport is 1.5 hrs drive from Kaziranga. Jorhat is connected to Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai via Kolkatta by Jet Airways (on Mondays,Wednesdays,Thursdays,Fridays and Sundays) * and Indian Airlines (on Mondays, Tuesdays, Sundays) *

ABOUT KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK - General Information

With the passing of the Assam National Park Act of 1968 Kaziranga became a National Park from January 01, 1971.

Five Day Trip

KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK has much to offer; during a five day trip. It is possible to visit the following ranges:

Kohora (Central) Range.

Bagori (Western) Range.

Agoratoli (Eastern) Range.

Burapahar (Ghoraketi) Range.

Panbari Reserved Forest.

Guests can explore Kaziranga’s tall grass jungles on elephant back for a plentiful sighting of the one horned rhino and the elusive Royal Bengal Tigers in the early morning mist as the sun rises in the horizon. This will be followed by Jeep Safaris where guests will be accompanied by local guides who are expert birders. The mahouts are also experienced guides.

Clothing & Temperature

For summers light cotton clothing would be suitable, but in winters it is advisable to carry tough woolen clothing. The average temperature around Kaziranga National Park in summer is 32.2 deg. C and in winter 10 deg. C. On an early winter morning on elephant back or in a open jeep, the temperature feels far colder than 10 deg. C. The best season for visiting Kaziranga is November to April.

Don’t

 • Wear bright clothes.
 • Walk inside the Forest, except at Panbari accompanied by Forest Guard.
 • Litter in the park.
 • Tease and feed animals

Things to carry

 • Camera
 • Binoculars
 • Cap / Hat
 • Woolens in winter
 • Umbrella in summer
 • Mosquito Repellent

Other attractions nearby:

Nameri National Park
This park can be reached in just 2.5 hrs by road from our resort. Nameri National Park, covering an area of about 200 sq. kms is located at the foothills of eastern Himalayas about 35 kms from Tezpur, the nearest town.

Nameri was set up as a sanctuary in 1985 with an area of 137 sq. kms. In 1998 it was officially established as a National Park. The park, with its hills of deciduous forests and the Jia Bhoroli river flowing through it, is a birder's paradise, home to more than 300 species of birds: four species of Hornbills, an abundance of Mainas, Bee Eaters, Barbets, Babblers, Bulbuls, Plovers, Ibis, Bills etc. In recent years, Nameri has sheltered the rare and endangered White Winged Wood Duck. Over 50 of the total world population of 700 of this species can be found at Nameri National Park.

A plethora of reptilian and insect life bears testimony to the immense biodiversity of the area: the Assam Roof Turtle, Multicoloured butterflies and insects like the Lantern fly add colour and charm to the scenery.

Rafting
These enjoyable rafting trips are meant for the entire family; rafters may swim, sunbathe or relax on the different river islands. IORA organizes excursions to Nameri National Park, as well as float trips with picnic lunches.

Angling
Jia-Bhorolli offers wonderful angling oppurtunities for keen anglers subject to regulation by the forest department.

Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary
This sanctuary is the only sanctuary in India to be named after a non-human primate, Hollock Gibbon(Hylobates hoolock). Holock Gibbon, the only ape found in the Indian sub continent, requires prime evergreen forests for survival. The Park is located 22 kms from Jorhat town (115 kms from IORA , Kaziranga). Total area of the Wildlife Sanctuary is 20.98 Hectares.

Majuli
Majuli is the largest river island and the seat of Vaishnavite culture in Assam. Majuli is accessible by ferry from Nimatighat which is 16 kms from Jorhat town.

Golfing
IORA organizes Golf trips to the 9 hole Golf course at the heritage Jorhat Gymkhana Club, established in 1876 (Approx 1.5 hrs. drive