Kaziranga National Park – The Oldest Park in Assam, India

The oldest park in Assam is Kaziranga National Park actually lies partly in Golaghat District and Nagaon District. It covers an area of 430 sq km along the river Brahmaputra on the North and Karbi Anglong hills on the South.

The National Highway 37 passes through the parking area and tea estates, hemmed by table-top tea bushes. The park has actually been declared a National Park in 1974 and is a world heritage site famous for seeing the rhinos and wild elephants straying near the highway. The landscape of the park is comprised of sheer forest, tall elephant grass, rugged reeds, marshes & shallow pools. It is one of the least areas in eastern India undisturbed by a human presence.

It is occupied by the world’s largest population of one-horned rhinoceroses, as well as many mammals, including elephants, panthers, tigers, bears, Snakes, Lizards, Turtles Tortoises, Crocodiles, and thousands of birds & other species. The park normally opens from November to April and Tourists can take rides on elephants to move around the park or cruise in a boat on the Brahmaputra along the park.

The flora of the National Park mainly consists of alluvial inundated grasslands, tropical wet evergreen forests, and dense and tall elephant grass intermixed by small swamplands. The Kaziranga National Park is an abundant cover of water lilies, water hyacinths, and lotus, offering stunning views of the surroundings of the park. Rattan Cane, (A Climbing Palm) also adds to the natural beauty of the park.

The climate of Kaziranga National Park is varied season-wise, normally hot and humid from April to June, and warm days in winter Nov to Jan. During monsoon the park is flooded by the water of Brahmaputra which caused Kaziranga becomes inaccessible.

There is the only method of getting around inside Kaziranga National Park is through a Jeep or elephant safari, which is more feasible. There are several shops at the entrance selling different forest products & handicrafts. Hiking in Kaziranga is strictly prohibited to stop man-animal conflicts, so going on a jeep or elephant-back tour is the only option.