Plan the Perfect Getaway to Kaziranga National Park – The Real Life ‘Jungle Book’ Experience

One of the most gorgeous natural treasure trove and the ultimate address for any wildlife enthusiast, Kaziranga National Park, situated in Golaghat, Assam, is one of those rare national parks where you can see the big five mammals – Indian Rhinos, Asian Elephants, Royal Bengal Tigers, Swamp Deers and Water Buffaloes living blissfully in the same address.

Do you wish to spend some time in a wilderness retreat nestled in a large natural forested area, do you fancy waking up to a rhino leisurely passing by your cottage window, do you prefer the chirping of numerous colourful bird over the humdrums of a busy city; if your answers to the above questions is a resounding “YES” then we promise that Kaziranga will not disappoint you, for this royal gem of a jungle has so much to offer!

Stay tuned as we provide you with a virtual tour of Kaziranga, a sneak peek into our experiences and the ingredients for a perfect recipe to plan your perfect getaway to this royal jungle wonder.

History & Mystery Behind Kaziranga National Park

Lady Curzon on her Kaziranga Game Park tour in early 1900

The establishment of Kaziranga National Park can be mainly attributed to Lady Mary Curzon, wife of Lord Curzon, Viceroy of India during the early 1900s. History reveals that Lady Curzon, who eagerly visited Kaziranga Game Park to see the exotic one-horned rhinoceros, was left utterly disappointed when she failed to catch any glimpse of the coveted animal she had heard so much about. Upon her insistence, Lord Curzon took project ‘rhino’ seriously and worked towards converting Kaziranga Game Park to Kaziranga Conservation Forest. Since then the National Park has swelled to the current size of 430 sq. km.

The National Park was recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985 and as a Tiger Reserve in 2006.

Besides being the protector and reservoir of an extraordinary range of biodiversity, the glory of Kaziranga is also reflected in its breathtaking array of flowers in the form of an abundant cover of water-lilies, lotus and water hyacinth which enrich the beauty and add a rustic look to the natural ambience of the park.

Three Must Dos in Kaziranga for your perfect ‘Jungle Book’ Experience

1) Jeep Safari – Kohora Range (Cost: Rs. 2050/- for the entire jeep and Rs. 200/- per person for entry ticket)

Duration : Three and a Half Hours

Jeep Safari at Kohora Range, Kaziranga National Park

Our Route: (Refer Map)

Kohora Range Route: Mihimukh->Kathpora ->Daphlang ->Diphlu River Bank ->Monabeel ->Kesarin and back

No sooner had we boarded our jeep for the game drive at around 7:30 am, a group of colourful butterflies joined us in our early morning rendezvous. We were accompanied by our driver and seasoned naturalist Mr Momin.

As we entered, the mist shrouded park woke up from slumber and the golden rays of the winter sun began turning everything into gold – the meadows, the marshy tidal ponds, the thick backwoods and the wildlife. As we drove around, the golden rays kept peeping through the lush branches of the thick deciduous trees.

The Mist Shrouded Park During the Wee Hours of the Morning

A little into the jungle, we encountered the majestic one-horned rhinoceros basking in the early morning sun. We strained our eyes to ogle at this ‘timeless spectacle’. This was followed by several contiguous clicks from the SLR to ensure capture of the ‘beauty’ from the most perfect angle. We also spotted the wild buffalo, the hispid hare, the Barking Deer, the Pangolin, the Eastern Mole, the Assamese Macaque. Greenhorns that we were, our naturalist, often with eyes of hawk would point out to the animals that more often than not would have otherwise escaped our sight. We found it incredibly endearing that despite spending over a decade in the jungles, Momin still dances like kid whenever he spots an exotic animal from a close vicinity.

Our One-Horned Rhino Encounter in the Dense Jungles of Kohora Range, Kaziranga National Park

‘One-Horned Rhino‘ Grazing Leisurely in the Short Grasslands of Kohora Range, Kaziranga

If it were not for our Naturalist, We would have missed spotting the ‘Barking Deer ‘ looking timidly at us from the thick grass

‘Wild Buffaloes’ Soaking the Mild Sun By the side of the Diphlu River

‘Assam Roofed Turtle’, on the rocks of Diphlu River, Kaziranga

Assam’s Hispid Hare says Hi! (Clicked By our Naturalist, Momin Gogoi)

An ‘Assamese Macaque’ giving a naughty stare to our Jeep

‘Eastern Mole’ Emerging from the grasses, aren’t they cute!

‘Pangolin’, an endangered breed spotted in Kaziranga National Park (Image Source Google)

Tiger Spotting: We were really eager to spot a tiger and we had no qualms about communicating the same to our naturalist. “Tigers are solitary nocturnal creatures who hunt in the night or during the wee hours of the day.” The chances of spotting a tiger increases manifolds during summer (March to May). They are extremely heat sensitive and usually come around water holes. However, during Decembers when the wildlife is brimming with lush vegetation and water streams, the predators prefer staying at bay from the prying eyes of visitors like us. Much to our disappointment, the elusive spotty refused to oblige us and we had to make peace with the several tiger stories that Momin narrated during our drive.

‘Royal Bengal Tiger’ spotted at Kaziranga National Park (Photo Courtesy Debeshwar Pegu)

Exploring the Flying Delights: If you are an ornithophile, we would have straightaway advised you to head to the Agoratoli Range for an exotic range of bird spotting. But Kohora Range pleasantly surprised us in this regard. When we ventured into the dense jungles, we spotted the Great Indian Hornbill with its concave casqued beak, the Old World Blabber, the Indian Roller, the Crimson Sunbird, the Blythe’s Kingfisher, the Black Necked Stork, the Collared Owlet and many many other avian marvels.

A Flock of ‘Asian Openbills’ near the Kesaring Area of Kohora Range, Kaziranga National Park

‘Black Crowned White Stork’ spotted in the waters of Diphlu River, Kohora Range

A lone ‘Black Necked Stork’ spotted in the middle of Diphlu River, Kohora Range

‘Spot Billed Pelicans’ Swimming Blissfully in the Waters at Kaziranga National Park

The ‘Great Indian Hornbill’ daintily perched up on a tree at Kohora Range, Kaziranga National Park

An ‘Indian Roller’ spotted near Kathpora, Kohora Range

An ‘Old World Blabber’ spotted near Mihimukh, Kohora Range during our Jeep Safari

The game drive lasted over three and a half hours and we returned back to our resort for a sumptuous breakfast. The buffet tables garnished with glistening horsd’oeuvre, traditional assamese dishes crowded against western varieties of harlequin designs and the most endearing lucci and ghoogni bewitched to a fading gold awaited us. The enticing spread on the buffet table kicked our hunger pangs up a notch and we kind of ‘brunched’ till we could not accommodate another morsel inside.

2) The Elephant Safari – Bagori Range (Cost Rs. 950/- per adult)

Time Slots: 5:30 am, 6:30 am, 7:30 am

Duration: 1 hour

‘Elephant Safari’ on a cold and frosty December Morning, at Bagori Range, Kaziranga National Park

The Elephant Safari is conducted in three early morning slots (5:30 am, 6:30 am and 7:30 am). The winter rush to Kaziranga necessitates booking your spot in the safari well in advance, preferable while booking your accommodation. Now which slot should be your preference? – for winters the latter the better; for spring season the earlier slots promise a better experience in terms of animal spotting.

We drove nearly 12 km from our accommodation (in Kohora) to the Elephant Safari Point, Bagori for our 7:30 am slot. After a steaming cup of chai at the point and waiting for a couple of minutes we boarded Balimati, a magnificient tusker and our ride for the day. Elephant Safari stretches 2 kilometers and as Balimati trudged ahead through a bumpy uneven jungle trail we could already spot a Rhino sitting with an apt expression of boredom and disinterest on his face.

The Rhino with an ‘apt expression of boredom and disinterest’ on his face spotted during our Elephant Safari at Bagori Range

‘Mother-Son Rhino Duo’ Spotted during Elephant Safari

The animal spotting was not that great as is the case with most elephant safaris across all national parks; but one should definitely take this safari for an all-inclusive jungle experience. We spotted a few birds here and there.

Suddenly, the echolalia of a wild animal rammed through the jungle in disintegrated ripples, but sadly it was beyond the tusker’s range and much to our dismay we could not discover the mystery animal.

3) The Orchid Garden Tour – An All Round Cultural Reserve of the North-East India

Open Hours: 10 am to 5 pm (Extended Cultural Program from 6:30 pm)

Time Required: 2 hours

‘Kaziranga National Orchid Park’ Entrance

The Kaziranga National Orchid Park, situated 2 km from Kohora Range has added a new dimension to the fauna landscape of the National Park and has multiplied the glory of Kaziranga manifolds. Sprawling an area of 6 acres in the Durgapur village, Kaziranga the park is an abode of more than 600 varieties of wild orchids collected from all over north-east. Assam is best known for an ample variety of orchids. Orchids belong to a cosmopolitan family plant with complex flowers that are often showy. It also acts as a symbol of our national heritage.

We reached the orchid garden by 3:30 pm. We observed that the center stage of the greenhouse was ornate with beautiful orchids, consciously placed amidst wild state in order to give complete natural ambience taking visitors as close to nature as possible.

We were completely awestruck by the fact that the volunteers and employees of the Orchid Garden had an in-depth knowledge of all the orchids present in the Orchid Park, and their eyes glistened when they explained details of this exotic rare species to the visitors. This only explains how much their heart beats for the Orchid Flower(Kopou Ful) and how much pride they take in their rich cultural heritage.

Magnificent ‘Ladies Slipper Orchid’ at Kaziranga National Orchid Park! (Our favourite of the lot)

‘Yellow Moth Orchid’ (Phalaenopsis) at Kaziranga National Orchid Park

‘Purple Phalaenopsis (Moth) Orchid’ at Kaziranga National Orchid Park

The ‘Dancing Lady’ Orchid Blooming with Pride at the Greenhouse, Orchid Park, Kaziranga

Beautiful ‘Red Anthurium Orchid’ at Kaziranga National Orchid Park

Orchid Gallery: We entered a picture gallery of more than 500 rare varieties of orchids from all over the world, most of them clicked by the ‘Orchid Hearted’ Khyanjeet Gogoi.“When the Kopou blooms, Khyanjeet Gogoi’s heart does a somersault, even today. Even as the Bihu dancers in his Daisajan village in Talap, Tinsukia district swayed in tune to pepa and dhol, the young Khyanjeet’s eyes remain fixed on the Kopou phul swinging from their buns and yearned for them when later they lay abandoned by the roadside after the revelry was over. This attraction for the common Kopou transformed into a passion as Khyanjeet explored the exotic world of orchids as he grew older.”

Tanu admiring the beautiful collections at the Orchid Gallery ,Kaziranga National Orchid Park

Traditional Museum: The museum inside the orchid park proudly preserved the yesteryear’s Assamese gadgets, musical instruments etc. We could spot a dhul, pepa, gogona, hawda, hengdang, palki, dheki . . . and the list goes on. Do pay a visit to soak in the historical preserves of Assam and to learn more about the culture of the ‘land of the brave-hearts’.

Museum Preserving the Traditional Gadgets, Tools and Instruments of Assam and North-East India

A Karbi Woman Weaving a Traditional Attire in Kaziranga National Orchid Park

Cultural Program: The grandiosity of North-Eastern Culture is in the vibrant display of their beautiful attires and colourful lifestyles in their folklores and dance. We witnessed a live cultural show hosted by the Orchid Garden where different groups performed the traditional dance of the ‘Seven Sisters’ of North-East. This show starts at 4:30 pm. There is also an extended cultural program scheduled at 6:30 pm. However, we returned to our resort by 5:30 pm for our evening bon-fire.

Traditional ‘Bihu Dance’ Performance at Kaziranga National Orchid Park

We loved the effortless display of the flamboyance and purity of the ethnicity and culture of North-East India and laud Orchid Park, Kaziranga for putting Assam in the Global Map for reasons beyond the one-horned-rhinoceros.

Necessary Add-Ons to Further Enrich ‘The Jungle Experience’

We went for an early morning nature walk amidst the tea-gardens and forests on the day of departure.  We also enjoyed an evening bon-fire on the first day of our arrival at the resort. The sublime rays from the wafer of a moon from the chilly winter skies covered with a thick blanket of stars crafted the perfect ambience to enjoy the bon-fire with steaming hot coffee, snacks and music.

So, that’s all about ‘Kaziranga, the World Heritage Site’ ,Folks!

Much love from Tanu & Maddy , have a great 2021 Fellas!

Parting Thoughts

Endangered species that harbor Kaziranga face a multitude of threats for their survival most of which are at the hands of humans. They are trophy hunted, pushed out of their natural habitat, poached for their ivory, skin and fur, exploited for various tourist attractions. However strict conservation laws enforced in the recent times have helped combat this malady to a great extent.

Hemmed with tall grasslands, thick deciduous trees, gurgling waters and ancient caves Kaziranga stands tall as the undisputed royal jungle marvel.

As for us, the jungle feel lingered for quite some time after we left; the ambient peace and calm of the wild definitely felt more therapeutic than any soulful soothing melodious music we had ever heard.