Discover India: The Land of the Rhino - KAZIRANGA

Updated: Jan 16, 2022

Kaziranga

A Wildlife safari is very much similar to a Scuba dive. Take your gear, and enter the arena. Maintain a safe distance, respect their habitat, observe, aim and shoot; with your cameras.

The drive from Shillong to Kaziranga took us 6-7 hrs. The temperature difference between the places is evident. The Kaziranga National Park greeted us with a “ANIMAL CORRIDOR drive slow”.

We had booked our 2 days’ stay at Sneha Bhavan, which seemed like a good option as per the reviews. We were in with a mission - Safari, Safari and Safari. In stepped Mr. Liton Ghosh, our showman for the next 2 days. In his Assamese Hinglish accent, he laid out a plan for us.

There are 2 safaris. The Elephant safari gives a good feel of riding an elephant in the jungle. It is only 1 hr duration and doesn’t cover much of an area. Also, seats are limited and need pre-booking. The Jeep safari has generally no time limit (2-3 hrs on avg), takes you through the entire zone and gives better opportunity for clicks and sightings.

The park has 4 zones- Central, Western, Eastern and Burapahar, the popularity of each is as in the above order. Each has its own landscaping and thus the flora and fauna differs zone wise. A circle around each zone is approx 25 kms.

Leaving for a Safari at 6.15am whilst on a holiday and then sitting in an open air moving jeep on a cold winter morning seemed quite a task, but the pleasures of life don't come easy.

Day 1	6.15 am	Burapahar
	1.30 pm	Central
Day 2	6.45 am	Eastern
	1.30 pm	Central

The Great Indian Hornbill, Oriental Hornbill, Racket tailed Drongo and the gibbon were sighted even before we entered the forest.

A Safari guide should have an in-depth knowledge of the park and its residents and a keenness to impart that knowledge. Liton was just the right man for the job.

An animal crossing the road

gives the best shot to the photographer. But they say, “never cross a rhino”.

One-horned Rhino, Kaziranga, Assam, rhino, bird on rhino, grey, national park, crossing, rhino crossing road

Note the small bird perched on the back of the rhino, happily having lunch while ridding its ride of pesky ticks, flies and bugs.

Kaziranga has grasslands, woodlands and marshes.

Tall elephant grass, some grass is dried, some fresh, giving hues of ochre and green; interspersed with trees; with blue skies and silhouette of hills in the backdrop forms a beautiful landscape comparable to the African Savanna…The abundant elephant grass inside the forest provides food for the elephants and rhinos.

Woodlands have a variety of trees like Semul with trunks flowing like a gown, elephant apple trees with broad corrugated leaves, cane plants, ferns, creepers twisting and twining over trees giving vivid forms.

Marshes are a sanctuary for many migratory and Indian birds and watering holes for all the animals. Still waters reflecting the landscape make it a perfect picture of tranquility. One can just halt there and watch the activity of various birds and animals or capture the moment from watchtowers scattered across the park.

The last safari was dedicated to spotting the elusive Panthera tigris, the largest animal of the cat species. She had been obliging visitors since the past 5 days, but as they say, "Every day is a new day". The senses were wide open, eyes scanning the entire region, ears listening to deer alarms. After multiple dashes to and fro between Viewing towers, we had to call it off since we realised the Tiger had decided to put on a no-show. But the time was very well spent bird-watching.