Kaziranga National Park, nestled in the heart of Assam on the banks of the mighty Brahmaputra River in India, is a World Heritage Site famed for its rich biodiversity and conservation success stories. It is one of the few natural habitats where you can find six of India’s ‘Big 8’ wildlife species: the Indian elephant, the Indian rhinoceros, the Indian buffalo (wild water buffalo), the Bengal tiger, the Indian leopard, and the gaur. This park is not just a significant biodiversity hotspot in India but also a crucial sanctuary for various other wildlife species and a myriad of unique birds.

Spanning across an area of about 430 square kilometers, Kaziranga is characterized by its lush floodplain grasslands, tropical moist broadleaf forests, and four major rivers including the Brahmaputra. This diverse terrain provides a perfect mosaic of habitats for numerous species. The park is most famous for hosting two-thirds of the world’s population of the Indian one-horned rhinoceros, a species that once teetered on the brink of extinction. The sight of these prehistoric creatures, with their armor-like skin and tranquil demeanor, grazing in the vast grasslands of Kaziranga is truly iconic.

In addition to the ‘Big 8’, Kaziranga is home to a wide range of other fauna, including the swamp deer, sambar deer, and the endangered Indian hog deer, adding to the ecological diversity. Small mammals like the hog badger, Indian mongoose, large Indian civet, and the rare hispid hare also inhabit this park.

Kaziranga is also a bird watcher’s paradise, home to a variety of migratory birds, water birds, predators, scavengers, and game birds. Over 480 bird species have been recorded in the park, including the rare eastern imperial eagle, greater spotted eagle, and the beautiful black-necked stork.

Kaziranga National Park is not only a testament to India’s wildlife riches but also a critical endeavor in preserving some of the most endangered species in the world. For anyone looking to immerse themselves in the spectacle of nature and witness the coexistence of a diverse range of wildlife species, Kaziranga represents a pristine, unspoiled world waiting to be discovered.

Safari: We recommend 4 days in the park to see the different zones and hope to get some of the rare golden langur monkeys along with the Big 6.